The figure in the sky: north is up, east is to the left. Larger dots are brighter stars.

Constellation

Cygnus

The shape: a large cross along the Milky Way.

Zeus also once turned himself into a swan. With wings outspread it flies south along the Milky Way – which is why it is also called the “Northern Cross”. Deneb, the tail, is a giant star thousands of times brighter than the Sun.

The stars of the figure

From bright to faint. Brightness is given in magnitudes (mag): the smaller the number, the brighter the star.

Deneb · 1.25 mag
Sadr · 2.23 mag
Gienah · 2.48 mag
DeltaCyg · 2.87 mag
Albireo · 3.05 mag
EtaCyg · 3.89 mag

In the 3D model

In the 3D model, under “Explore”, the sky dome shows when the constellation Cygnus can be seen above Switzerland. “Constellations in 3D” shows how far apart its stars really are.

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