On this page
Her hooves are off the ground and her mane is flying. This galaxy unicorn coloring page shows a unicorn in full leap across deep space, with a spiral galaxy behind her, a ringed planet by her horn and a comet racing along the bottom. There are stars on her coat too, and five of them join up to make her very own constellation.
Kids from about 5 to 12 will like it, and older ones often go for the full dark sky look. Expect 30 to 45 minutes if you fill in the background.
What is in this space scene
Top left, a spiral galaxy turns around a bright oval core, with its four curved arms reaching out. Top right, a planet with stripes wears a tilted ring. Lower down, a moon shows round craters, and a teal planet has wavy bands like a marble. Tiny four point stars and small circles are scattered in between.
The unicorn runs from left to right on a slight climb, which gives the page its speed. Her tail streams out behind her, and her long legs stretch forward and back.
Galaxy unicorn coloring page color ideas
A dark blue or deep purple sky makes everything else glow. If your child wants a true galaxy look, try patches of blue, purple and pink that blend into one another, with the stars left white.
- White coat, teal and purple mane, gold hooves
- Pale lilac coat with yellow stars
- Orange striped planet with a yellow ring
- Gray moon with white craters
The comet tail looks best as a soft pink that fades to white. Color the star at its head bright yellow and add a touch of orange around the edge.
How to get a smooth dark sky
Big dark areas are the hard part. With crayons, use the side of the crayon and work in small circles, not straight lines. Press evenly and take a break if your hand gets tired. Go around the small stars first with a sharp pencil to mark them, then fill in the space between.
Here is a neat trick. Color the stars and planets in bright crayon, pressing hard. Then brush thin dark blue watercolor over the whole page. The wax pushes the paint away, so the stars shine right through. Use thick paper for this, or the sheet will curl.
Chalk pastels on black paper are another idea for older kids. Print the line art on a light sheet, trace it onto black paper with white pencil, then color with chalk.
A real unicorn among the stars
Look up on a winter night and you are looking toward a real sky unicorn. The constellation Monoceros takes its name from the Greek word for unicorn. The mapmaker Petrus Plancius first showed it on a globe in 1612 or 1613. It sits right next to Orion, on the celestial equator, but it is hard to spot because none of its stars are very bright. Telescopes show more. It holds the Rosette Nebula, a huge glowing cloud about 4,900 light years away, and part of the band of the Milky Way runs through it. In the evening, it is best seen in February.
Space games to try
Give the constellation a name. Then ask your child to invent a new one using the loose stars in the sky. They can join any five stars with a ruler and a pencil, and decide what shape it makes.
Teachers can use this page to start a talk about the difference between a planet, a moon, a comet and a galaxy. There is one of each here. Have students label them, then write one true fact about each. For younger kids, a simple count of the stars makes a fine math warm up.
More pages to explore
Other kids may want to stay in the sky with the flying unicorn coloring page. If your artist liked the moon and the fairy tale feel, the unicorn and fairy coloring page is a good next print.
Questions
Do I have to color the whole background black?
No. Dark blue or purple looks softer and takes less crayon. If your child dislikes big dark areas, leave space white and color only the planets and stars.
What is the line of stars on her side?
It is a made up constellation. Five of the stars on her coat are joined by a thin line, the way star maps join real stars into a shape.
Is there a real unicorn in the sky?
Yes, in a way. Monoceros is a faint constellation, and its name is the Greek word for unicorn. You will need a dark sky to pick it out.
