Albireo: Colourful Double Star
Catalogues
Names
Albireo
Type
Multiple Star System
Constellation
Cygnus
Season Visible in Evening
Summer; June – November
Conversation Notes
Double star with striking colour difference.
This beautiful double star is easy to find.
Use the Summer Triangle to find the constellation Cygnus. (Here are detailed instructions to find the Summer Triangle.)
Deneb, the brightest star in Cygnus, is the tail of the swan. Albireo is the swan’s head, at the other end of the line.
Even at very low magnification, such as binoculars or your magnifying finder, you should be able to see a hint that this is a double star.
With moderate magnification – about 100x in his simulation – you will clearly see the two components, and see that they are strikingly different colours. The larger star is a brilliant yellow while the smaller star is a beautiful steel blue.
All the above images were generated with Starry Night Pro.
Back to Finding DSOs (Version organized for beginners)