Deneb
Product information
Description
Deneb radiates a soft blue-white light and dominates the constellation Cygnus, forming the tail of the celestial swan. As part of the Summer Triangle, it shines high in the summer sky of the Northern Hemisphere, standing out as a majestic and distant beacon among the stars.
Additional Information
- Constellation
- Cygnus
- Spectral Type
- A2Ia
- Apparent Magnitude
- 1.25
- Distance (Light Years)
- 2600
- Right Ascension
- 20h 41m 25.9s
- Declination
- +45° 16′ 49″
- Solar Masses
- 19
- Radius (Solar)
- 203
- Temperature (Kelvin)
- 8525
- Age (Million Years)
- 10
Discovery
- Ancient Civilizations
- Chinese, Arabs, Greeks
- Historical Significance
- Deneb has been known since antiquity and holds significance across various ancient cultures. It served as a celestial marker in Chinese astronomy and was named by Arab astronomers from the Arabic word for 'tail,' referring to its position in the swan-shaped constellation Cygnus.
Cultural Significance
- Mythology
- In Chinese folklore, Deneb plays the role of the celestial bridge — the magpie bridge — in the Qixi Festival legend, connecting the lovers Altair and Vega once a year. In Western mythology, Deneb marks the tail of Cygnus, the swan, which is sometimes associated with Zeus or Orpheus in different myths.
- Navigation
- Deneb's brightness and position along the Milky Way made it a prominent guidepost for navigators and skywatchers for centuries.
- Modern Reference
- Deneb is a cornerstone of the Summer Triangle asterism and is frequently highlighted in planetarium shows, astronomy textbooks, and astrophotography due to its brightness and distance.
Notable Features
- Stellar Motion
- Deneb exhibits slow proper motion due to its vast distance, but remains a key reference point in long-term positional astronomy.
- Additional Fact
- Deneb is one of the most luminous stars known and among the most distant stars visible to the naked eye. It is a blue-white supergiant nearing the end of its life and is expected to explode as a supernova in the distant future.
User Dedications
- Dedications
- This star has not been claimed yet. Be the first to dedicate it to someone special!