The noted ring nebula lies between β and γ. A 3" glass reveals it but a powerful telescope is required to render its details visible.
If the distance from the earth to the sun equalled one inch, the distance from the earth to Vega would be 158 miles.
Vega was the first star to be photographed, in 1850. It is visible at some hour every clear night, and has been called the arc-light of the sky. Its light has the bluish-white hue that suggests "a diamond in the sky."
The spectroscope reveals that Vega is a star probably only in its infancy, as hydrogen is its predominating element.
CYGNUS (sig´-nus)—THE SWAN, OR THE NORTHERN CROSS.
Location.—Deneb, the brightest star in Cygnus, is at the top of the cross, and a little over 20° east of Vega. It forms a triangle with Vega and Altair in Aquila—Altair being at the apex, about 35° from Deneb and Vega.
β Cygni is at the base of the cross, and a line drawn from Vega to Altair nearly touches it. It is a beautiful colored double for a small telescope.