Star profile

Alpha Monocerotis

3D likeness based on its real data · class K · ~4,200 K

What is Alpha Monocerotis

Alpha Monocerotis presides over the modest constellation of the Unicorn, drawn in the seventeenth century on a patch of sky the ancients had left unfigured, right between Canis Major, Canis Minor, and Orion. An orange type K giant some 148 light-years away, its warm tone contrasts with the blazing blue of its neighbours. It marks the discreet heart of a mythical creature that rides among some of the most spectacular star fields of the winter sky.

Where it is and when to see it

Alpha Monocerotis lies in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is January, when it culminates around midnight.

From London it culminates about 29° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 40° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 66° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere south of 80° N.

It ranks no. 2 in brightness among the 71 stars of Monoceros in our catalogue. To find it, start from Beta Monocerotis, the brightest: it lies about 18° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 150 years ago.

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Astronomical data for Alpha Monocerotis

Constellation: Monoceros
Apparent magnitude: 3.94
Distance: 147.8 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 115.312° · Dec -9.551°
Catalogue: HIP 37447 · HD 61935

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Other stars in Monoceros

Monoceros has 71 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.

See all 71 stars in Monoceros