How to find the Northern Cross
When to look
July, August, September, October, November evenings
Face overhead, then west
A big cross with bright Deneb at the top, inside the Summer Triangle. Albireo, at the foot, is a gold and blue double star in a small telescope. Summer and autumn evenings, high overhead; in November it stands upright in the west after dark. The drawing below is made from the real positions of its 5 stars, as the sky looks when you face it, with bigger dots for brighter stars. No telescope needed.
The Northern Cross is a big cross of stars. The bright star at the top is Deneb. Look high up on summer nights.
The Northern Cross is the brightest part of the constellation Cygnus. Deneb is the top of the cross and one corner of the Summer Triangle. The cross lies right along the Milky Way, so from a dark place it's surrounded by faint glow.
Albireo, at the foot of the cross, looks like one star to eyes, but a small telescope shows two: one gold, one blue, a famous colour pair. The cross is easiest in autumn evenings, when it stands upright over the western horizon.
The stars in it
Deneb, Sadr, Albireo, Gienah, Delta. The brightest is Deneb.
How to find it
- Go out after dark with a grown-up, and give your eyes ten minutes away from screens.
- Face overhead, then west and look for: a big cross with bright Deneb at the top, inside the Summer Triangle. Albireo, at the foot, is a gold and blue double star in a small telescope.
- Hold up this page's drawing or the printed card and match the shape to the sky. If the sky is clear.
More star patterns
“Star patterns turn through the night, so the shape may be tipped on its side. Turn your head, not the sky.”