Editing Cygnus (constellation)

{{Short description|Constellation in the northern celestial hemisphere}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Infobox constellation
| name = Cygnus
| abbreviation = Cyg
| genitive = Cygni
| pronounce = {{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|ɪ|ɡ|n|ə|s}}, genitive {{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|ɪ|ɡ|n|aɪ}}
| symbolism = the [[Swan]] or [[Northern Cross (asterism)|Northern Cross]]
| RA = {{RA|20.62}}
| dec= {{DEC|+42.03}}
| family = [[Hercules Family|Hercules]]
| quadrant = NQ4
| areatotal = 804
| arearank = 16th
| numbermainstars = 9
| numberbfstars = 84
| numberstarsplanets = 97
| numberbrightstars = 4
| numbernearbystars = 1
| brighteststarname = [[Deneb]] (α Cyg)
| starmagnitude = 1.25
| neareststarname = [[61 Cygni|61 Cyg]]
| stardistancely = 11.36
| stardistancepc = 3.48
| numbermessierobjects = 2
| meteorshowers = [[October Cygnids]]<br />[[Kappa Cygnids]]
| bordering = [[Cepheus (constellation)|Cepheus]]<br />[[Draco (constellation)|Draco]]<br />[[Lyra]]<br />[[Vulpecula]]<br />[[Pegasus (constellation)|Pegasus]]<br />[[Lacerta]]
| latmax = [[North Pole|90]]
| latmin = [[40th parallel south|40]]
| month = September
| notes=}}
'''Cygnus''' is a northern [[constellation]] on the plane of the [[Milky Way]], deriving its name from the [[Latinisation of names|Latinized]] [[Greek language|Greek]] word for [[swan]].<ref name="Starwatch"/> Cygnus is one of the most recognizable constellations of the northern summer and autumn, and it features a prominent [[asterism (astronomy)|asterism]] known as the [[Northern Cross (asterism)|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]] (ذنب, translit. ''ḏanab,'' tail){{snd}}one of the [[brightest stars]] in the night sky and the most distant [[first-magnitude star]]{{snd}}as its "tail star" and one corner of the [[Summer Triangle]] the constellation forming an east pointing [[Altitude (triangle)|altitude of the triangle]].<ref name="Starwatch">{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/jul/29/starwatch-the-bright-stars-of-the-summer-triangle |title=Starwatch: the bright stars of the Summer Triangle |author=Stuart Clark |date=29 July 2018 |work=The Guardian}}</ref> It also has some notable X-ray sources and the giant [[stellar association]] of [[Cygnus OB2]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://scitechdaily.com/star-cluster-cygnus-ob2/ |work=SciTechDaily |title=Star Cluster Cygnus OB2 |author=Chandra X-ray Observatory |date=8 November 2012|author-link=Chandra X-ray Observatory}}</ref>  One of the stars of this association, [[NML Cygni]], is one of the [[List of largest stars|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, an area around Cygnus.

Most of the east has part of the [[Hercules–Corona Borealis Great Wall]] in the [[deep-sky object|deep sky]], a giant [[galaxy filament]] that is the largest known structure in the observable universe, covering most of the northern sky.

== History and mythology ==
=== In Eastern and World astronomy ===
{{See also|Cygnus in Chinese astronomy}}
In [[Polynesia]], Cygnus was often recognized as a separate constellation. In [[Tonga]] it was called ''Tuula-lupe'', and in the [[Tuamotus]] it was called ''Fanui-tai''.  In [[New Zealand]] it was called ''Mara-tea'', in the [[Society Islands]] it was called ''Pirae-tea'' or ''Taurua-i-te-haapa-raa-manu'', and in the Tuamotus it was called ''Fanui-raro''. Beta Cygni was named in New Zealand; it was likely called ''Whetu-kaupo''. Gamma Cygni was called ''Fanui-runga'' in the Tuamotus.{{sfn|Makemson|1941|p=282}}

Whilst being represented as a swan in the west, the constellation is known as ad-Dajājah in [[Arabic]], meaning ''the hen''. Cygnus's brightest star, known in the western world as ''deneb'', gains it's name from the Arabic name ''dhaneb'', meaning "tail", from the phrase ''Dhanab ad-Dajājah'' or the tail of the hen.

=== In Western astronomy ===
[[File:Sidney Hall - Urania's Mirror - Lacerta, Cygnus, Lyra, Vulpecula and Anser.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.2|Cygnus as depicted in ''[[Urania's Mirror]]'', a set of constellation cards published in London c.1825. Surrounding it are Lacerta, Vulpecula and Lyra.]]
In [[Greek mythology]], Cygnus has been identified with several different legendary swans. [[Zeus]] disguised himself as a swan to seduce [[Leda (mythology)|Leda]], [[Sparta]]n king [[Tyndareus]]'s wife, who gave birth to the [[Castor and Pollux|Gemini]], [[Helen of Troy]], and [[Clytemnestra]];{{sfn|Ridpath|Tirion|2001|pp=134–137}} [[Orpheus]] was transformed into a swan after his murder, and was said to have been placed in the sky next to his [[lyre]] ([[Lyra]]); and a man named [[Cycnus|Cygnus]] (Greek for ''swan'') was transformed into his namesake.

Later Romans also associated this constellation with the tragic story of [[Phaethon]], the son of [[Helios]] the sun god, who demanded to ride his father's sun chariot for a day.  Phaethon, however, was unable to control the reins, forcing Zeus to destroy the chariot (and Phaethon) with a thunderbolt, causing it to plummet to the earth into the river [[Eridanus (constellation)|Eridanus]]. According to the myth, Phaethon's close friend or lover, [[Cycnus of Liguria|Cygnus of Liguria]], grieved bitterly and spent many days diving into the river to collect Phaethon's bones to give him a proper burial. The gods were so touched by Cygnus's devotion that they turned him into a swan and placed him among the stars.<ref>P.K. Chen (2007)'' A Constellation Album: Stars and Mythology of the Night Sky'', p. 70 ({{ISBN|978-1-931559-38-6}}).</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=[[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]] |title=[[Description of Greece]] |at=[http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text.jsp?doc=Paus.+1.30.3&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0160 1.30.3]}}</ref><ref name="msh">{{cite book |author=[[Maurus Servius Honoratus]] |title=On [[Aeneid]] |at=[http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0053%3Abook%3D10%3Acommline%3D189 10.189]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Grimal |first=Pierre |url=https://archive.org/details/concisedictionar00grim/page/114/mode/2up?view=theater |title=A concise dictionary of classical mythology |last2=Kershaw |first2=Stephen |publisher=Oxford, England ; Cambridge, Mass., USA : Blackwell |others=Internet Archive |year=1990 |isbn=978-0-631-16696-2 |edition=Reprint. 1994 |pages=114 |access-date=2024-11-02}}</ref>

