albireo | EarthSky

A bright golden star and slightly smaller blue star very close together in the center of a field of stars.

Exquisite Albireo, a favorite and colorful double star

Albireo, in the constellation Cygnus, is a favorite for stargazers. Through a small telescope, it appears as a beautiful gold star with a dimmer blue companion.

Double star orbits: New charts of Sirius and Albireo

Learn more about the double star orbits of 2 famous stars - Sirius and Albireo - with these fascinating charts from Guy Ottewell.

3 intersecting ovals, 1 large and 2 small, with colored dots representing stars labeled A, C, Ba and Bb.

Almach, a quadruple star system in Andromeda

With the eye alone, Almach looks like a single star. Through a telescope, it looks like a colorful duo. But Almach is really a 4-star system.

Close-up of the blue and gold double star Albireo.

Double stars: How to find, observe and enjoy them

This observing guide gives you a range of choices for seeing double stars with your eyes alone, with binoculars or with a telescope. And some are easy to find.

Star chart: Large Triangle in purple, with Cygnus constellation in blue over part of the triangle and some stars labeled.

Summer Triangle star Deneb is distant and luminous

When you gaze at the bright star Deneb, you’re gazing across thousands of light-years of space at one of the bright stars of the huge Summer Triangle asterism.

Star chart with a horizontal cross of labeled stars and ends of bars, inside a larger triangle pattern.

The Northern Cross: Find the backbone of the Milky Way

The Northern Cross is an asterism - or recognizable pattern of stars - within the constellation Cygnus the Swan. Here's how to find it in your sky.

Star chart showing constellation Lyra with stars and Ring nebula labeled.

Lyra the Harp contains Vega, a summer gem

Lyra the Harp is a constellation that hosts the second brightest star in the northern sky, Vega. Look for it on summer nights.

Sky chart showing Cygnus looking like a sideways cross with stars Deneb and Albireo labeled.

Cygnus the Swan flies along the Milky Way

Cygnus the Swan is a constellation that lies atop the Milky Way. Its brightest star, Deneb, is part of the Summer Triangle.

LIVE on Monday: What’s Phil thinking of NOW? GAIA

What's Phil thinking? Join Phil Plait, The Bad Astronomer, beginning at 12:15 p.m. central (17:15 UTC) on Monday, August 12 ... to hear him talk about GAIA.

Star chart: Large triangle with small constellation inside it and some stars and constellations labeled.

Vulpecula the Fox lies inside the Summer Triangle

Vulpecula the Fox is a small constellation inside the Summer Triangle. Amateur astronomers go here to spot the Coathanger Cluster and the Dumbbell Nebula.

Coathanger cluster: 6 stars in line with 4 stars making hook below them against dense, crisp star field.

Coathanger cluster: This star pattern looks like its name

The Coathanger cluster resembles its namesake and is easy to spot with binoculars, using the star Albireo - part of the Summer Triangle - to find it.

A large, reddish cocoon of gas overlaid with prolific red clouds and numerous stars.

Deep-sky photos for June 2024: Editor’s picks

Enjoy this gallery of deep-sky photos for June 2024 from our EarthSky community. And if you have a great photo to share, send it in. We love to see them!

Illustration of a star pattern in the sky with a man in the foreground pointing to it.

The attitude of the Swan and the Northern Cross

Guy Ottewell answers the question: Since the Northern Cross is vertical as it sets in the west, why is it not also vertical as it rises in the east?

Huge swirls of red nebulous light with scattered stars.

July’s deep sky for 2022: A wealth of summer nebulae

Members of the EarthSky community shared these amazing photos of July's deep sky. See nebulae from Cygnus, galaxies and more!

Look for the Northern Cross on December evenings

It isn't as famous as its counterpart, the Southern Cross. But the Northern Cross looks like a cross, and it's pretty easy to spot. You'll find it upright in the west on late December evenings.

Summer Triangle and galactic equator

You can use the Summer Triangle - and the constellation Cygnus the Swan - to locate the edgewise disk of our Milky Way galaxy.

Deneb and its constellation Cygnus the Swan

The Summer Triangle consists of 3 bright stars - Vega, Deneb and Altair - in 3 different constellations. Deneb also represents the tail of Cygnus the Swan.

Deneb, tail of Cygnus the Swan

Deneb marks the Tail of Cynus the Swan. At the same time, it marks the head of a crosslike pattern - an asterism - known as the Northern Cross.

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Exquisite Albireo, a favorite and colorful double star

Double star orbits: New charts of Sirius and Albireo

Almach, a quadruple star system in Andromeda

Double stars: How to find, observe and enjoy them

Summer Triangle star Deneb is distant and luminous

The Northern Cross: Find the backbone of the Milky Way

Lyra the Harp contains Vega, a summer gem

Cygnus the Swan flies along the Milky Way

LIVE on Monday: What’s Phil thinking of NOW? GAIA

Vulpecula the Fox lies inside the Summer Triangle

Coathanger cluster: This star pattern looks like its name

Deep-sky photos for June 2024: Editor’s picks

The attitude of the Swan and the Northern Cross

July’s deep sky for 2022: A wealth of summer nebulae

Look for the Northern Cross on December evenings

Summer Triangle and galactic equator

Deneb and its constellation Cygnus the Swan

Deneb, tail of Cygnus the Swan