Explore the captivating constellation Cygnus (The Swan) in July's night sky on this episode of the Above and Beyond podcast. Learn about its Northern Cross shape, the star Gaia DR2 as the Swan's head, and Sadr, a young star with twelve times the mass of the Sun. Discover Deneb, a star hundreds of thousands of times more luminous than our Sun, and the majestic wings of Cygnus swooping back in flight. Join us on this cosmic journey!
Transcript:
In July’s night sky, look to the East to see one of the most striking constellations.
Because of its shape, it’s sometimes called the Northern Cross. See if you can find a knocked over cross on its side just above the horizon.
Its name is Cygnus (The Swan). The longer part of the cross heading to the south is the long neck of the swan flying the cosmic Jetstream. The Swan’s head is the star Gaia DR2. The star in the center of the body where the lines of the cross meet is named Sadr – a young star with twelve times the mass of the Sun.
Move left from Sadr to find the Swan’s short tail, which ends at the bright star Deneb – a star two hundred thousand times more luminous than our Sun. Good thing it’s placed almost three hundred thousand light years away.
The two short lines extending out either side, above and below, are the wings of the Swan. Connect stars even farther out to the wing tips and you might see the wings of Cygnus swooping back in flight.
Fly Cygnus, fly!