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Featured Deep Sky Objects
Chi Cygni

Deep Sky Object Chart | Deneb & NGC 7000 | Albireo | 61 Cygni | Omicron 1 Cygni | Cygnus X-1 | M29 | M39 | NGC 6828 | NGC 7027 | Veil Nebula
Chi Cygni is an interesting variable star - one that gets brighter and dimmer. A red giant star, Chi is cooler than most, and puts out an orange light (it is one of the coolest, reddest stars in the heavens). It may be low temperature, but it puts out lots of light - 3000 times brighter than our sun on average.

However, this celestial bad boy has a mood swing that lasts about 407 days, sometimes topping 10,000 suns worth of light. You can spot Chi pretty easily in binoculars throughout its cycle - but the naked eye only picks it out when it is in a good mood. Chi is an old star, and they do this sort of thing - be glad our sun is young; antics like these would freeze and bake our little planet. To find Chi Cygni, look between naked eye stars Sadr (the center star of the swan) and Albireo (the beak star). Shown is an artist's concept of what Chi Cygni might look like up close, with a "light curve" showing the brightness cycle.

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However, this celestial bad boy has a mood swing that lasts about 407 days, sometimes topping 10,000 suns worth of light. You can spot Chi pretty easily in binoculars throughout its cycle - but the naked eye only picks it out when it is in a good mood. Chi is an old star, and they do this sort of thing - be glad our sun is young; antics like these would freeze and bake our little planet. To find Chi Cygni, look between naked eye stars Sadr (the center star of the swan) and Albireo (the beak star). Shown is an artist's concept of what Chi Cygni might look like up close, with a "light curve" showing the brightness cycle.

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