Monoceros

Monoceros is a constellation on the celestial equator. Its name is Greek for unicorn. It was described by 17th-century Dutch cartographer Petrus Plancius. Orion is to the west of Monceros. Gemini is to the north. Canis Major is to the south. Hydra is to the east. Other constellations next to Monoceros are Canis Minor, Lepus and Puppis.

Notable features

The constellation Monoceros as it can be seen by the naked eye.

Stars

Monoceros is hard to see with the naked eye. Its brightest star, Alpha Monocerotis, has a visual magnitude of 3.93. It is brighter than Gamma Monocerotis at 3.98.

Monoceros does have some interesting features to look at with a small telescope. Beta Monocerotis is a triple star system. The three stars form a triangle which looks to be in one spot. William Herschel commented that it is "one of the most beautiful sights in the heavens".

Monoceros also has Plaskett's Star. It is a big binary system. Its whole mass is said to be that of almost 100 Suns put together.

Further reading

• Levy, David H. (2005), Deep Sky Objects, Prometheus Books, ISBN 1-59102-361-0
• Ridpath, Ian; Wil Tirion (2007). Stars and Planets Guide. London/Princeton: Collins/Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-00-725120-9. ISBN 978-0-691-13556-4 (Princeton).

Other websites

• VISTA Reveals the Secret of the Unicorn — ESO Photo Release
• The Deep Photographic Guide to the Constellations: Monoceros
• The Constellations Web Page - Monoceros
• Star Tales – Monoceros
• Monoceros Constellation at Constellation Guide

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