Beta Monocerotis is a superb triple system for small telescopes -- three white stars in the form of a soft curve: 4.6, 5.0, 5.4. The stars are 690 light years away. A real delight.

The binary is the starting point for visiting the various deep sky objects, which are due north.

But before we go north, the rest of the southerly stars should be pointed out. With the naked eye, from beta sweep slowly toward Procyon. A little over half way is delta, a fourth-magnitude star. Click on delta to continue investigating Monoceros.