Monoceros, the Unicorn (Mon)
(muh-NAH-ser-us)
The constellation of Monoceros, the Unicorn, is best viewed in Winter during the month of February. It's brightest star is Beta Monocerotis at magnitude 3.76. The boundary of the Monoceros constellation contains 14 stars that host known exoplanets.
- Pronunciation:
- muh-NAH-ser-us
- Meaning:
- Unicorn
- Genitive:
- Monocerotis
- Abbreviation:
- Mon
- Constellation Family:
- Orion
- Hemisphere:
- Northern
- Quadrant:
- NQ2
- Best viewing month*:
- February
- Right Ascension (avg):
- 6h 58m
- Declination (avg):
- -3° 16'
- Brightest star:
- Beta Monocerotis (3.76)
- Stars with planets:
- 14
- X-ray stars:
- 1 stars
Double Stars in Monoceros
These are the brightest and easiest-to-find double, triple, and quadruple star systems in the constellation Monoceros .
- Star system
- Magnitudes
- Type
- Epsilon Monocerotis
- 4.4, 6.6
- double
- Beta Monocerotis
- 4.6, 5.0, 4.6, 5.4
- quadruple
Star Clusters in Monoceros
The most notable, famous, and easy-to-find star clusters in the constellation Monoceros :
- Star cluster
- Catalog #
- Cluster type
- Cone Nebula
- open
- Messier 50
- M50
- open
- NGC 2232
- open
- NGC 2301
- open
- Satellite Cluster
- C50
- open
Nebulae in Monoceros
The most notable, famous, and easy-to-find nebulae in the constellation Monoceros :
- Nebula name
- Catalog #
- Nebula type
- Butterfly Nebula
- planetary
- Cone Nebula
- dark
- Hubble's Variable Nebula
- C46
- reflection
- Red Rectangle Nebula
- protoplanetary
- Rosette Nebula
- C49
- diffuse
- Seagull Nebula
- emission
Black Holes in Monoceros
These are the most well-known smaller (non-supermassive) black holes in the constellation Monoceros. Although black holes cannot be seen directly, the smaller ones are at the center of some star clusters and supernova remnant nebulae, which can be seen. Supermassive black holes are at the center of most galaxies, such as Sagittarius A* at the center of our Milky Way galaxy.
- Black hole
- Type
- V616 Mon
- stellar
Exoplanets in Monoceros
These are the most notable named exoplanet systems known in the constellation Monoceros. Bear in mind that we will likely discover billions of exoplanets in the years to come.
* For southern latitudes, flip the season listed. For example, if a constellation is listed as best viewed in the summer in the month of July, in the southern hemisphere the constellation would be best viewed in the winter in January and would be upside-down.
** Circumpolar constellations are visible year-round in the hemisphere listed (and not at all in the opposite).