Sky and Telescope - September 2015 - 58

Small Scope Cygnus

Cygnus

Many features of Cygnus,
the Swan, can be appreciated
without leaving town.

in the City

Ken Hewitt-White
Oh, that heavenly Swan, soaring high overhead on late-summer evenings. Cygnus is a can't-miss constellation, even
amid city lights. Join me in my suburban yard on a clear September night as I examine Cygnus from head to tail with
three small optical systems: a 4¼-inch f/6 Newtonian reflector; 7×50 binoculars; and my bare eyes.
21h 30m

21h 00m

20h 30m

20h 00m

19h 30m

ψ

ι
+50°

51

M39

ρ

ο2
ο1

55

α

ξ

σ
τ
υ

θ

59

63

ν

19h 00m

κ

30

δ

LYRA

γ

61

+40°

CYGNUS

M29
P

λ

28

6871

29

ε

35

27

4

η

8

M56

ζ

φ

+30°

2

β
α
M27

58

September 2015 sky & telescope

VULPECULA

Sizing Up the Swan
Sixteenth largest of the 88 constellations, Cygnus covers
804 square degrees of celestial real estate. Within its
borders are four dozen stars brighter than magnitude
5.0. Picking out the Swan is easy thanks to the Northern
Cross, a five-star asterism inside the constellation that
represents the bare bones of the bird. Like the iconic Big
Dipper, the Northern Cross is an eye-catching star pattern in its own right. The Cross is large, measuring 22°°
by 16° (the Dipper is longer but not as wide), and it doubles as a basic, connect-the-dots skeleton of our feathered
friend. To get the anatomy right, simply remember that
the top of the Cross is the tail of the Swan.
The top, northeast, end of the Cross is marked by the
blaze of 1st-magnitude Alpha (α) Cygni, whose name
is Deneb ("tail"). At the southwest end is 3rd-magnitude
Beta (β), or Albireo, a word not easily translated, though
the star clearly establishes the head of our long-necked
flyer. Between Albireo and Deneb is 2nd-magnitude
Gamma (γ), or Sadr ("breast"). Southeast of Sadr is
2.5-magnitude Epsilon (ε), or Gienah ("wing"). Northwest of Sadr is 3rd-magnitude Delta (δ), which, oddly,
has no common name. The row of Epsilon-GammaDelta outlines the leading edge of the Swan's wide-open
wings. Outside the Cross, the wingtips are set by 4thmagnitude Kappa (κ) and 3rd-magnitude Zeta (ζ). A
scraggly arc of faint stars connecting Kappa, Deneb, and



Sky and Telescope - September 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Sky and Telescope - September 2015

Contents
Sky and Telescope - September 2015 - Cover1
Sky and Telescope - September 2015 - Cover2
Sky and Telescope - September 2015 - 1
Sky and Telescope - September 2015 - Contents
Sky and Telescope - September 2015 - 3
Sky and Telescope - September 2015 - A
Sky and Telescope - September 2015 - B
Sky and Telescope - September 2015 - 4
Sky and Telescope - September 2015 - 5
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