Star profile
12 Monocerotis
What is 12 Monocerotis
12 Monocerotis is an orange K-type star 562 light-years away, in Monoceros —a constellation as inconspicuous as it is rich in young clusters and nebulae, since it lies right in the winter Milky Way. Its warm light places it among the evolved giants, in contrast with the blue, youthful suns that dominate the region. The figure of the Unicorn was proposed by Plancius around 1613.
Where it is and when to see it
12 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: the Sun sits at the opposite point of the sky and the star culminates around midnight. How high it climbs above the horizon depends on the latitude you watch from.
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The signature wall
Stelvia's sky works like a signature wall: anyone can leave their name and a message on a real star, and that signature goes up on the map for everyone to read. Signing is free.
A signature without a lock can be replaced by someone else's. The lock makes the signature permanent and lets you choose a symbolic name for the star, always shown next to the star's catalogue identifier. How the lock works
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A public signature from a real person. The chosen name is a symbolic denomination within Stelvia, with no official standing or IAU recognition: the sky is not for sale and belongs to no one.
Astronomical data for 12 Monocerotis
- Constellation
- Monoceros
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.88
- Distance
- 562.4 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 98.080° · Dec 4.856°
- Catalogue
- HIP 31159 · HD 46241
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
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
- HIP 306665.87
- HIP 288545.88
- HIP 305455.88
- HIP 322265.88
- HIP 333725.90