Monoceros

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Monoceros
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Abbreviation	Mon
Genitive	Monocerotis
Symbology	the Unicorn
Right ascension	7.15 h
Declination	−5.74°
Area	List of constellations by area>Ranked 35th
Number of stars (magnitude < 3)	0
Brightest star	(Apparent magnitude>App. magnitude 3.93)
Meteor showers	December Monocerids Alpha Monocerids
Bordering constellations	Canis Major Canis Minor Gemini Hydra Lepus Orion Puppis
Visible at latitudes between +75° and −85° Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of February
Monoceros (Greek for Unicorn) is a faint constellation on the winter night sky, surrounded by Orion to the west, Gemini to the north, Canis Major to the south and Hydra to the east. Other bordering constellations includes Canis Minor, Lepus and Puppis. Contents 1 Notable features 2 Notable 3 History 4 Mythology 5 Stars 6 External links Notable features Monoceros is an almost invisible constellation, with only a few fourth magnitude stars. Alpha Monocerotis has a visual magnitude of 3.93, slightly brighter than Gamma Monocerotis, which has a visual magnitude of 3.98. But Monoceros does have something interesting to see with the aid of a small telescope. Beta Monocerotis is an impressive triple star system, the three stars form a triangle which seems to be fixed. The visual magnitudes of the stars are 4.7, 5.2 and 6.1. William Herschel discovered it in 1781 and commented it as 'one of the most beautiful sights in the heavens'. Epsilon Monocerotis is a fixed binary, with visual magnitudes of 4.5 and 6.5. S Monocerotis, or 15 Monocerotis, is a bluish white variable star and is located at the center of NGC 2264. However the variation of its magnitude is not too great. It has a companion star of visual magnitude 8. V838 Monocerotis had an outburst starting on January 6, 2002. Notable Monoceros contains many clusters and nebulae, most notable among them; M50, an open cluster The Rosette Nebula (NGC 2237-9,46), a diffuse nebula The Christmas Tree Cluster and associated Cone Nebula (NGC 2264) History Monoceros is a modern constellation, generally supposed to be named by the Dutch astronomer and theologian Petrus Plancius in 1613 and have been charted by Jakob Bartsch as Unicornus in his star chart of 1624; but Heinrich Wilhelm Olbers and Ludwig Ideler indicate the constellation is actually much older, as "the second horse south of the Twins and the Crab", with it appearing in works as early at 1564, and Joseph Scaliger is reported to have found it on an ancient Persian sphere. Mythology Since Monoceros is a modern constellation, it has no classical mythology associated to it. However, in medieval mythology, the unicorn is a mythical animal, which resembles a horse but bears a single, spiral horn on its forehead. Its horn is commonly believed to be able to cure poison. This animal is said to be uncatchable, and is often a symbol of chastity and purity. Stars Stars with proper names: * Luyten's star 9.85 – nearby star * Plaskett's star (HD 47129) 6.06 – massive spectroscopic binary Stars with Bayer designations: * 26/α Mon 3.94; 11/β Mon – triple 3.76, 5.40, 5.60; 5/γ Mon 3.99; 22/δ Mon 4.15; 8/ε Mon – double 4.39, 6.72; 29/ζ Mon 4.36 Stars with Flamsteed designations: :1 Mon 6.15; 2 Mon 5.04; 3 Mon 4.92; 6 Mon 6.76; 7 Mon 5.27; 9 Mon 6.50; 10 Mon 5.06; 12 Mon 5.88; 13 Mon 4.47; 14 Mon 6.44; 16 Mon 5.92; 17 Mon 4.77; 18 Mon 4.48; 19 Mon 4.99; 20 Mon 4.91; 21 Mon 5.44; 24 Mon 6.42; 25 Mon 5.14; 27 Mon 4.93; 28 Mon 4.69 Other notable stars: * R Monocerotis 10-12 – variable star, in NGC 2261 * HD 46375 7.84 – has a planet * HD 52265 6.30 – has a planet * Ross 614 – double 11.13, 14.60; nearby star * V838 Mon – variable star, "Monster Nova" External links [The Deep Photographic Guide to the Constellations: Monoceros] http://www.dibonsmith.com/mon_con.htm http://www.astronomical.org/constellations/mon.html Constellations introduced by Jakob Bartsch in his 1624 text Usus Astronomicus Planisphaerii Stellati Camelopardalis | Monoceros   From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details. Search Titles 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z ? E-mail this article to: Personal Message: