Star profile

26 Cygni

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

What is 26 Cygni

26 Cygni —also known as e Cygni— is a yellow-hued K-type sun burning quietly within the Swan's plumage, beside the bright corridor of the summer Milky Way. At magnitude 5.06 it sits on the threshold of unaided vision under truly dark skies. Its light, released more than four centuries ago, crossed the orbit of Cygnus X-1 and the gases of the North America Nebula before reaching the pupil of anyone who looks up tonight.

Where it is and when to see it

26 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 never sets and culminates about 89° up.
From New York it never sets and culminates about 81° up.
From Sydney it culminates about 6° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere north of 40° S.

It ranks no. 51 in brightness among the 137 stars of Cygnus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Deneb, the brightest: it lies about 8° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 430 years ago.

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Astronomical data for 26 Cygni

Constellation: Cygnus
Apparent magnitude: 5.06
Distance: 434.4 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 300.340° · Dec 50.105°
Catalogue: HIP 98571 · HD 190147

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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