
Star profile
Epsilon Monocerotis
What is Epsilon Monocerotis
Epsilon Monocerotis is a visual double at 122 light-years, in a region poor in bright stars but rich in nebulae: its position guides observers toward the Rosette Nebula. The primary is a blue-white A5 subgiant; the secondary, a seventh-magnitude F5 dwarf set barely 12 arcseconds away. A pair within reach of a modest telescope, where two delicate tones —lemon and vanilla— glow against the dark backdrop of the Unicorn.
Where it is and when to see it
Epsilon Monocerotis lies in the northern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is December, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it culminates about 43° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 54° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 52° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere north of 85° S.
It ranks no. 6 in brightness among the 71 stars of Monoceros in our catalogue. To find it, start from Beta Monocerotis, the brightest: it lies about 12° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 120 years ago.
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Astronomical data for Epsilon Monocerotis
- Constellation
- Monoceros
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.39
- Distance
- 122.3 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 95.942° · Dec 4.593°
- Catalogue
- HIP 30419 · HD 44769
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Other stars in Monoceros
Monoceros has 71 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- Beta Monocerotis3.76
- Alpha Monocerotis3.94
- Gamma Monocerotis3.99
- Delta Monocerotis4.15
- Zeta Monocerotis4.36
- 13 Monocerotis4.47
- 18 Monocerotis4.48
- 15 Monocerotis4.66