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Cyg
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Cygni
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the Swan
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2062
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+4203
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804
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16th
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4
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Deneb (&alpha Cyg)
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125
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"http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/encyclopedia/entry/Kappa_Cygnids" class="copylinks">Kappa Cygnids
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"http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/encyclopedia/entry/Lacerta" class="copylinks">Lacerta
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90
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40
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September
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''For other meanings of the word Cygnus, see
Cygnus (disambiguation) ''
(from the
Latin for "swan") is a northern
Constellation . It was one of
Ptolemy 's 48 constellations, and is also one of the 88 modern constellations. Because of the pattern of its main
Stars , it is sometimes known as the '''Northern Cross''' (in contrast to the
Southern Cross ).
The bird extends over the
Milky Way , appearing to fly south.
Cygnus contains several bright
Star s.
Deneb , α 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
Summer Triangle Asterism .
Albireo , β Cygni, is at the swan's beak. It is one of the most beautiful
Double Star s of the sky, a golden star easily distinguishable in a small telescope from its blue companion.
Another interesting star is
61 Cygni . In
1838 , this star had the highest known
Proper Motion of any star in the sky; this was taken as evidence that it was relatively nearby and it was accordingly chosen as the first star (other than the
Sun ) to have its distance measured. It is 11.4 light years away, one of the closest stars to our solar system.
The star
16 Cygni B is an
Extrasolar Planetary System with one confirmed planet 1.5 times the mass of
Jupiter .
The star
HD 188753 A in Cygnus has an extrasolar planet called
HD 188753 Ab which was the first planet discovered in a 3-sun (
Triple Star ) system.
Cygnus also contains the
X-ray source
Cygnus X-1 , which is considered to be one of the most likely
Black Hole candidates.
In addition, Cygnus has a variety of
Variable Stars , including
XX Cyg and
V508 Cyg .
Several
Star Cluster s and
Nebula e are found in Cygnus due to its position on the Milky Way.
NGC 7000 , the
North America Nebula , is found a bit to the east of Deneb. Its resemblance to the continent is best appreciated in photographs. The
Pelican Nebula (IC 5070) is nearby.
The constellation bears a resemblance to a wide winged, long necked bird, in graceful flight
{Link without Title} . In
Greek Mythology , the constellation represents several different legendary swans.
Zeus disguised himself as a swan to rape
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 ).
Finally, it is said that a youth named Cygnus was the boyfriend of the ill-fated
Phaethon . After Phaethon was killed trying to drive the chariot of the sun, Cygnus searched desperately for his body in the river
Eridanus where it had fallen. He dove so many times into the river that Zeus took pity on him and changed him into the waterbird that has since borne his name.
Cygnus, together with other constellations in the
Zodiac sign of
Sagittarius (specifically
Lyra and
Aquila , together with
Sagittarius itself), may be a significant part of the origin of the myth of the
Stymphalian Birds , one of
The Twelve Labours of
Herakles .
In
Chinese Mythology , the constellation Cygnus is the site of the once-a-year
Magpie bridge which connects the lovers Niu Lang and Zhi Nu (see
Qi Xi ).
:Stars with proper names:
- (50/α Cyg) 1.25 el Adige'' or '''''Deneb Cygni''''' or '''''Arided''''' Arrioph'' or '''''Gallina'''''
- : Deneb, Deneb el Adige < ذنب الدجاجة ''ðanab ad-dajāja {Link without Title} '' Tail of the hen
- : Gallina < ''gallīna'' hen
- (6/β Cyg) – double 3.05, 5.12 or '''''Al Minhar al Dajajah'''''
- : Albireo < ''ab ireo'' is a mistranslation of ''Al Minhar al Dajajah''. See the article for the history.
- : Al Minhar al Dajajah < منقار الدجاجة ''minqār ad-dajāja {Link without Title} '' Beak (''lit.'' peak) of the hen
- ( 37/γ Cyg ) 2.23 Sadir
- : < الصدر الدجاجة ''aş-şadr ad-dajājah'' The breast of the hen
:Stars with Bayer designations:
::
18/δ Cyg 2.86;
64/ζ Cyg 3.21;
13/θ Cyg 4.49;
21/η Cyg 3.89;
10/ι Cyg 3.76;
1/κ Cyg 3.80;
54/λ Cyg 4.53;
78/μ1 Cyg 4.49;
78/μ2 Cyg 6.08;
58/ν Cyg 3.94;
62/ξ Cyg 3.72;
31/ο1 Cyg 3.80;
32/ο2 Cyg 3.96;
81/π2 Cyg 4.23;
73/ρ Cyg 3.98;
67/σ Cyg 4.22;
65/τ Cyg 3.74;
66/υ Cyg 4.41;
χ Cyg 10.5;
12/φ Cyg 4.68;
24/ψ Cyg 4.91;
27/b1 Cyg 5.38;
28/b2 Cyg 4.93;
29/b3 Cyg 4.93;
16/c Cyg – double 5.99, 6.25; comp. B has a planet;
20/d Cyg 5.03;
26/e Cyg 5.06;
59/f1 Cyg 4.74;
63/f2 Cyg 4.56;
71/g Cyg 5.22;
68/A Cyg 5.04;
34/P Cyg 4.77 – hypergiant;
P Cyg variable prototype
:Stars with Flamsteed designations:
::
2 Cyg 4.99;
4 Cyg 5.17;
7 Cyg 5.73;
8 Cyg 4.74;
9 Cyg 5.39;
11 Cyg 6.03;
14 Cyg 5.41;
15 Cyg 4.89;
17 Cyg 5.00;
19 Cyg 5.18;
22 Cyg 4.95;
23 Cyg 5.14;
25 Cyg 5.15;
30 Cyg 4.80;
33 Cyg 4.28;
35 Cyg 5.14;
36 Cyg 5.58;
39 Cyg 4.43;
40 Cyg 5.63;
41 Cyg 4.01;
42 Cyg 5.90;
43 Cyg 5.73;
44 Cyg 6.21;
47 Cyg 4.61;
48 Cyg 6.32;
49 Cyg 5.53;
51 Cyg 5.41;
52 Cyg 4.22;
55 Cyg 4.81;
56 Cyg 5.06;
57 Cyg 4.80;
60 Cyg 5.38;
61 Cyg – double 5.20, 6.05; nearby;
69 Cyg 5.93;
70 Cyg 5.30;
72 Cyg 4.87;
74 Cyg 5.04;
75 Cyg 5.09;
76 Cyg 6.07;
77 Cyg 5.73;
79 Cyg 5.69
:Other notable stars:
The constellation is mentioned in the song by rock band
Rush , on their
1977 album "
A Farewell To Kings ." In
Frances The Mute , a rock album by the
Mars Volta , Vismund Cygnus is the
Protagonist .
Cygnus is also mentioned by the German Synth-pop band Alphaville in the song "Carol Masters" on the ''Afternoons in Utopia'' Album. Cygnus is mentioned in the context of having tenderly kissed the deserts.
