Cygnus (constellation)
| Constellation | |
|
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| Abbreviation | Cyg |
|---|---|
| Genitive | Cygni |
| Pronunciation | /ˈsɪɡnəs/, genitive /ˈsɪɡnaɪ/ |
| Symbolism | the Swan or Northern Cross |
| Right ascension | 20.62 |
| Declination | +42.03 |
| Family | Hercules |
| Quadrant | NQ4 |
| Area | 804 sq. deg. (16th) |
| Main stars | 9 |
|
Bayer/Flamsteed stars |
84 |
| Stars with planets | 97 |
| Stars brighter than 3.00m | 4 |
| Stars within 10.00 pc (32.62 ly) | 1 |
| Brightest star | Deneb (α Cyg) (1.25m) |
| Nearest star |
61 Cyg (11.36 ly, 3.48 pc) |
| Messier objects | 2 |
| Meteor showers |
October Cygnids Kappa Cygnids |
| Bordering constellations |
Cepheus Draco Lyra Vulpecula Pegasus Lacerta |
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Visible at latitudes between +90° and −40°. Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of September. |
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Cygnus /ˈsɪɡnəs/ is a northern constellation lying on the plane of the Milky Way, deriving its name from the Latinized Greek word for swan. The swan is one of the most recognizable constellations of the northern summer and autumn, and it features a prominent asterism known as the Northern Cross (in contrast to the Southern Cross). Cygnus was among the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations.
Cygnus contains Deneb, one of the brightest stars in the night sky and one corner of the Summer Triangle, as well as some notable X-ray sources and the giant stellar association of Cygnus OB2. One of the stars of this association, NML Cygni, is one of the largest stars currently known. The constellation is also home to Cygnus X-1, a distant X-ray binary containing a supergiant and unseen massive companion that was the first object widely held to be a black hole. Many star systems in Cygnus have known planets as a result of the Kepler Mission observing one patch of the sky, the patch is the area around Cygnus. In addition, most of the eastern part of Cygnus is dominated by the Hercules–Corona Borealis Great Wall, a giant galaxy filament that is the largest known structure in the observable universe; covering most of the northern sky.
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