If you look on a clear summer night sky, the head may begin to spin from a huge number of stars.Immense space space above our heads has long attracts, attracts its mysteries.For the convenience of all the multitude of stars in the constellation divided.When to watch each of them, depending on its location.If you get up from Earth into space, it will be impossible to meet there is something resembling a heavenly pattern, familiar to us from childhood.The objects that make up the constellation, as it no longer run up and form a coherent whole.That's because any constellation - a projection of the sky that bear all the cosmic body, which are located here from the point of view of the observer.In fact, the distance between them can be thousands of light-years.
One of the most famous celestial figures - the constellation Cygnus.Driving flying bird comprises about 150 stars, some of which are among the brightest objects visible from Earth.Thanks to them, the constellation Cygnus is quite easy to find in the sky.
Observation
Many amateur astronomers from childhood know, it looks like a constellation Cygnus.The stars that make it lined up in a cross shape, resembling a large bird with outstretched neck and outstretched wings.Silhouette gives you a definite answer to the question why the so-called constellation Cygnus.
ideal time to observe it is in the summer.However, Swan noticeable throughout the year.Check it easiest for many well-known asterism (typical group of bright stars) "Summer Triangle".Part of it is a star in the constellation Cygnus, called Deneb.The other two of its top - Vega and Altair, one of the bright spots of the night sky.Constellation Cygnus for children and their parents to get involved in astronomy, is attractive because it is stretched out along the Milky Way.
history
known to us today a map of the sky was not always so.Partly because the stars over time, change their position.This is especially noticeable in the case of the nearest to us of cosmic bodies.For example, on the site of the North Star once a long time ago, more than 17 thousand. Years ago, it has already been named above Deneb.
Another reason a mismatch celestial maps present and the past is to bring together different groups of stars.One of the first descriptions of the constellations referred to as 275 BC.e.It was created by the Greek poet Aratus.This work then, after four centuries, revised Ptolemy.His "Almagest" contains a list of 48 constellations.One of them (Argo) was subsequently divided into three separate (Kiel, feed, Sail, Compass), while the rest will retain its name until now.
Today, scholars have identified 88 constellations.Swan refers to the ancient, mentioned in the list of Ptolemy.However, at that time he was known as a bird.The history of the constellation Cygnus, and includes references to the writings of the astronomer Eudoxus of Cnidus, dating from the fourth century BC.The names of the stars as part of the Swan are reminiscent of the period when most of the sciences, including astronomy, developed in the East, in the Arab countries.
Star Bridge
The brightest star in the constellation Cygnus - is Deneb, Alpha Cygni or.In Arabic its name means "tail".The designation is consistent with its location.Deneb decorates the constellation Cygnus (scheme given below) is in the part where the tail of the bird is located.The object belongs to the white supergiant.Impressiveness of stars is well recognized, if we compare it with our luminary.Thus, the mass of the sun Deneb equals twenty.The distance from Earth to the Deneb variously estimated at between 1.55 and 2.6 thousand. Light years.However, it is clearly visible in the sky because its more solar luminosity of 270 thousand times.
As already mentioned, Deneb is part of the Summer Triangle.With stars at its vertices connected beautiful Chinese legend in which Deneb serves as a bridge between lovers, represented in heaven Vega and Altair.According to legend, it occurs once a year.That night lovers can spend together.Then they would have to leave again for another year.
Crown
opposite to the point of the constellation Cygnus Deneb is Albireo (Beta Cygni).She is crowned with a bird's head.In order to understand what it looks like the constellation Cygnus, and where it is located, it is enough to find these two bright spots.Albireo as Deneb can be seen with the naked eye.Those who decide to study it with a telescope, opens even more interesting picture.Albireo - is a system of two stars.Most of them Albireo A - orange giant.His companion - blue star, referring to the main sequence star Albireo V. Arabic name means "chicken's beak."
gamma and delta
Cygnus constellation is the central point of Sadr, meaning "breast".It is the second brightest star.Sadr (Gamma Cygnus) - supergiant belonging to the spectral class F8, with a period of 74 days ripple.By weight it is 12 times larger than the sun.
Behind Sadr luminosity is Delta Cygni.It is a double star system, located at a distance of 170 light years from Earth.It is much more difficult to discern than Albireo.Delta consists of two stars close enough, with an orbital period of 537 years.The first is a blue-white giant with a luminosity much higher than the sun.His neighbor - yellow-white star, less impressive in all respects.
Standard
Epsilon Cygni or Jenny - a significant point not only on the map of the sky, but in astronomical calculations.It is located 73 light-years from Earth.Translated Jen, or hyenas, meaning "wing": the name gives a comprehensive description of its position in the constellation.She shines 62 times brighter than the sun.
special role of Jenny in science is that its spectrum is the standard for the classification of other stars.Moreover, it is this space object in 1846 was discovered Neptune.
Northern Cross constellation Cygnus
for children and adults aware of another asterism, called the Northern Cross.It is formed by five stars described.The base is Albireo, the tip of the designated Deneb, in the center of asterism - Sadr, and on the sides - Jenny and Delta Cygni.It is the brightest point of constituting Swan.Constellation (photo gives a good understand it) can not boast of bright glow of his other items.Of course, do not exhaust the five stars of interest are the celestial bird.However, it makes the North cross so noticeable constellation Cygnus.How to find it, usually do not even think: asterism known to almost everyone.
Other "population»
Another interesting object is a constellation of 61 Cygni, a binary star system.It consists of two orange dwarf.Like Albireo system visible from Earth and is available for study.Its uniqueness is that 61 Cygni is one of the closest star to the Sun (distance from our star is 11.36 light-years).Additionally, it has significant own movement and belongs to a small number of these objects are visible from the earth.61 Cygni is famous thanks to astronomy existed in the middle of last century, the opinion is found to be a planetary system.New data received since then, do not confirm the hypothesis, but the star continues to be the focus of many scientists.