In [[Ovid]]'s ''[[Metamorphoses]]'', there are three people named Cygnus, all of whom are transformed into swans. Alongside Cygnus, noted above, he mentions [[Cycnus (son of Apollo)|a boy from Aetolia]] who throws himself off a cliff when his companion [[Phyllius]] refuses to give him a tamed bull that he demands, but he is transformed into a swan and flies away.<ref>[[Ovid]], ''[[Metamorphoses]]'' 7.371 ff.</ref> He also mentions [[Cycnus of Kolonai|a son of Poseidon]], an invulnerable warrior in the [[Trojan War]] who is eventually killed by [[Achilles]], but [[Poseidon]] saves him by transforming him into a swan.<ref>[[Ovid]], ''[[Metamorphoses]]'' 12.64–145</ref>

Together with other [[bird|avian]] constellations near the [[summer solstice]], [[Lyra#History|Vultur cadens]] and [[Aquila (constellation)|Aquila]], Cygnus may be a significant part of the origin of the myth of the [[Stymphalian Birds]], one of [[The Twelve Labours]] of [[Hercules]].<ref>Allen (1963) p. 56.</ref>

== Characteristics ==
A very large constellation, Cygnus is bordered by Cepheus to the north and east, Draco to the north and west, Lyra to the west, Vulpecula to the south, Pegasus to the southeast and Lacerta to the east. The three-letter abbreviation for the constellation, as adopted by the IAU in 1922, is "Cyg".<ref name=pa30_469>{{cite journal |last=Russell |first=Henry Norris |author-link=Henry Norris Russell |title=The New International Symbols for the Constellations |journal=Popular Astronomy |volume=30 |page=469 |bibcode=1922PA.....30..469R |year=1922}}</ref> The official constellation boundaries, as set by Belgian astronomer [[Eugène Joseph Delporte|Eugène Delporte]] in 1930, are defined as a polygon of 28 segments. In the [[equatorial coordinate system]], the [[right ascension]] coordinates of these borders lie between {{RA|19|07.3}} and {{RA|22|02.3}}, while the [[declination]] coordinates are between 27.73° and 61.36°.<ref name=boundary>{{cite web |title=Cygnus, Constellation Boundary |website=The Constellations |url=https://www.iau.org/public/themes/constellations/#cyg |access-date=9 December 2013}}</ref> Covering 804 square degrees and around 1.9% of the night sky, Cygnus ranks 16th of the 88 constellations in size.<ref name="thompson07">{{cite book |last=Thompson |first=Robert |author2=Thompson, Barbara |title=Illustrated Guide to Astronomical Wonders: From Novice to Master Observer |publisher=O'Reilly Media |location=Sebastopol, California |date=2007 |pages=214–15 |isbn=978-0-596-52685-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ymt9nj_uPhwC&pg=PA214}}</ref>

Cygnus [[Culmination|culminates]] at midnight on 29 June, and is most visible in the evening from the early summer to mid-autumn in the Northern Hemisphere.<ref name="thompson07"/>

Normally, Cygnus is depicted with Delta and Epsilon Cygni as its wings. [[Deneb]], the brightest in the constellation is at its tail, and Albireo as the tip of its beak.{{sfn|Ridpath|Tirion|2001|pp=134–137}}

There are several [[Asterism (astronomy)|asterisms]] in Cygnus. In the 17th-century German celestial cartographer [[Johann Bayer]]'s star atlas the ''Uranometria'', Alpha, Beta and Gamma Cygni form the pole of a cross, while Delta and Epsilon form the cross beam. The nova P Cygni was then considered to be the body of Christ.<ref name=wagman>{{cite book |last=Wagman |first=Morton |year=2003 |title=Lost Stars: Lost, Missing and Troublesome Stars from the Catalogues of Johannes Bayer, Nicholas Louis de Lacaille, John Flamsteed, and Sundry Others |publisher=The McDonald & Woodward Publishing Company |location=Blacksburg, Virginia |isbn=978-0-939923-78-6 |page=131}}</ref>

== Features ==
[[File:Krušné hory, Hora sv. Šebestiána, imgp0651-71info (2018-05).jpg|thumb|Cygnus is superimposed as main stars constellation over a photo of the according section of the night sky ]]
There is an abundance of [[deep-sky object]]s, with many [[open cluster]]s, [[nebula]]e of various types and supernova remnants found in Cygnus due to its position on the Milky Way.

Its [[molecular cloud]]s form the '''Cygnus Rift''' [[dark nebula constellation]], comprising one end of the [[Great Rift (astronomy)|Great Rift]] along the Milky Way's [[galactic plane]]. The rift begins around the [[Northern Coalsack]], and partially obscures the larger [[Cygnus Molecular Nebula Complex|Cygnus molecular cloud complex]] behind it, which the [[North America Nebula]] is part of.

[[File:SRG-eROSITA all-sky image.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6|On the left side of this X-ray image are the bright [[North America Nebula]] (left bright part) with [[Sadr region]] (right bright part) in the [[Cygnus X (star complex)|Cygnus X]] region, visually interrupted by the Cygnus rift
.]]

=== Stars ===
{{See also|List of stars in Cygnus}}
[[File:CygnusCC.jpg|thumb|left|upright|The constellation Cygnus as it can be seen by the naked eye, with the [[Northern Cross (asterism)|Northern Cross]] in the middle.]]
Bayer catalogued many stars in the constellation, giving them the [[Bayer designation]]s from Alpha to Omega and then using lowercase Roman letters to g. [[John Flamsteed]] added the Roman letters h, i, k, l and m (these stars were considered ''informes'' by Bayer as they lay outside the asterism of Cygnus), but were dropped by [[Francis Baily]].<ref name=wagman /><!-- cites previous two sentences -->

[[File:A young star takes centre stage.jpg|thumb|[[V1331 Cygni]] is located in the dark cloud LDN 981.<ref>{{cite news |title=A young star takes centre stage |url=http://www.spacetelescope.org/images/potw1509a/ |access-date=3 March 2015 |work=ESA/Hubble Picture of the Week |agency=ESA/Hubble}}</ref>]]

