Constellation · Cygnus · Cyg

Cygnus constellation: how to find it, when to see it and what is in it

northernbest in september4 bright stars

In short

Cygnus is the Northern Cross, flying along the Milky Way. Its brightest star, Deneb, is the swan's tail and one corner of the Summer Triangle with Vega and Altair. At the swan's head sits Albireo, a gold-and-blue double star in any pair of binoculars. From mid-northern latitudes it barely sets and is best on evenings from July to October, high overhead.

Area: 804 square degrees, 16 of 88 · Neighbours: Cepheus, Draco, Lacerta, Lyra, Pegasus, Vulpecula · Updated 10 October 2026

How to find Cygnus

1
Find the Summer Triangle
Three bright stars: Vega (the brightest), Deneb and Altair. On summer and early-autumn evenings the triangle stands high in the south.
2
Build the cross from Deneb
Deneb tops the long bar of the cross, which runs along the Milky Way towards Albireo and Altair; the short bar crosses it in the middle.
3
Look at Albireo
The star at the foot of the cross. Binoculars or a small telescope split it into two — gold and blue.

When it is visible over London

Month	Where and when	Conditions
January	in the west, around 17:41	in the evening
February — may	in the east, around 05:44	before dawn
June	in the southeast, around 02:36	before dawn
July — august	in the south, around 01:45	around midnight
September — october	in the south, around 21:43	in the evening
November	in the southwest, around 17:28	in the evening
December	in the west, around 17:14	in the evening

Stars of the constellation

Star	What it is	Magnitude
Deneb · α Cyg	white supergiant	1.3ᵐ
Sadr · γ Cyg	yellow-white supergiant	2.2ᵐ
Aljanah · ε Cyg	orange giant	2.5ᵐ
Fawaris · δ Cyg	blue-white subgiant	2.9ᵐ
Albireo · β¹ Cyg	orange bright giant	3.1ᵐ
Tianjinnan · ζ Cyg	yellow giant	3.2ᵐ
κ Cyg	yellow giant	3.8ᵐ
ι² Cyg	white main-sequence star	3.8ᵐ