Monoceros facts for kids
| Constellation | |
List of stars in Monoceros
|
|
| Abbreviation | Mon |
|---|---|
| Genitive | Monocerotis |
| Pronunciation | genitive |
| Symbolism | the Unicorn |
| Right ascension | 7.15 |
| Declination | −5.74 |
| Quadrant | NQ2 |
| Area | 482 sq. deg. (35th) |
| Main stars | 4 |
| Bayer/Flamsteed stars |
32 |
| Stars with planets | 16 |
| Stars brighter than 3.00m | 0 |
| Stars within 10.00 pc (32.62 ly) | 2 |
| Brightest star | β Mon (3.76m) |
| Messier objects | 1 |
| Meteor showers | December Monocerids Alpha Monocerids |
| Bordering constellations |
Canis Major Canis Minor Gemini Hydra Lepus Orion Puppis |
| Visible at latitudes between +75° and −90°. Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of February. |
|
Monoceros (Greek: Μονόκερως) is a constellation in the night sky. Its name comes from Greek and means "unicorn." This constellation is located on the celestial equator, an imaginary line in the sky that divides the northern and southern halves.
A Dutch mapmaker named Petrus Plancius first described Monoceros in the 17th century. You can find Monoceros near some well-known constellations. To its west is Orion, and to its north is Gemini. Canis Major is to the south, and Hydra is to the east. Other nearby constellations include Canis Minor, Lepus, and Puppis.
Exploring Monoceros: Stars and Sights
Monoceros can be a bit tricky to spot without a telescope because its stars are not very bright. However, it holds some amazing sights for those who look closely!
Stars of the Unicorn
The brightest star in Monoceros is Alpha Monocerotis. It has a brightness of 3.93, which is just a little brighter than Gamma Monocerotis at 3.98. These numbers tell us how bright a star appears from Earth.
If you have a small telescope, you can see some truly special stars in Monoceros. One of the most famous is Beta Monocerotis. This isn't just one star, but a triple star system! It means there are three stars very close together. When you look at them through a telescope, they appear to form a tiny triangle. The famous astronomer William Herschel once said it was "one of the most beautiful sights in the heavens."
Monoceros is also home to Plaskett's Star. This is a huge binary star system, meaning it has two stars orbiting each other. Together, these two stars have a mass that is almost 100 times greater than our own Sun!
Images for kids
-
The constellation Monoceros, from Urania's Mirror, a set of star charts from 1825. It also shows Canis Minor and the older constellation Printer's Workshop.
See also
In Spanish: Monoceros para niños