There are several bright stars in Cygnus. α Cygni, called [[Deneb]], is the brightest star in Cygnus. It is a white [[supergiant]] star of spectral type A2Iae that varies between magnitudes 1.21 and 1.29,<ref name=AAVSOalf>{{cite web |url=http://www.aavso.org/vsx/index.php?view=detail.top&oid=13281 |title=Alpha Cygni |last=BSJ |date=4 January 2010 |website=AAVSO Website |publisher=American Association of Variable Star Observers |access-date=22 December 2013}}</ref> one of the largest and most luminous A-class stars known.<ref name="illinois-deneb">{{cite web |url=http://stars.astro.illinois.edu/sow/deneb.html |title=Deneb |author=Jim Kaler |date=26 June 2009 |website=Stars |access-date=15 January 2013}}</ref> It is located about 2600 light-years away.<ref name="earthsky">{{cite web |url=http://earthsky.org/brightest-stars/deneb-among-the-farthest-stars-to-be-seen |title=Deneb: A distant and very luminous star |author=Larry Sessions |date=2018-05-23 |website=Earth Sky |access-date=2020-01-31}}</ref> Its traditional name means "tail" and refers to its position in the constellation. [[Albireo]], designated β Cygni, is a celebrated [[binary star]] among amateur astronomers for its contrasting hues. The primary is an orange-hued giant star of magnitude 3.1 and the secondary is a blue-green hued star of magnitude 5.1.<ref name=drimmel2021>{{cite journal |bibcode=2021MNRAS.502..328D |title=A celestial matryoshka: Dynamical and spectroscopic analysis of the Albireo system |last1=Drimmel |first1=Ronald |last2=Sozzetti |first2=Alessandro |last3=Schröder |first3=Klaus-Peter |last4=Bastian |first4=Ulrich |last5=Pinamonti |first5=Matteo |last6=Jack |first6=Dennis |last7=Hernández Huerta |first7=Missael A. |journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society |year=2021 |volume=502 |issue=1 |page=328 |doi=10.1093/mnras/staa4038 |doi-access=free |arxiv=2012.01277 }}</ref> The system is 430 light-years away and is visible in large binoculars and all amateur telescopes.<ref name="illinois-albireo">{{cite web |url=http://stars.astro.illinois.edu/sow/albireo.html |title=Albireo |author=Jim Kaler |website=Stars |access-date=15 January 2013}}</ref> [[Gamma Cygni|γ Cygni]], traditionally named Sadr, is a yellow-tinged supergiant star of magnitude 2.2, 1800 light-years away. Its traditional name means "breast" and refers to its position in the constellation.<ref name="illinois-sadr">{{cite web |url=http://stars.astro.illinois.edu/sow/sadr.html |title=Sadr |author=Jim Kaler |date=30 November 2012 |website=Stars |access-date=15 January 2013}}</ref> [[Delta Cygni|δ Cygni]] (the proper name is Fawaris<ref name="IAU-LSN">{{cite web |url=https://www.iau.org/public/themes/naming_stars/ |title=Naming Stars |publisher=[[International Astronomical Union|IAU]] |access-date=30 July 2018}}</ref>) is another bright binary star in Cygnus, 166 light-years with a period of 800 years. The primary is a blue-white hued giant star of magnitude 2.9, and the secondary is a star of magnitude 6.6. The two components are visible in a medium-sized amateur telescope.<ref name="illinois-deltacygni">{{cite web |url=http://stars.astro.illinois.edu/sow/deltacyg.html |title=DELTA CYG |author=Jim Kaler |website=Stars |access-date=15 January 2013}}</ref> The fifth star in Cygnus above magnitude 3 is Aljanah,<ref name="IAU-LSN"/> designated [[Epsilon Cygni|ε Cygni]]. It is an orange-hued giant star of magnitude 2.5, 72 light-years from Earth.<ref name="illinois-gienah">{{cite web |url=http://stars.astro.illinois.edu/sow/gienahcyg.html |title=Gienah Cygni |author=Jim Kaler |website=Stars |access-date=15 January 2013}}</ref>{{sfn|Ridpath|Tirion|2001|pp=134–37}}

There are several other dimmer double and binary stars in Cygnus. [[Mu Cygni|μ Cygni]] is a binary star with an optical tertiary component. The binary system has a period of 790 years and is 73 light-years from Earth. The primary and secondary, both white stars, are of magnitude 4.8 and 6.2, respectively. The unrelated tertiary component is of magnitude 6.9. Though the tertiary component is visible in binoculars, the primary and secondary currently require a medium-sized amateur telescope to split, as they will through the year 2020. The two stars will be closest between 2043 and 2050, when they will require a telescope with larger aperture to split. The stars [[30 Cygni|30]] and [[31 Cygni]] form a contrasting double star similar to the brighter Albireo. The two are visible in binoculars. The primary, 31 Cygni, is an orange-hued star of magnitude 3.8, 1400 light-years from Earth. The secondary, 30 Cygni, appears blue-green. It is of spectral type A5IIIn and magnitude 4.83, and is around 610 light-years from Earth.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://simbak.cfa.harvard.edu/simbad/sim-basic?Ident=30+Cygni&submit=SIMBAD+search|archive-url = https://archive.today/20121214195939/http://simbak.cfa.harvard.edu/simbad/sim-basic?Ident=30+Cygni&submit=SIMBAD+search|url-status = dead|archive-date = 14 December 2012 |title=30 Cygni – Variable Star |website=SIMBAD Astronomical Database |publisher=Centre de Données astronomiques de Strasbourg |access-date=31 December 2013}}</ref> 31 Cygni itself is a binary star; the tertiary component is a blue star of magnitude 7.0. [[Psi Cygni|ψ Cygni]] is a binary star visible in small amateur telescopes, with two white components. The primary is of magnitude 5.0 and the secondary is of magnitude 7.5. [[61 Cygni]] is a binary star visible in large binoculars or a small amateur telescope. It is 11.4 light-years from Earth and has a period of 750 years. Both components are orange-hued dwarf ([[main sequence]]) stars; the primary is of magnitude 5.2 and the secondary is of magnitude 6.1. 61 Cygni is significant because [[Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel]] determined its [[parallax]] in 1838, the first star to have a known parallax.<ref>{{Cite journal| doi = 10.1093/mnras/4.17.152| last = Bessel | first = F. W. | author-link = Friedrich Bessel| title = On the parallax of 61 Cygni| journal = Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society| volume = 4| issue = 17| pages = 152–161| year = 1838| bibcode = 1838MNRAS...4..152B| doi-access = free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal | last = Bessel | first = F. W. | author-link = Friedrich Bessel| doi = 10.1002/asna.18390160502 | title = Bestimmung der Entfernung des 61sten Sterns des Schwans | language = de| trans-title = Determination of the distance to 61 Cygni| journal = Astronomische Nachrichten | volume = 16 | issue = 365–366 | pages = 65–96 | year = 1838 |bibcode = 1838AN.....16...65B| url = https://zenodo.org/record/1424605 }}</ref>

Located near [[Eta Cygni|η Cygni]] is the [[X-ray]] source [[Cygnus X-1]], which is now thought to be caused by a [[black hole]] accreting matter in a binary star system. This was the first X-ray source widely believed to be a black hole.<ref name=esa20041105>{{citation | author=Staff | date=2004-11-05 | publisher=ESA | title=Observations: Seeing in X-ray wavelengths | url=http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Observations_Seeing_in_X-ray_wavelengths | access-date=2008-08-12 }}</ref><ref>Glister, Paul (2011), "[http://www.centauri-dreams.org/?p=20738 Cygnus X-1: A Black Hole Confirmed]." [http://www.centauri-dreams.org Centauri Dreams: Imagining and Planning Interstellar Exploration], 2011-11-29. Accessed 2016-09-16.</ref> It is located approximately 2.2 kiloparsecs from the [[Sun]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Miller-Jones |first1=James C. A. |last2=Bahramian |first2=Arash |last3=Orosz |first3=Jerome A. |last4=Mandel |first4=Ilya |last5=Gou |first5=Lijun |last6=Maccarone |first6=Thomas J. |last7=Neijssel |first7=Coenraad J. |last8=Zhao |first8=Xueshan |last9=Ziółkowski |first9=Janusz |last10=Reid |first10=Mark J. |last11=Uttley |first11=Phil |last12=Zheng |first12=Xueying |last13=Byun |first13=Do-Young |last14=Dodson |first14=Richard |last15=Grinberg |first15=Victoria |last16=Jung |first16=Taehyun |last17=Kim |first17=Jeong-Sook |last18=Marcote |first18=Benito |last19=Markoff |first19=Sera |last20=Rioja |first20=María J. |last21=Rushton |first21=Anthony P. |last22=Russell |first22=David M. |last23=Sivakoff |first23=Gregory R. |last24=Tetarenko |first24=Alexandra J. |last25=Tudose |first25=Valeriu |last26=Wilms |first26=Joern |title=Cygnus X-1 contains a 21–solar mass black hole—Implications for massive star winds |journal=Science |date=5 March 2021 |volume=371 |issue=6533 |pages=1046–1049 |doi=10.1126/science.abb3363|pmid=33602863 |arxiv=2102.09091 |bibcode=2021Sci...371.1046M |s2cid=231951746 }}</ref> There is also [[Supergiant star|supergiant]] [[variable star]] in the system which is known as [[HDE 226868]].<ref>{{Cite journal|arxiv=1401.1035|last1=Ziolkowski|first1=Janusz|title=Masses of the components of the HDE 226868/Cyg X-1 binary system|journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters|volume=440|pages=L61|year=2014|doi=10.1093/mnrasl/slu002|doi-access=free |bibcode = 2014MNRAS.440L..61Z |s2cid=54841624}}</ref>

