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A Complete Guide to the Solar System and the Night Sky
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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
north SunriseRise: 7:38  
clear_day Transit: 11:46  
SunsetSet: 15:54 south
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All Constellations » Monoceros » 

3 Monocerotis

Altitude: 18.7°   Azimuth: 137.6°   Direction: South-East

3 Monocerotis is a double giant star in the constellation of Monoceros.

3 Monocerotis visual magnitude is 4.95. Because of its moderate brightness, 3 Monocerotis should be easily visible from locations with dark skyes, while it can be barely visible, or not visible at all, from skyes affected by light pollution.

The table below summarizes the key facts about 3 Monocerotis:

4.95
Giant

3 Monocerotis is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.

Altitude: 18.7°
Azimuth: 137.6°
Direction: South-East

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of 3 Monocerotis

3 Monocerotis is situated close to the celestial equator, as such, it is at least partly visible from both hemispheres in certain times of the year. Celestial coordinates for the J2000 equinox as well as galactic coordinates of 3 Monocerotis are provided in the following table:

06h 01m 50s
-10° 35’ 53”
216.95°
-15.77°
Monoceros

The simplified sky map below shows the position of 3 Monocerotis in the sky:

Finder chart 3 Monocerotis star
Simplified finder chart for 3 Monocerotis.

Visibility of 3 Monocerotis from your location

Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London

Today's 3 Monocerotis rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt are the following (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 100.6°
Max altitude: 27.9°
Azimuth: 259.4°

Digitized Sky Survey image of 3 Monocerotis

The image below is a photograph of 3 Monocerotis from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 (DSS2 - see the credits section) taken in the red channel. The area of sky represented in the image is 0.5x0.5 degrees (30x30 arcmins). The proper motion of 3 Monocerotis is -0.007 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and 0 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 100000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of 3 Monocerotis star
DSS2 image of 3 Monocerotis. The red arrow shows the motion of 3 Monocerotis during the next 100000 years (-11.67 arcmin in Right Ascension and 0.00 arcmin in declination);

Distance of 3 Monocerotis from the Sun and relative movement

3 Monocerotis is distant 978.98 light years from the Sun and it is moving far from the Sun at the speed of 39 kilometers per second.

300.30 pc
978.98 ly
39 km/s
-0.007 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of 3 Monocerotis

3 Monocerotis belongs to spectral class B5 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a giant star.

-2.44
B5III
11920K

The red dot in the diagram below shows where 3 Monocerotis is situated in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram.

HR Diagram
H-R diagram showing the position of 3 Monocerotis. Attribution: Richard Powell / CC BY-SA

3 Monocerotis star system properties

3 Monocerotis is a visual double star which can be observed with the help of medium or large telescopes. The table below shows key information about the 3 Monocerotis double sysyem:

4.95
8.45
3.5
1.9 arcsec

Alternative designations of 3 Monocerotis

3 Monocerotis
SAO151037
SAO151037