Star profile

52 Cygni

3D likeness based on its real data · class K · ~4,200 K

What is 52 Cygni

52 Cygni is a K-type orange giant glowing some 201 light-years away, set in the dense star fields of the Swan where the Milky Way thickens. It happens to fall along the line of sight to the Veil Nebula, the supernova remnant that drapes that part of the sky, though it has no physical link to those filaments —only the chance alignment of perspective. Its warm tone cuts through the cool blue threads of gas behind it.

Where it is and when to see it

52 Cygni lies in the northern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is August, when it culminates around midnight.

From London it culminates about 69° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 80° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 25° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere north of 59° S.

It ranks no. 17 in brightness among the 137 stars of Cygnus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Deneb, the brightest: it lies about 15° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 200 years ago.

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Astronomical data for 52 Cygni

Constellation: Cygnus
Apparent magnitude: 4.22
Distance: 201.1 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 311.416° · Dec 30.720°
Catalogue: HIP 102453 · HD 197912

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Other stars in Cygnus

Cygnus has 137 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.

See all 137 stars in Cygnus