[[File:Albireo.jpg|thumb|right|The two component stars of [[Albireo]] are easily distinguished, even in a small telescope.]]

Cygnus also contains several other noteworthy X-ray sources. [[Cygnus X-3]] is a [[microquasar]] containing a [[Wolf–Rayet star]] in orbit around a very compact object,<ref name="2Kim">{{Cite journal |last1=Kim |first1=J. S. |last2=Kim |first2=S. W. |last3=Kurayama |first3=T. |last4=Honma |first4=M. |last5=Sasao |first5=T. |last6=Kim |first6=S. J. |doi=10.1088/0004-637X/772/1/41 |title=Vlbi Observation of Microquasar Cyg X-3 During an X-Ray State Transition from Soft to Hard in the 2007 May-June Flare |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |volume=772 |issue=1 |pages=41 |year=2013 |arxiv=1307.1226 |bibcode=2013ApJ...772...41K|s2cid=119251416 }}</ref> with a period of only 4.8 hours.<ref name="Becker">{{Cite journal |last1=Becker |first1=R. H. |last2=Robinson-Saba |first2=J. L. |last3=Pravdo |first3=S. H. |last4=Boldt |first4=E. A. |last5=Holt |first5=S. S. |last6=Serlemitsos |first6=P. J. |last7=Swank |first7=J. H. |title=A 4.8-hour periodicity in the spectra of Cygnus X-3 |doi=10.1086/182772 |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |volume=224 |pages=L113 |year=1978 |bibcode=1978ApJ...224L.113B}}</ref> The system is one of the most intrinsically luminous X-ray sources observed.<ref name="Koerding">{{Cite journal |last1=Körding |first1=E. |last2=Colbert |first2=E. |last3=Falcke |first3=H. |doi=10.1051/0004-6361:20042452 |title=A radio monitoring survey of ultra-luminous X-ray sources |journal=Astronomy and Astrophysics |volume=436 |issue=2 |pages=427 |year=2005 |arxiv=astro-ph/0502265 |bibcode=2005A&A...436..427K|s2cid=18693471 }}</ref> The system undergoes periodic outbursts of unknown nature,<ref name="Fender">{{Cite journal |last1=Fender |first1=R. P. |last2=Hanson |first2=M. M. |last3=Pooley |first3=G. G. |doi=10.1046/j.1365-8711.1999.02726.x |title=Infrared spectroscopic variability of Cygnus X-3 in outburst and quiescence |journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society |volume=308 |issue=2 |pages=473 |year=1999 |doi-access=free |arxiv=astro-ph/9903435 |bibcode=1999MNRAS.308..473F|s2cid=16013132 }}</ref> and during one such outburst, the system was found to be emitting [[muon]]s, likely caused by [[neutrino]]s.<ref name="Marshak">{{Cite journal |last1=Marshak |first1=M. |last2=Bartelt |first2=J. |last3=Courant |first3=H. |last4=Heller |first4=K. |last5=Joyce |first5=T. |last6=Peterson |first6=E. |last7=Ruddick |first7=K. |last8=Shupe |first8=M. |last9=Ayres |first9=D. | last10 = Dawson | first10 = J. |last11=Fields |first11=T. |last12=May |first12=E. |last13=Price |first13=L. |last14=Sivaprasad |first14=K. |title=Evidence for Muon Production by Particles from Cygnus X-3 |doi=10.1103/PhysRevLett.54.2079 |journal=Physical Review Letters |volume=54 |issue=19 |pages=2079–2082 |year=1985 |pmid=10031224 |bibcode=1985PhRvL..54.2079M |url=https://zenodo.org/record/1233841 }}</ref> While the compact object is thought to be a [[neutron star]] or possibly a black hole,<ref name="Zdziarski">{{Cite journal |last1=Zdziarski |first1=A. A. |last2=Mikolajewska |first2=J. |last3=Belczynski |first3=K. |title=Cyg X-3: A low-mass black hole or a neutron star |doi=10.1093/mnrasl/sls035 |journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters |volume=429 |pages=L104–L108 |year=2012 |doi-access=free |arxiv=1208.5455 |bibcode=2013MNRAS.429L.104Z|s2cid=119185839 }}</ref> it is possible that the object is instead a more exotic stellar remnant, possibly the first discovered [[quark star]], hypothesized due to its production of cosmic rays<ref name="Baym">{{Cite journal |last1=Baym |first1=G. |author-link=Gordon Baym |last2=Kolb |first2=E. W. |author-link2=Edward Kolb |last3=McLerran |first3=L. |last4=Walker |first4=T. P. |last5=Jaffe |first5=R. L. |title=Is Cygnus X-3 strange? |doi=10.1016/0370-2693(85)91489-3 |journal=Physics Letters B |volume=160 |issue=1–3 |pages=181 |year=1985 |bibcode=1985PhLB..160..181B}}</ref> that cannot be explained if the object is a normal neutron star. The system also emits [[cosmic ray]]s and [[gamma ray]]s, and has helped shed insight on to the formation of such rays.<ref name="MacKeown">{{Cite journal |last1=MacKeown |first1=P. K. |last2=Weekes |first2=T. C. |author-link2=Trevor C. Weekes |doi=10.1038/scientificamerican1185-60 |title=Cosmic Rays from Cygnus X-3 |journal=Scientific American |volume=253 |issue=5 |pages=60 |year=1985 |bibcode=1985SciAm.253e..60M}}</ref> [[Cygnus X-2]] is another [[X-ray binary]], containing an A-type giant in orbit around a neutron star with a 9.8-day period.<ref name="Crampton">{{Cite journal |last1=Crampton |first1=D. |last2=Cowley |first2=A. P. |doi=10.1086/130636 |title=Confirmation of a 9.8-day period of Cygnus X-2 |journal=Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific |volume=92 |pages=147 |year=1980 |bibcode=1980PASP...92..147C|doi-access=free }}</ref> The system is interesting due to the rather small mass of the companion star, as most [[millisecond pulsar]]s have much more massive companions.<ref name="King">{{Cite journal |last1=King |first1=A. R. |last2=Ritter |first2=H. |doi=10.1046/j.1365-8711.1999.02862.x |title=Cygnus X-2, super-Eddington mass transfer, and pulsar binaries |journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society |volume=309 |issue=1 |pages=253 |year=1999 |doi-access=free |arxiv=astro-ph/9812343 |bibcode=1999MNRAS.309..253K|s2cid=6898321 }}</ref> Another black hole in Cygnus is [[V404 Cygni]], which consists of a [[K-type star]] orbiting around a black hole of around 12 solar masses.<ref name="Shahbaz">{{cite journal |title=The mass of the black hole in V404 Cygni |last1=Shahbaz |first1=T. |journal=MNRAS |year=1994 |volume=271 |pages=L1–L14 |bibcode=1994MNRAS.271L..10S |last2=Ringwald |first2=F. A. |last3=Bunn |first3=J. C. |last4=Naylor |first4=T. |last5=Charles |first5=P. A. |last6=Casares |first6=J. |doi=10.1093/mnras/271.1.L10 |doi-access=free }}</ref> The black hole, similar to that of Cygnus X-3, has been hypothesized to be a quark star.<ref name="Kovács">{{Cite journal |last1=Kovács |first1=Z. |last2=Cheng |first2=K. S. |last3=Harko |first3=T. |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2966.2009.15571.x |title=Can stellar mass black holes be quark stars? |journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society |volume=400 |issue=3 |pages=1632–1642 |year=2009 |doi-access=free |arxiv=0908.2672 |bibcode=2009MNRAS.400.1632K|s2cid=18263809 }}</ref> [[4U 2129+ 47]] is another X-ray binary containing a neutron star which undergoes outbursts,<ref name="Nowak">{{Cite journal |last1=Nowak |first1=M. A. |last2=Heinz |first2=S. |last3=Begelman |first3=M. C. |doi=10.1086/340757 |title=Hiding in Plain Sight:ChandraObservations of the Quiescent Neutron Star 4U 2129+47 in Eclipse |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |volume=573 |issue=2 |pages=778 |year=2002 |arxiv=astro-ph/0204503 |bibcode=2002ApJ...573..778N|s2cid=15872343 }}</ref> as is [[EXO 2030+ 375]].<ref name="WilsonC">{{Cite journal |last1=Wilson |first1=C. A. |last2=Finger |first2=M. H. |last3=Camero-Arranz |first3=A. N. |doi=10.1086/587134 |title=Outbursts Large and Small from EXO 2030+375 |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |volume=678 |issue=2 |pages=1263 |year=2008 |arxiv=0804.1375 |bibcode=2008ApJ...678.1263W|s2cid=17283290 }}</ref>

