Monoceros, the Unicorn, is a faint constellation on the celestial equator inside the Winter Triangle, rich in nebulae, star clusters and young stars.
At a glance
| stars in the figure | 9 |
|---|---|
| not placed by measurement | 13 Monocerotis (no usable parallax; left out of the depth below) |
| nearest star of the figure | Epsilon Monocerotis, 122 light-years (37.5 pc) |
| farthest star of the figure | Zeta Monocerotis, 1,060 light-years (325 pc) |
| depth | the farthest is 8.7 × farther than the nearest |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About Monoceros
Monoceros was introduced by the Dutch cartographer Petrus Plancius, filling the dim space between Orion, Canis Minor and Canis Major. Its stars are faint, but it sits inside the triangle formed by Betelgeuse, Procyon and Sirius, and the winter Milky Way runs right through it. Beta Monocerotis, seen through a small telescope, splits into three stars and is often called one of the finest triples in the sky.
The real wealth of Monoceros is in its gas. The Rosette Nebula is a great wreath of glowing hydrogen around a young cluster; the Christmas Tree Cluster and the Cone Nebula mark another nursery; and Monoceros R2, a dense cloud, is still forming stars behind its dust. The Monoceros Loop is the faint shell of an old supernova, spread wider than the full Moon.
Lying on the celestial equator, Monoceros can be seen from almost everywhere on Earth. It is best placed on evenings in the northern winter, which is the southern summer.
What you see in the piece
Fly out with CONSTELLATIONS (N) on, leaving the HUMAN EYE view (E): the unicorn breaks into stars at very different depths, Epsilon Monocerotis close by, Zeta Monocerotis far back along the line of sight. 13 Monocerotis sits at a stand-in distance, because its own is not measured.
Measured or modelled
13 Monocerotis has no usable parallax, so its distance is not measured: the piece pins it at a stand-in distance only so its line can still draw, and the card leaves it out of the nearest, farthest and depth.
Questions
What can you see in Monoceros?
Monoceros holds the Rosette Nebula, the Christmas Tree Cluster with the Cone Nebula, and the triple star Beta Monocerotis, all set in the winter Milky Way between Orion and Canis Minor.
How far away are the stars of Monoceros?
Of the stars with a measured distance, they range from Epsilon Monocerotis, 122 light-years (37.5 pc), to Zeta Monocerotis, 1,060 light-years (325 pc): the farthest is 8.7 × farther than the nearest. 13 Monocerotis has no usable parallax, so its distance is not measured.