An unofficial designation for the cross-shaped collection of stars that makes up the main body of Cygnus the Swan, prominent among the summer skies of the northern hemisphere. This formation creates a counterpart in northern skies of the famous Southern Cross, Crux or, in full, Crux Australis. (As the Northern Cross is not an official or classical star pattern, it does not have a formal Latin name, though if it did this would be Crux Borealis.)
The Northern Cross runs along the backdrop of the Milky Way as it passes through Cygnus. In this image, the Cross is aligned northeast to southwest, with its brighteststar, Deneb, to the upper left. The axis star (Sadr) is to the northeast of the image's central reticle, and the base of the Cross is marked by Albireo, fainter than the other stars, to the southwest or lower right. Imagery provided by Aladin sky atlas
The Northern Cross is rather more extended than the Southern, with a long axis of measuring over 16°, compared with just 6° for Crux. That axis runs from the brightstarDeneb down to Albireo on the southern edge of Cygnus, two stars that represent the tail and beak of the Swan, respectively. The cross piece runs from Aljanah or Epsilon Cygni across to Fawaris or Delta Cygni. Unlike the Southern Cross, the Northern has a central star that marks the crossing point of these two axes: the starSadr or Gamma Cygni.
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