Cygnus is also home to several [[variable star]]s. [[SS Cygni]] is a [[dwarf nova]] which undergoes outbursts every 7–8 weeks. The system's total magnitude varies from 12th magnitude at its dimmest to 8th magnitude at its brightest. The two objects in the system are incredibly close together, with an orbital period of less than 0.28 days.<ref name="Honey">{{cite journal |author=Honey, W.B. | display-authors=etal |title=Quiescent and Outburst Photometry of the Dwarf Nova SS Cygni |journal=[[Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society]] |volume=236 |issue=4 |year=1989 |pages=727–34 |bibcode=1989MNRAS.236..727H |doi=10.1093/mnras/236.4.727 | doi-access=free |url=https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article-pdf/236/4/727/3924363/mnras236-0727.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170922074915/https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article-pdf/236/4/727/3924363/mnras236-0727.pdf |archive-date=2017-09-22 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Chi Cygni|χ Cygni]] is a [[red giant]] and the second-brightest [[Mira variable]] star at its maximum. It ranges between magnitudes 3.3 and 14.2, and spectral types S6,2e to S10,4e (MSe) over a period of 408 days;<ref name=AAVSOchi>{{cite web |url=http://www.aavso.org/vsx/index.php?view=detail.top&oid=13285 |title=khi Cygni |last=BSJ |date=4 January 2010 |website=AAVSO Website |publisher=American Association of Variable Star Observers |access-date=22 December 2013}}</ref> it has a diameter of 300 [[solar diameter]]s and is 350 light-years from Earth. [[P Cygni]] is a [[luminous blue variable]] that brightened suddenly to 3rd magnitude in 1600 AD. Since 1715, the star has been of 5th magnitude,<ref>{{cite book |first=Robert Jr. |last=Burnham |year=1978 |title=Burnham's Celestial Handbook: An Observer's Guide to the Universe Beyond the Solar System |edition=Revised and Enlarged |volume=2 |location=[[New York City|New York]] |publisher=Dover Publications |pages=772–773}}</ref> despite being more than 5000 light-years from Earth. The star's [[stellar spectrum|spectrum]] is unusual in that it contains very strong emission lines resulting from surrounding nebulosity.<ref name="Markova">{{cite journal |title=An analysis of emission lines in the spectrum of P Cygni |last1=Markova |first1=N. |last2=de Groot |first2=M. |journal=The Astronomical Journal |volume=326 |pages=1111–16 |year=1997 |bibcode=1997A&A...326.1111M }}</ref> [[W Cygni]] is a [[semi-regular variable]] [[red giant]] star, 618 light-years from Earth.It has a maximum magnitude of 5.10 and a minimum magnitude 6.83; its period of 131 days.  It is a [[red giant]] ranging between spectral types M4e-M6e(Tc:)III,<ref name=AAVSOW>{{cite web |url=http://www.aavso.org/vsx/index.php?view=detail.top&oid=10926 |title=W Cygni |last=BSJ |date=19 August 2011 |website=AAVSO Website |publisher=American Association of Variable Star Observers |access-date=31 December 2013}}</ref> [[NML Cygni]] is a red [[hypergiant]] semi-regular variable star located at 5,300 light-years away from Earth. It is [[List of largest known stars|one of largest stars currently known]] in the galaxy with a radius exceeding 1,000 [[Solar radius|solar radii]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=De Beck|first1=E.|last2=Decin|first2=L.|last3=de Koter|first3=A.|last4=Justtanont|first4=K.|last5=Verhoelst|first5=T.|last6=Kemper|first6=F.|last7=Menten|first7=K. M.|date=November 2010|title=Probing the mass-loss history of AGB and red supergiant stars from CO rotational line profiles|journal=Astronomy & Astrophysics|volume=523|pages=A18|doi=10.1051/0004-6361/200913771|issn=0004-6361|arxiv=1008.1083|bibcode=2010A&A...523A..18D|s2cid=16131273}}</ref> Its magnitude is around 16.6, its period is about 940 days.<ref name="Imaging the Cool Hypergiant NML Cygni’s Dusty Circumstellar Envelope with Adaptive Optics">{{Cite journal |last1=Schuster |first1=M. T. |last2=Marengo |first2=M. |last3=Hora |first3=J. L. |last4=Fazio |first4=G. G. |last5=Humphreys |first5=R. M. |last6=Gehrz |first6=R. D. |last7=Hinz |first7=P. M. |last8=Kenworthy |first8=M. A. |last9=Hoffmann |first9=W. F. |author-link5=Roberta M. Humphreys |doi=10.1088/0004-637X/699/2/1423 |title=Imaging the Cool Hypergiant NML Cygni's Dusty Circumstellar Envelope with Adaptive Optics |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |volume=699 |issue=2 |pages=1423–1432 |year=2009 |arxiv=0904.4690 |bibcode=2009ApJ...699.1423S|s2cid=17699562 }}</ref>

