Profile / Characteristics
| English translation | Latin declination and pronunciations | Size/ °² | # stars (visible) |
| the Unicorn | Monoceros – muh-NAH-ser-us Monocerotis – muh-NAH-ser-OH-tiss | 482 | 140 |
Main Star (brightest one):
| Designation | HIP number | name in IAU-CSN | brightness |
| α Mon | HIP 37447 | – | 3.93 mag (V) |
Our (modern) Explanation
The unicorn was created in the epoch of the many religious conflicts in Europe in the 17th century in order to represent a creature from the Old Testament that is the common sacred book for Jews, Christans and Muslimes. The creature in the old testament was perhaps inspired by Babylonian depictions of auroxes who are typically painted in profile with only one horn visible.
Ancient Globes
Farnese Globe
Kugel Globe
Mainz Globe
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Ancient Lore & Meaning
Aratus
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Reference:
English translation by Douglas Kidd (1997).
Aratus: Phaenomena, Cambridge Classical Texts and Commentaries, Series Number 34
Pseudo-Eratosthenes
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References:
French translation by:
Jordi Pàmias i Massana and Arnaud Zucker (2013). Ératosthènes de Cyrène – Catastérismes, Les Belles Lettres, Paris
English version in:
Robin Hard (2015): Eratosthenes and Hyginus Constellation Myths with Aratus’s Phaenomena, Oxford World’s Classics
Early Modern Interpretation
Contemporary
As one of their first tasks in the 1920s, the newly founded International Astronomical Union (IAU) established constellation standards. The Belgian astronomer Eugène Delporte was assigned to the task to define borders of constellations parallel to lines of declination and right ascension. They were accepted by the General Assembly in 1928. The standardized names and abbreviations had already been accepted in 1922 and 1925.
