Monoceros

Monoceros is one of the 88 modern constellations recognized by the International Astronomical Union. Its genitive form is Monocerotis, its standard abbreviation is Mon, it is traditionally shown as the Unicorn. It belongs to the Orion family of constellations and lies in the second quadrant of the northern hemisphere. The constellation covers about 482 square degrees of sky, ranking 35th in size among the 88. Its brightest star is β Mon at apparent magnitude 3.76. It borders Canis Major, Canis Minor, Gemini, Hydra, Lepus, Orion and Puppis. In this atlas the entity is the shared sky reference for astronomical objects catalogued by constellation, so every star, nebula or galaxy located within Monoceros resolves to one identity.