Star profile

Eta Cygni

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

What is Eta Cygni

Eta Cygni is an orange giant 135 light-years away, but its quiet fame comes from what hides nearby: barely half a degree away glows HD 226868, the visible companion of Cygnus X-1, the first stellar black hole confirmed by science. Eta Cygni is the binocular beacon astronomers have used for decades to point toward that invisible abyss in the Swan.

Where it is and when to see it

Eta 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 74° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 84° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 21° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere north of 55° S.

It ranks no. 12 in brightness among the 137 stars of Cygnus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Deneb, the brightest: it lies about 13° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 140 years ago.

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Astronomical data for Eta Cygni

Constellation: Cygnus
Apparent magnitude: 3.89
Distance: 135.0 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 299.077° · Dec 35.083°
Catalogue: HIP 98110 · HD 188947

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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