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Sky Chart and Artist Rendering of Cygni
Origin:
One of the constellations described by Ptolemy in the Almagest
(A.D. 140). It was most certainly known for centuries prior to
Ptolemy as a bird of some sort and was called a hen in ancient western
mythology. In more modern times, it has represent the northern
counterpart to the Southern Cross, Crux, in honor
of the death of Jesus upon a cross.
Information:
Cygnus, the Swan, is a large summer/early autumn constellation immersed in
the Milky Way and appearing to be flying generally south through the
sky. The Milky Way is so dense in this area of the sky it has been
given the name of "Cygnus Star Cloud." Cygnus is nearly
overhead for most northern observers at 9 pm in mid-September. The
constellation is littered with deep sky objects (with the exception of
globular clusters and galaxies). The brightest star in Cygnus,
Deneb, is one of the three stars that makes up the "Summer
Triangle". The other two are Altair (Aquila)
and Vega (Lyra).
Mythology:
The Swan is accompanied by many different myths and legends. One
of the more enduring myths is that Zeus took the form of the swan to
seduce the beautiful Leda, wife of King Tyndareos of Sparta. Of
course, Zeus' amorous tryst produced a child -- in this case,
Pollux. But Pollux had a twin brother, Castor, whose father was the
King (a rather interesting biological twist). The brothers were
immortalized in the constellation Gemini. |
