Cygnus
The swan soaring through the summer Milky Way
Best on June–August evenings · northern sky.
Cygnus the Swan is one of summer's most rewarding constellations, its stars forming a crisp cross shape — the Northern Cross — stretched along the brightest part of the Milky Way. It rides high on summer evenings from the northern hemisphere, anchored by brilliant Deneb at the tail of the swan and traced out by wings and neck stretching across the star fields.
How to find it
On summer evenings, look high overhead from northern latitudes for the three stars of the Summer Triangle. Deneb is the dimmest of the three but still blazing bright — once you pick it out, the Northern Cross fans out from it toward the south, with Sadr at the center and Albireo marking the swan's head at the bottom of the cross. The whole figure lies right along the glowing band of the Milky Way.
Brightest stars
Deneb leads the constellation at magnitude 1.25, a luminous blue-white supergiant at the tail of the swan and one corner of the Summer Triangle. Sadr shines at magnitude 2.2 at the center of the cross, and Al Fawaris at 2.87 marks one of the outstretched wings.
Worth seeing
Albireo at the tip of the swan's beak is the constellation's most celebrated sight — a beautiful double star pairing at magnitude 3.08, easily resolved through binoculars into a striking gold-and-blue contrast.
Frequently asked
When is Cygnus visible?
Summer evenings, roughly June through August, when it climbs high in the northern sky. Deneb is circumpolar from northern latitudes so the constellation stays visible well into autumn too.
What are the main stars in Cygnus?
Deneb (magnitude 1.25) anchors the tail, Sadr (2.2) sits at the center of the cross, Al Fawaris (2.87) marks a wing tip, and Albireo (3.08) glows at the tip of the swan's beak.
Which hemisphere is Cygnus best seen from?
The northern hemisphere, where it passes high overhead on summer nights. Southern observers can catch it low on the northern horizon, but it never gets very high from latitudes south of the equator.
Nearby constellations
Lyra · Cepheus · Delphinus · Draco · Pegasus · Hercules · Aquila · Cassiopeia