A guide to the constellation Cygnus

Cygnus the Swan is a constellation in the northern hemisphere and one of the most prominent and easily recognisable star patterns in the summer and autumn night sky.

Cygnus was among the first 48 constellations compiled by the 2nd century astrologer and astronomer Ptolemy, and remains one of the official 88 constellations today.

It's perhaps most notable for containing the Northern Cross asterism, and its bright star Deneb is both the tail of the swan, but also one of the stars in the asterism known as the Summer Triangle (one of our favourite summer constellations and asterisms).

Cygnus is also well-known among deep-sky observers and astrophotographers because it contains many nebulae, including the North America Nebula, the Tulip Nebula, the Pelican Nebula, the Cocoon Nebula and the monumental Veil Nebula.

Other notable targets in Cygnus include the double star Albireo, reflection nebula NGC 6914, open star cluster M39 and the Gamma Cygni Nebula.

And Cygnus made the news in 2022 when it was announced that an exoplanet named Wolf 1069 b, a potentially habitable Earthlike exoplanet, was discovered just 40 lightyears away within the constellation.

Below is a selection of images of Cygnus and deep-sky objects found within the constellation, captured by BBC Sky at Night Magazine readers and astrophotographers.

For astro imaging advice, read our beginner's guide to astrophotography or discover our pick of the best astrophotography cameras.

And don't forget to send us your images or share them with us via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.