Cygnus, the swan:
Cygnus is one of the largest and easiest to find constellations
in the night sky. It is also one of the few constellations that
actually resembles its namesake. The constellation represents the
youth Cygnus who was a friend to Phaethon, the son of Apollo. Phaethon
attempted to drive Apollo's chariot (the Sun) across the sky one
day. He lost control of the horses and was shot out of the sky by
one of Zeus's thunderbolts before he could do anymore damage to
the earth. Phaethon landed in a river, and Cygnus kept diving into
the river like a swan in order to find his friend. Zeus was so impressed
by Cygnus's loyalty and friendship that he turned the youth into
a swan and placed his image into the night sky. The bright star
Deneb is one of the three stars (along with Altair and Vega) that
comprise the asterism known as the "Summer Triangle".
Cygnus is visible throughout the summer and well into the fall.
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