Checking Out Cygnus

After the showy spectacle of the Perseids in August, the usual night sky wonders found in September may seem anticlimactic until you realize it’s the perfect time to hone your constellation and star finding skills. Cygnus, the Swan, is a great one to find in September as it sits high in the sky, so get a chair out for this one!

As with most all the constellations, there are various mythological versions of Cygnus. In one, Spartan Queen Leda was seduced by Zeus after he had turned himself into a swan. Cygnus is also associated with Orpheus who, upon his death, was transformed into a swan and placed next to his lyre (which is Lyra, the constellation next to Cygnus). More versions bring in different Greek heroes, but the common denominator is that they are all transformed into a swan when they die. In Chinese lore, Cygnus is associated with Que Qiao, the “magpie bridge.” The Goddess of Heaven separates two lovers because one is a fairy and one is a mortal, and they are not allowed to be together. When the Goddess learns they have been secretly married, she takes the Zhi Nu, the fairy, and creates a river in the sky (the Milky Way) to keep them separated. Once a year, all the magpies in the world come together and form a huge bridge over the river to help the lovers be together.

So how to find the Swan? To help align the stars being mentioned, place your chair facing south. Most everyone first finds Cygnus by looking for the Northern Cross, an asterism of five stars that help form the skeleton of the Swan. Deneb is the bright star that anchors the Swan’s tail.  Follow a straight line down to Sadr, the center of the two arms of the cross. Keep following that line to Albireo, the Swan’s head. The cross portion is closer to Deneb and the tail. The Northern Cross is also part of the Summer Triangle, which extends beyond the Cross and Swan. The Summer Triangle includes Deneb, bright Vega (to the right of Albireo) and Altair (lower left of Albireo). If you are lucky enough to have a really dark sky, swimming through the Northern Cross, Cygnus and the Summer Triangle is the Milky Way.

There are many deep sky objects in Cygnus including Messier discovered star clusters, the Fireworks Galaxy, nebulas, and even the remnant of a supernova.  

September Planets: Early evening on September 9, the waxing crescent moon is joined by Venus near the Southwest horizon. Saturn and Jupiter get a picture-worthy boost from the Moon mid-month. Look Southeast where Saturn will have its closest approach to the Moon on September 16; the following night at midnight, it is Jupiter’s turn to be the closes to the Moon.

September Moon: The full Moon appears September 20 and is called the Full Corn Moon or the Full Harvest Moon. Farmers were able to work late by the light of this moon. Fall begins in the Northern Hemisphere two days later during the Fall Equinox on September 22

Historical Events: 

1789 – William Herschel discovers Mimas, Saturn’s moon, in 1789. While many think Minas looks suspiciously like the Death Star from Star Wars, it’s noted that Minas wasn’t seen in detail until after Star Wars was produced.

1846 – Johann Galle discovers Neptune.

1858 – Abraham Lincoln takes a break from debate prep with Stephen Douglas to watch Comet Donati. Donati was described as being especially beautiful but won’t be seen again until the fourth millennium.

1892 – E.E. Barnard discovers Amalthea, Jupiter’s fifth moon. 

1977 – Launch of the Voyager 1; right now, it is the farthest spacecraft from Earth.

Keep looking up!