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Cygnus

American  
[sig-nuhs] / ˈsɪg nəs /

noun

Astronomy.
  • Cygni
    genitive
  1. the Swan, a northern constellation southwest of Draco, containing the bright star Deneb.


Cygnus British  
/ ˈsɪɡnəs /

noun

  1. a constellation in the N hemisphere lying between Pegasus and Draco in the Milky Way. The constellation contains the Cygnus Loop supernova remnant, the intense radio galaxy Cygnus A, and the intense galactic X-ray source Cygnus X–1, which is probably a black hole

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cygnus Scientific  
/ sĭg′nəs /
  1. A constellation in the Northern Hemisphere near Cepheus and Lyra. Cygnus (the Swan, or the Northern Cross) contains the bright star Deneb.


Etymology

Origin of Cygnus

< Latin: swan; see cygnet


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Its corners are marked by Vega in the constellation of Lyra, the Harp, Altair in Aquila, the Eagle and Deneb in Cygnus, the Swan.

From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2026

The study, published in Nature Astronomy, focused on Cygnus X-1, a well-known system that includes the first confirmed black hole and a massive supergiant star.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 18, 2026

At Amsterdam's Cygnus Gymnasium school, a fluorescent yellow sign on the school gates warns pupils streaming in on their bikes: "Attention: from this point on, your phone must be in your locker. Thank you."

From BBC ● Mar. 25, 2026

Kepler-51 is a star located about 2,615 light years away in the constellation Cygnus.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 18, 2026

We also now have evidence for several other black holes in systems like Cygnus X-l in our galaxy and in two neighboring galaxies called the Magellanic Clouds.

From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking

For the three stars with detected astrospheres, named 70 Ophiuchi, epsilon Eridani, and 61 Cygni, the researchers estimated their mass loss rates to be 66.5±11.1, 15.6±4.4, and 9.6±4.1 times the solar mass loss rate, respectively.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 12, 2024

I, the undersigned, being of sound mind and body, knowingly embark on a one-way journey to the second moon of 16 Cygni Bb.

From Nature ● Feb. 14, 2017

This image compares the size of the Sun to that of Delta Boötis, a giant star, and Xi Cygni, a supergiant.

From Textbooks ● Oct. 13, 2016

But in that vast catalogue of known planets, you will not find a record of the worlds around 61 Cygni, Lalande 21185 or Barnard’s Star.

From Scientific American ● May 30, 2013

The annual journey, for instance, of 61 Cygni across the line of sight amounts to 1,000, and that of α Centauri to 446 millions of miles.

From A Popular History of Astronomy During the Nineteenth Century Fourth Edition by Agnes M. (Agnes Mary) Clerke

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