Orange bright giant · Cygnus

Albireo

Also known as: β¹ Cygni (β¹ Cyg), HIP 95947

mag 3.1430 light-years

About

Albireo (β¹ Cygni) is an orange bright giant of magnitude 3.1 in Cygnus, about 430 light-years away.

Albireo is in the constellation Cygnus.
Best evenings: around late August it is highest at about 9 pm (10 pm in summer time); a month earlier, two hours later.
Where on Earth: it is seen well, at least 10° up, from north of 52° S.
Star patterns: Northern Cross.
Summer Triangle: Inside the triangle, at the foot of the Northern Cross: gold and blue in any small telescope.
Northern Cross: The foot of the cross: gold and blue in any small telescope.

When it rises and sets tonight, how high it climbs and how much the Moon gets in the way are worked out in your browser for your place.

EyesVisible from the suburbs on a clear night, but lost in bright city skies.
Binoculars (10×50)A sharp point; binoculars bring out its colour and the fainter stars around it.
Telescope (6–8 inch)Still a point of light at any magnification — stars are too far away to show a disc. Low in the sky, bright stars twinkle and flash colours.

Stars look the same in any instrument: brighter and sharper, but never bigger.

Proper name	Albireo
Designation	β¹ Cygni (β¹ Cyg)
Hipparcos number	HIP 95947
Type	Orange bright giant
Spectral type	K3II+
Colour	Pale orangeB−V colour index 1.09
Magnitude	3.1The smaller the number, the brighter.
Distance	430 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1590.
Proper motion	0.009″ per year across the sky
Constellation	Cygnus
Right ascension (J2000)	19h 30m 43.3s
Declination (J2000)	+27° 57′ 35″