| Meaning: | Unicorn |
| Pronunciation: | mon oss' sir us |
| Abbreviation: | Mon, Mono |
| Genitive: | Monocerotis (mon awe sir awe' tiss) |
| Number: | 55 |
| Size: | 481.57 square degrees (1.167% of the sky) |
- Monoceros is usually associated with the unicorn, but the
constellation is itself "modern."
- Monoceros boasts the two most massive stars yet discovered. The two blue-giants are estimated to be some 55 times the size of the sun, and they revolve around each other. Together they are known as Plaskett's Star.
- This constellation first appeared in 1613, on a celestial
globe designed by the Dutch theologian Petrus Plancius.
- Jakob Bartsch, a German mathematician, brought the
constellation into general use on his star charts in 1624 under the name "Unicornu."
- Monoceros is on the celestial equator between Orion and Hydra.
Monoceros Rost, Johann Leonhard. Atlas Portatilis Coelestis, Nuremburg, 1723.