The star [[KIC 8462852]] (Tabby's Star) has received widespread press coverage because of unusual light fluctuations.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Orphaned Exomoons: Tidal Detachment and Evaporation Following an Exoplanet-Star Collision |journal=[[Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society]] |last1=Martinez |first1=Miguel A. S. |last2=Stone |first2=Nicholas C. |last3=Metzger |first3=Brian D. |display-authors=1 |volume=489 |issue=4 |pages=5119–5135 |date=November 2019 |doi=10.1093/mnras/stz2464 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2019MNRAS.489.5119M|arxiv=1906.08788 |s2cid=195316956 }}</ref>

=== Exoplanets ===
Cygnus is one of the constellations that the [[Kepler space telescope|Kepler satellite]] surveyed in its search for [[exoplanet]]s, and as a result, there are about a hundred stars in Cygnus with known planets, the most of any constellation.<ref name="KeplerLocation">{{cite web |url=http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/314125main_Kepler_presskit_2-19_smfile.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090304120931/http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/314125main_Kepler_presskit_2-19_smfile.pdf |archive-date=2009-03-04 |url-status=live |title=Kepler: NASA's First Mission Capable of Finding Earth-Size Planets |publisher=[[NASA]] |date=February 2009 |access-date=14 March 2009}}</ref> One of the most notable systems is the [[Kepler-11]] system, containing six [[transiting planet]]s, all within a plane of approximately one degree. It was the system with six exoplanets to be discovered.<ref name="Lissauer2011_Kepler-11">{{cite journal | title=A closely packed system of low-mass, low-density planets transiting Kepler-11 | last1=Lissauer | first1=Jack J. | last2=Fabrycky | first2=Daniel C. | last3=Ford | first3=Eric B. | last4=Borucki | first4=William J. | last5=Fressin | first5=Francois | last6=Marcy | first6=Geoffrey W. | last7=Orosz | first7=Jerome A. | last8=Rowe | first8=Jason F. | last9=Torres | first9=Guillermo | last10=Welsh | first10=William F. | last11=Batalha | first11=Natalie M. | last12=Bryson | first12=Stephen T. | last13=Buchhave | first13=Lars A. | last14=Caldwell | first14=Douglas A. | last15=Carter | first15=Joshua A. | last16=Charbonneau | first16=David | last17=Christiansen | first17=Jessie L. | last18=Cochran | first18=William D. | last19=Desert | first19=Jean-Michel | last20=Dunham | first20=Edward W. | last21=Fanelli | first21=Michael N. | last22=Fortney | first22=Jonathan J. | last23=Gautier III | first23=Thomas N. | last24=Geary | first24=John C. | last25=Gilliland | first25=Ronald L. | last26=Haas | first26=Michael R. | last27=Hall | first27=Jennifer R. | last28=Holman | first28=Matthew J. | last29=Koch | first29=David G. | last30=Latham | first30=David W. | s2cid=4388001 | display-authors=1 | journal=Nature | volume=470 | issue=7332 | pages=53–58 | year=2011 | arxiv=1102.0291 | bibcode=2011Natur.470...53L | doi=10.1038/nature09760 | pmid=21293371 }}</ref> With a spectral type of G6V, the star is somewhat cooler than the Sun. All the planets are more massive than Earth, and all have low densities; and all but one are closer to Kepler-11 than [[Mercury (planet)|Mercury]] is to the Sun.<ref name="Lissauer2013_Kepler-11">{{cite journal | title=All Six Planets Known to Orbit Kepler-11 Have Low Densities | last1=Lissauer | first1=Jack J. | last2=Jontof-Hutter | first2=Daniel | last3=Rowe | first3=Jason F. | last4=Fabrycky | first4=Daniel C. | last5=Lopez | first5=Eric D. | last6=Agol | first6=Eric | last7=Marcy | first7=Geoffrey W. | last8=Deck | first8=Katherine M. | last9=Fischer | first9=Debra A. | last10=Fortney | first10=Jonathan J. | last11=Howell | first11=Steve B. | last12=Isaacson | first12=Howard | last13=Jenkins | first13=Jon M. | last14=Kolbl | first14=Rea | last15=Sasselov | first15=Dimitar | last16=Short | first16=Donald R. | last17=Welsh | first17=William F. | display-authors=1 | journal=The Astrophysical Journal | volume=770 | issue=2 | at=131 | year=2013 | arxiv=1303.0227 | bibcode=2013ApJ...770..131L | bibcode-access=free | doi=10.1088/0004-637X/770/2/131 | doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name="Lissauer2011_Kepler-11" /> The naked-eye star [[16 Cygni]], a triple star approximately 70 light-years from Earth composed two Sun-like stars and a [[red dwarf]],<ref name="Raghavan">{{cite journal |author=Raghavan |title=Two Suns in The Sky: Stellar Multiplicity in Exoplanet Systems |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |volume=646 |issue=1 |pages=523–542 |year=2006 |doi=10.1086/504823 |last2=Henry |first2=Todd J. |last3=Mason |first3=Brian D. |last4=Subasavage |first4=John P. |last5=Jao |first5=Wei-Chun |last6=Beaulieu |first6=Thom D. |last7=Hambly |first7=Nigel C. |bibcode=2006ApJ...646..523R |arxiv=astro-ph/0603836|s2cid=5669768 }}</ref> contains a planet orbiting one of the sun-like stars, found due to variations in the star's radial velocity.<ref name=truemass>{{cite journal |title=Analysis of the motion of an extrasolar planet in a binary system |author=E. Plávalová |author2=N. A. Solovaya |arxiv=1212.3843 |journal=Astronomy & Astrophysics |year=2013 |bibcode=2013AJ....146..108P |doi=10.1088/0004-6256/146/5/108 |volume=146 |issue=5 |pages=108|s2cid=118629538 }}</ref> [[Gliese 777]], another naked-eye multiple star system containing a yellow star and a red dwarf, also contains a planet. The planet is somewhat similar to [[Jupiter]], but with slightly more mass and a more eccentric orbit.<ref name="Naef2003">{{cite journal |title=The ELODIE survey for northern extra-solar planets II. A Jovian planet on a long-period orbit around GJ 777 A |last1=Naef |first1=D. |last2=Mayor |first2=M. |last3=Korzennik |first3=S. G. |last4=Queloz |first4=D. |last5=Udry |first5=S. |last6=Nisenson |first6=P. |last7=Noyes |first7=R. W. |last8=Brown |first8=T. M. |last9=Beuzit |first9=J. L. | display-authors=1 |journal=Astronomy and Astrophysics |volume=410 |issue=3 |pages=1051–1054 |year=2003 |arxiv=astro-ph/0306586 |bibcode=2003A&A...410.1051N |doi=10.1051/0004-6361:20031341|s2cid=14853884 }}</ref><ref name="Vogt2005">{{cite journal |title=Five New Multicomponent Planetary Systems |last1=Vogt |first1=Steven S. |last2=Butler |first2=R. Paul |last3=Marcy |first3=Geoffrey W. |last4=Fischer |first4=Debra A. |last5=Henry |first5=Gregory W. |last6=Laughlin |first6=Greg |last7=Wright |first7=Jason T. |last8=Johnson |first8=John A. | display-authors=1 |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |volume=632 |issue=1 |pages=638–658 |year=2005 |doi=10.1086/432901 |bibcode=2005ApJ...632..638V|s2cid=16509245 |url=https://authors.library.caltech.edu/36250/1/0004-637X_632_1_638.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180722000634/https://authors.library.caltech.edu/36250/1/0004-637X_632_1_638.pdf |archive-date=2018-07-22 |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Kepler-22]] system is also notable for having the most Earth-like exoplanet when it was discovered in 2011.<ref name="bbc20111205">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16040655 |title=Kepler 22-b: Earth-like planet confirmed |date=5 December 2011 |publisher=[[BBC]] |access-date=6 December 2011}}</ref>

