How to find Cygnus
The Northern Cross flying down the Milky Way — one corner of the Summer Triangle.
Deneb — a distant, hugely luminous supergiant; a corner of the Summer Triangle.
Cygnus, the Swan, flies along the Milky Way with wings outstretched. Its brightest stars also form the 'Northern Cross', an asterism even easier to see than the swan itself.
It's overhead on late-summer evenings and sits in one of the richest stretches of the Milky Way visible from the northern hemisphere.
Deneb and the Summer Triangle
Deneb, the swan's tail, is one of the most luminous stars known — it appears bright despite lying very far away. With Vega and Altair it forms the Summer Triangle, the season's dominant overhead pattern.
At the swan's head is Albireo, a celebrated double star that splits into gold and blue components in a small telescope.
How to find it
- Look overhead in late summer for a large cross of bright stars lying in the Milky Way
- Deneb is the top of the cross (the swan's tail); Albireo is the foot (the beak)
- Deneb forms the Summer Triangle with Vega (Lyra) and Altair (Aquila)
Deep-sky highlights
- North America Nebula (NGC 7000) near Deneb
- Veil Nebula — a delicate supernova remnant for dark skies
- Albireo — a gold-and-blue double star
Stella shows exactly when Cygnus is highest from your location tonight — and whether the sky is worth it.
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