Cygnus - The Swan

Learn about the constellation Cygnus - The Swan, location, facts, mythology, meteor showers and deep space objects.

Cygnus is a northern constellation. It was one of Ptolemy's 48 constellations. Because of the pattern of its main stars, it is sometimes known as the Northern Cross asterism.

Location: Northern Summer 20h RA 42° Dec

Cygnus contains several bright stars.

Deneb, a Cygni, is an extremely brilliant star, very prominent despite its distance (1 800 light years). The blue supergiant forms the swan's tail, the upper end of the Northern Cross, and one of the vertices of the so-called 'Summer Triangle'.

Albireo, ß Cygni, is at the swan's beak. It is one of the most beautiful double stars in the sky, a golden star easily distinguishable in a small telescope from its blue companion.

Cygnus Mythology

In Greek mythology, the constellation represents several different legendary swans. Zeus disguised himself as a swan to seduce Leda, who gave birth to the Gemini, Helen of Troy, and Clytemnestra. Orpheus was transformed into a swan after his murder and was said to have been placed in the sky next to his lyre (Lyra).

Cygnus Deep Space Objects

Deep-sky objects are abundant, with many open clusters, nebulae of various types and supernova remnants found in Cygnus due to its position on the Milky Way.

Open clusters M39 (NGC 7092) and NGC 6910 are both easily seen with amateur equipment, as is NGC 6826, the Blinking Planetary Nebula. It is said to blink as the central star is so bright the nebula cannot be seen when the star is looked at directly.

The North America Nebula (NGC 7000) is one of the most well-known nebulae in Cygnus, because it is visible to the unaided eye under dark skies, as a bright patch in the Milky Way.

Also visible in Cygnus is the Veil Nebula, a supernova remnant which is visible in long-exposure astrophotography.

The Northern Coalsack Nebula, also called the Cygnus Rift, is a dark nebula located in Cygnus.

Also of note is the Crescent Nebula (NGC 6888), located between Gamma and Eta Cygni, which was formed by the Wolf-Rayet star HD 192163.

In this table, the observation month represents the month in which the object reaches its highest point in the sky. It can also be viewed a few months before and after depending on your location. Direction is the compass direction in which the object is located, with Z meaning Zenith or overhead.