Epsilon Monocerotis may not have the awe factor of the triple blue Beta Monocerotis in the constellation Monoceros, but this double is attractive.
The star system lies around 128 light-years away from us and sits not far from the popular Rosette Nebula in the sky. While the two appear close in the sky, the reality is both are very far apart as the Rosette Nebula makes its home more than 5,000 light-years away.
My Observations
| Date | January 21, 2022 |
| Time | 8:36 p.m. |
| Location | Seattle, WA |
| Magnification | 169x |
| Scope | Meade 8″ SCT |
| Eyepiece | 12mm |
| Seeing | Below Average |
| Transparency | Below Average |
I see a pale yellow primary star with a whiter smaller companion nearby. I understand there is a third companion around 12.7 magnitude; however, I’m unable to see this star. Nearby, there are four faint, yet equally-bright, stars in a parallelogram shape.
Key Stats
| Constellation | Monoceros |
| Best Viewing | Winter / Early Spring |
| Visual Magnitude | +4.4, +6.6 |
| Absolute Visual Magnitude | +1.53 |
| Distance from Earth | 128 ly |
| Separation | 12″ | 450 AU |
| Milky Way Location | Orion Spur |
| My Viewing Grade | B |
Sources and Notes
The double star banner on this page is an artist’s impression showing the double star OGLE-LMC-CEP0227 in our neighboring galaxy the Large Magellanic Cloud. This media was created by the European Southern Observatory (ESO). This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.
Sketch by Wayne McGraw
AKA: SAO 113810, 8 Mon, HD 44769
The Garden Astronomer 