Starwatch: Cygnus the swan flies high in northern hemisphere

One of the finest constellations on show in the northern sky, Cygnus's body lies right along the Milky Way

From the northern hemisphere, summer is the time for Cygnus, the swan, to fly high in our skies. A large constellation, it is definitely one of the finest on show in the northern sky.

Cygnus is shaped like a cross but it doesn't take much imagination to see it as a swan. The central star in the constellation is Sadr. From this point, the swan's great neck stretches out towards the star Albireo, and the body back towards Deneb, which is Arabic for tail. The wings reach out to either side along a line of fainter stars. The body and neck of Cygnus lie right along the Milky Way, the misty band of light that can be seen from more rural locations and is the combined light from the billions of stars that make up our galaxy.