Astronomy · Stars
Deneb
The distant supergiant in the tail of Cygnus.
- Constellation
- Cygnus
- Type
- Blue-white supergiant
- Asterism
- Corner of the Summer Triangle
- Note
- Intrinsically very luminous and distant
Roman Köhler · Public domain
Gallery
Forschungsschiff Deneb
research ship "Deneb"
Jonas Rogowski · CC BY-SA
The tail of the Swan
Deneb marks the tail of Cygnus, the Swan, which flies along the Milky Way. The constellation's brightest stars also form the 'Northern Cross', with Deneb at its top.
Distant but dazzling
Deneb is remarkable because it appears bright even though it is very far away. To look as it does at such distance, it must be intrinsically one of the most luminous stars known — a blue-white supergiant.
A Summer Triangle corner
With Vega and Altair, Deneb completes the Summer Triangle, a guidepost for finding constellations along the summer Milky Way.
Knowledge connections
How this connects across Asteria Star — scientific, cultural, and astrological links are kept separate.
Scientific connections
- Belongs toCygnus
- Associated withThe Summer Triangle
- Associated withThe Northern Cross