Another object of great interest - a black hole Cygnus X-1, located not far from the 61 Cygni.This is the brightest X-ray source in the constellation.Cygnus X-1 is identified with two objects: one of them - bright blue star, the other - her companion, inaccessible to observation.The radiation occurs because the mass transfer of blue stars in a black hole.During movement it is heated to temperatures of huge in size and a part thereof is emitted into space in the form of two jets directed in different from the object side.The status of the black hole Cygnus X-1 was in the 70s of the last century.
Nebula
stars are not the only objects in the constellation Cygnus.The scheme also includes its dark region called the "Northern Coal Sack."It is located quite close to our galaxy, interstellar cloud of gas and dust.There are a number of nebulae.The complex space objects are referred to as the Veil or Network (NGC 6960 and NGC 6992), - the consequences thundered 40,000 years ago, a supernova explosion.On the western edge of the Veil Nebula Witch's Broom is amazing with the beauty of the images captured with the help of telescopes.
The brightest star in the constellation Cygnus, Deneb, boasts of proximity to two nebulae: North America (NGC 7000) and Pelican (IC 5070).First its shape is very similar to the eponymous continent.At the Pelican Nebula, they extend over 50 light-years.On Earth they can see with the naked eye, provided that the observer will be located in an area far from the city or any other artificial lighting.They appear as a small blurry spots on the north-east of the brightest stars that has a swan.Constellation, a photo of which, together with all the nebulae will be very interesting to consider absolutely everything, is famous not only because of its bright stars and other space objects nearby.Thus, the image of the noble history of the emergence of birds and constellations reflected in ancient mythology.
Orpheus and lyre
Swan - the hero of many legends and stories.As in our country, and in a foreign culture, this bird was a symbol of beauty, purity of heart, art.Some myths tell and how to appear in the sky the constellation Cygnus.Legend for children yet lead to the history books for high school is associated with the ancient Greek singer Orpheus.According to her, going to return from the dead beloved Eurydice, he has violated the prohibition to turn around on the way back and lost forever the possibility to reunite with his beloved.Saddened, he spent several years wandering the world, while remaining faithful to Eurydice and not allowing myself to other girls, for what was known as a misogynist.Once on the river Coat he met with a group of Bacchantes, admirers of Dionysus.Upon learning of Orpheus, they are very angry and tore it, throwing the lyre singer and his head in the water.The gods of Olympus were not indifferent to the hero, admired them with their talent.According to one version of the myth, the soul of Orpheus and his lyre lifted up to heaven.Thus appeared the constellation Lyra and Cygnus, located next to each other.
Phaeton
There are several myths that explain why today we can consider the constellation Cygnus.Legend tells of the son of Helios, the sun-god, the Phaeton.The death, he wanted to prove the origin and begged his father to let him drive the chariot of the sun across the sky.Helios agreed.Proud Phaethon was unable to cope with the hot horses and chariots fell out of the river.On the ground, it remains a long sought Cycnus, devoted friend.The gods, seeing as he grieved, turned it into a swan.In this guise he lived near the water.Wishing to perpetuate the disinterested friendship, Zeus placed in the sky the constellation Cygnus.Legend, which is located in the heart of a hero named Cycnus occurs in other variations.His name in Greek means "swan."
version of the origin and destruction Cycnus
hero, later turned into a noble bird, in various myths, was the son of a god.Born of Apollo Cycnus he drowned in the lake, which is then called Kikneyskim.As the son of Poseidon and Kalika he found in the pages of legends about the Trojan War.According to legend he killed Achilles, and his father turned into a swan Cycnus.The third version of the story that his parents were Ares, god of war, and Pelops.The legend tells of a superb ability to control Cycnus chariot.He liked to call on all of the competition visit the house guests.Winning consistently remained Cycnus for as long as his opponent did not Hercules.He surpassed the son of Ares and wounded of the war god.The situation had to intervene, Zeus.As a result, Cycnus was turned into a swan.
Crucifixion
later eras filled his sense constellation Cygnus.Driving it on a map of the XVII century and later often replaced by the image of the crucified Christ.Not the least role in this identification has played well marked with Northern Cross asterism Earth.Correlation his crucifixion occurred in earlier documents.In the treatise of St. Gregory of Tours, dated 592 year, a description of the Grand Cross with the indication of his attitude towards the constellation of Cygnus.According to the saint, it was located between the letters alpha and omega, "written" and Lyrae stars Dolphin respectively.These symbols are aligned with a quote from the testimony of John, in which the risen Christ calls himself the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.
Interestingly, the image of the crucifixion again refers to Orpheus.According to some scholars, the Romans Christian faith at the dawn of the new symbol of the crucified god borrowed from the pagans, since depicting Orpheus.This assumption is again a single thread connects the constellation Cygnus, the myth of the singer and the Biblical legend.
Starry space is striking in its beauty and invariably attracting not only looks, but also the thoughts of people in ancient times forced wise to seek explanation for all this magnificence.Constellation Cygnus - a vivid example of how the need to comprehend the inaccessible space using artistic means of expressing poetry and legends.It may not be the views set out in the ancient legends and myths, we would not know about them, and half of what is known today.
Modern people are not deprived of their desire to understand what is behind the many bright spots of the night sky.For strict scientific calculations can be seen to grasp the mystery of the dream of space, to learn its laws and an intuitive understanding of the impossibility of the human mind to accommodate all its neohvatnost.Pictures Hubble and his "colleagues" demonstrate how close to the truth were the ancient poets in the sense of beauty, stretched over our heads.Looking at photos, it is easy to believe that among the sparkling splendor of the stars and nebulae do not disdained to live any gods.
