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. 

 Location 
Orion is to the west of Monoceros. 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 

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".http://90millimeter.org/2013/02/17/monocerotis/

V838 Monocerotis, a binary star system that used to be a triple star system, was known for a sudden outburst in size and brightness, originating from two stars merging.

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. It is as hard to find as the Cancer constellation. 

References

Further reading



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

Category:Constellations