Without question, this is one of the most beautiful double stars in the sky. Located in the constellation of Cygnus, the Swan, Albireo supposedly marks the swan's beak.

A small telescope, or even a pair of steadily held binoculars, will readily split Albireo into two tiny points of light of beautiful contrasting colors: the brighter one a rich yellowish-orange, the other a deep azure blue, both placed very close together. An absolutely stunning view will come with a telescope magnifying between 18 and 30 power.

Albireo is believed by astronomers to be a physical pair, although there has never been evidence of any orbital motion between these two colorful stars. The projected separation between the two is just over 400 billion miles. At least 55 solar systems could be lined-up edge-to-edge, across the space that separates the components of this famous double star.

By the way, there is an interesting rule about the colors of telescopic double stars. If the stars of the pair are equally bright, they have the same color. If they are unequal in brightness, they have different colors. If the brighter star is the redder of the two, as in the case of Albereo, it is a giant star; if it is the bluer, then it belongs in the main sequence of stars along with our Sun.

Find this Object

NOTE: All maps provided in this presentation are for mid-northern latitudes as of 10 p.m. local time for nights surrounding July 18. Use Starry Night software to create maps for any time from your location.

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