=== Star clusters ===
The rich background of stars of Cygnus can make it difficult to make out [[open cluster]].<ref name="thompson07" />

[[Messier 39|M39]] (NGC 7092) is an open cluster 950 light-years from Earth that are visible to the unaided eye under dark skies. It is loose, with about 30 stars arranged over a wide area; their conformation appears triangular. The brightest stars of M39 are of the 7th magnitude.{{sfn|Ridpath|Tirion|2001|pp=134–137}} Another open cluster in Cygnus is [[NGC 6910]], also called the Rocking Horse Cluster, possessing 16 stars with a diameter of 5 arcminutes visible in a small amateur instrument; it is of magnitude 7.4. The brightest of these are two gold-hued stars, which represent the bottom of the toy it is named for. A larger amateur instrument reveals 8 more stars, nebulosity to the east and west of the cluster, and a diameter of 9 arcminutes. The nebulosity in this region is part of the [[Gamma Cygni Nebula]]. The other stars, approximately 3700 light-years from Earth, are mostly blue-white and very hot.<ref name="S&T" />

Other open clusters in Cygnus include [[Dolidze 9]], [[Collinder 421]], [[Dolidze 11]], and [[Berkeley 90]]. Dolidze 9, 2800 light-years from Earth and relatively young at 20 million light-years old, is a faint open cluster with up to 22 stars visible in small and medium-sized amateur telescopes. Nebulosity is visible to the north and east of the cluster, which is 7 arcminutes in diameter. The brightest star appears in the eastern part of the cluster and is of the 7th magnitude; another bright star has a yellow hue. Dolidze 11 is an open cluster 400 million years old, farthest away of the three at 3700 light-years. More than 10 stars are visible in an amateur instrument in this cluster, of similar size to Dolidze 9 at 7 arcminutes in diameter, whose brightest star is of magnitude 7.5. It, too, has nebulosity in the east. Collinder 421 is a particularly old open cluster at an age of approximately 1 billion years; it is of magnitude 10.1. 3100 light-years from Earth, more than 30 stars are visible in a diameter of 8 arcseconds. The prominent star in the north of the cluster has a golden color, whereas the stars in the south of the cluster appear orange. Collinder 421 appears to be embedded in nebulosity, which extends past the cluster's borders to its west. Berkeley 90 is a smaller open cluster, with a diameter of 5 arcminutes. More than 16 members appear in an amateur telescope.<ref name="S&T">{{cite journal |title=Guide Me, Cygnus |last=French |first=Sue |pages=58–60 |journal=Sky and Telescope |date=September 2012|volume=124 |issue=3 |bibcode=2012S&T...124c..58F }}</ref>

===Molecular clouds===
[[File: NGC7000 North America Nebula.jpg|thumbnail|left|The [[North America Nebula]] (NGC 7000) is one of the most well-known nebulae in Cygnus.]]
[[NGC 6826]], the Blinking Planetary Nebula, is a [[planetary nebula]] with a magnitude of 8.5, 3200 light-years from Earth. It appears to "blink" in the eyepiece of a telescope because its central star is unusually bright{{sfn|Levy|2005|pp=130–131}} (10th magnitude).{{sfn|Ridpath|Tirion|2001|pp=134–137}} When an observer focuses on the star, the nebula appears to fade away.{{sfn|Levy|2005|pp=130–131}} Less than one degree from the Blinking Planetary is the double star 16 Cygni.{{sfn|Ridpath|Tirion|2001|pp=134–137}}

The [[North America Nebula]] (NGC 7000) is one of the most well-known nebulae in Cygnus, because it is visible to the unaided eye under dark skies, as a bright patch in the Milky Way. However, its characteristic shape is only visible in long-exposure photographs – it is difficult to observe in telescopes because of its low [[surface brightness]]. It has low surface brightness because it is so large; at its widest, the North America Nebula is 2 degrees across. Illuminated by a hot embedded star of magnitude 6, NGC 7000 is 1500 light-years from Earth.{{sfn|Ridpath|Tirion|2001|pp=134–137}}

[[File: Veil Nebula 2015-08-15 42 30s-ISO1600 AB 42 136-117-185 CVF.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|NGC 6992 (Eastern Veil Nebula – center) and NGC 6960 (Western Veil Nebula – upper right) photographed from a dark site]]

To the south of [[Epsilon Cygni]] is the [[Veil Nebula]] (NGC 6960, 6979, 6992, and 6995), a 5,000-year-old [[supernova remnant]] covering approximately 3 degrees of the sky -<ref name="objects" /> it is over 50 light-years long.{{sfn|Ridpath|Tirion|2001|pp=134–137}} Because of its appearance, it is also called the [[Cygnus Loop]].<ref name="objects" /> The Loop is only visible in long-exposure astrophotographs. However, the brightest portion, NGC 6992, is faintly visible in binoculars, and a dimmer portion, NGC 6960, is visible in wide-angle telescopes.{{sfn|Ridpath|Tirion|2001|pp=134–137}}

The [[DR 6 nebula|DR 6 cluster]] is also nicknamed the "Galactic Ghoul" because of the nebula's resemblance to a human face;<ref name="NASA2">{{Cite APOD |title=Spooky Star Forming Region DR 6 |date=2004-11-01|access-date=2008-10-23}}</ref>

[[File: Stars Brewing in Cygnus X.jpg|thumb|left|[[Cygnus-X (star complex)|Cygnus X]], a large region of star-formation in Cygnus]]
The [[Gamma Cygni Nebula]] (IC 1318) includes both bright and dark nebulae in an area of over 4 degrees. [[DWB 87]] is another of the many bright emission nebulae in Cygnus, 7.8 by 4.3 arcminutes. It is in the Gamma Cygni area. Two other emission nebulae include [[Sharpless 2-112]] and [[Sharpless 2-115]]. When viewed in an amateur telescope, Sharpless 2–112 appears to be in a teardrop shape. More of the nebula's eastern portion is visible with an [[O III]] (doubly ionized oxygen) filter. There is an orange star of magnitude 10 nearby and a star of magnitude 9 near the nebula's northwest edge. Further to the northwest, there is a dark rift and another bright patch. The whole nebula measures 15 arcminutes in diameter. Sharpless 2–115 is another emission nebula with a complex pattern of light and dark patches. Two pairs of stars appear in the nebula; it is larger near the southwestern pair. The open cluster Berkeley 90 is embedded in this large nebula, which measures 30 by 20 arcminutes.<ref name="S&T" />

Also of note is the [[Crescent Nebula]] (NGC 6888), located between Gamma and Eta Cygni, which was formed by the [[Wolf–Rayet star]] [[WR 136|HD 192163]].

In recent years, amateur astronomers have made some notable Cygnus discoveries. The "[[Soap bubble nebula]]" (PN G75.5+1.7), near the Crescent nebula, was discovered on a digital image by Dave Jurasevich in 2007.  In 2011, Austrian amateur Matthias Kronberger discovered a planetary nebula ([[Kronberger 61]], now nicknamed "The Soccer Ball") on old survey photos, confirmed recently in images by the Gemini Observatory; both of these are likely too faint to be detected by eye in a small amateur scope.

But a much more obscure and relatively 'tiny' object—one which is readily seen in dark skies by amateur telescopes, under good conditions—is the newly discovered nebula (likely reflection type) associated with the star 4 Cygni (HD 183056): an approximately fan-shaped glowing region of several arcminutes' diameter, to the south and west of the fifth-magnitude star. It was first discovered visually near San Jose, California and publicly reported by amateur astronomer Stephen Waldee in 2007, and was confirmed photographically by Al Howard in 2010. California amateur astronomer Dana Patchick also says he detected it on the Palomar Observatory survey photos in 2005 but had not published it for others to confirm and analyze at the time of Waldee's first official notices and later 2010 paper.

[[Cygnus-X (star complex)|Cygnus X]] is the largest star-forming region in the [[solar neighborhood]] and includes not only some of the [[Most luminous stars|brightest]] and [[List of most massive stars|most massive]] stars known (such as [[Cygnus OB2-12]]), but also [[Cygnus OB2]], a massive [[stellar association]] classified by some authors as a young [[globular cluster]].
=== Deep space objects ===
[[Cygnus A]] is the first [[radio galaxy]] discovered; at a distance of 730 million light-years from Earth, it is the closest powerful radio galaxy. In the [[visible spectrum]], it appears as an [[elliptical galaxy]] in a small [[galaxy cluster|cluster]]. It is classified as an [[active galaxy]] because the [[supermassive black hole]] at its [[active galactic nucleus|nucleus]] is accreting matter, which produces two [[astrophysical jet|jets]] of matter from the poles. The jets' interaction with the [[interstellar medium]] creates radio lobes, one source of radio emissions.<ref name="objects">{{cite book |title=300 Astronomical Objects: A Visual Reference to the Universe |first1=Jamie |last1=Wilkins |first2=Robert |last2=Dunn |publisher=Firefly Books |year=2006 |location=Buffalo, New York |isbn=978-1-55407-175-3}}</ref>

===Other features===
Cygnus is also the apparent source of the [[Weakly interacting massive particle|WIMP]]-wind due to the orientation of the solar system's rotation through the galactic halo.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://web.mit.edu/physics/news/physicsatmit/physicsatmit_09_windsofchange_monroebattat.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130404180757/http://web.mit.edu/physics/news/physicsatmit/physicsatmit_09_windsofchange_monroebattat.pdf |archive-date=2013-04-04 |url-status=live |title=Winds of Change |website=[[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]] |access-date=2020-01-31}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1088/1742-6596/309/1/012015 |title=Directional detection of Dark Matter with MIMAC: WIMP identification and track reconstruction |journal=Journal of Physics: Conference Series |volume=309 |issue=1 |pages=012015 |year=2011 |last1=Billard |first1=J. |last2=Mayet |first2=F. |last3=Grignon |first3=C. |last4=Santos |first4=D. |bibcode=2011JPhCS.309a2015B |arxiv=1101.2750 |s2cid=85554552 }}
</ref>

[[Image:Milky Way Arms ssc2008-10.svg|300px|right|thumb|Diagram of the [[Milky Way]]'s spiral arms]]
The local [[Orion-Cygnus Arm]] and the distant [[Cygnus Arm]] are two minor [[galactic arm]]s named after Cygnus for lying in its background.
{{Clear}}

== See also ==
* [[Cygnus in Chinese astronomy]]
* [[Cygnus (spacecraft)]]
* [[Cygnus Molecular Nebula Complex]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
* {{cite book |last=Allen |first=R. H. |year=1963 |author-link=Richard Hinckley Allen |title=Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning |edition=Reprint |publisher=Dover Publications Inc. |location=New York, NY |isbn=((978-0-486-21079-7))| title-link=Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning}}
* {{cite book |first=David H. |last=Levy |title=Deep Sky Objects |publisher=Prometheus Books |year=2005 |isbn=978-1-59102-361-6 |url=https://archive.org/details/deepskyobjects00davi }}
* {{cite book |last=Makemson |first=Maud Worcester |year=1941 |publisher=Yale University Press |title=The Morning Star Rises: an account of Polynesian astronomy |bibcode=1941msra.book.....M }}
* {{citation |title=Stars and Planets Guide |last1=Ridpath |first1=Ian |last2=Tirion |first2=Wil |year=2001 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-0-691-08913-3}}
* [[Ian Ridpath]] and [[Wil Tirion]] (2007). ''Stars and Planets Guide'', Collins, London. {{ISBN|978-0-00-725120-9}}. Princeton University Press, Princeton. {{ISBN|978-0-691-13556-4}}.

== External links ==
{{Commons and category|Cygnus (constellation)|Cygnus (constellation)}}
{{Wikisource1911Enc|Cygnus}}
* [http://www.allthesky.com/constellations/cygnus/ The Deep Photographic Guide to the Constellations: Cygnus]
* [http://www.beskeen.com/gallery/nebula/cygnusmosaic.shtml Northern Cygnus Mosaic] Pan and Zoom in on deep sky objects in Cygnus (requires ''ShockwaveFlash'').
* [http://astrojan.nhely.hu/cygnus.htm The clickable Cygnus]
* [http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/cygnus.html Star Tales – Cygnus]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120831190953/http://freescruz.com/~4cygni/4%20cygni%20zoomshare/4_cygni_nebula.html 4 Cygni Nebula]
* [https://iconographic.warburg.sas.ac.uk/category/vpc-taxonomy-017047 Warburg Institute Iconographic Database (medieval and early modern images of Cygnus)]

{{Stars of Cygnus}}
{{Constellations}}
{{Portal bar|Astronomy|Stars|Outer space}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Sky|20|37|12|+|42|01|48|10}}

[[Category:Cygnus (constellation)| ]]
[[Category:Constellations]]
[[Category:Northern constellations]]
[[Category:Constellations listed by Ptolemy]]
[[Category:Legendary birds]]