Deneb: how to find it and when to see it
Deneb ranks 19th of the 74 bright stars on our list, at magnitude 1.25, in the constellation Cygnus.
You can see it from anywhere north of 45° S, and it's highest in the evening sky in September.
Deneb at a glance
Where Deneb is in the sky
Deneb sits 45.3° north of the celestial equator, the line in the sky directly above Earth's equator, so it's in the northern half of the sky. Its right ascension is 20 h 41 min.
Right ascension works like longitude on the sky. It's counted in hours, and about one hour of it turns past you each hour of the night.
When and where to see Deneb
From the northern hemisphere
From 40° N, the latitude of New York, Madrid and Beijing, Deneb rises a little east of due north, climbs to 85° above the horizon in the north and sets a little west of due north.
It's in the evening sky from June to January, and it's highest in the evening around 16 September, in autumn.
From the southern hemisphere
From 34° S, the latitude of Sydney, Cape Town and Buenos Aires, Deneb rises in the north-east, climbs to 11° above the horizon in the north and sets in the north-west.
It's in the evening sky in September, and it's highest in the evening around 16 September, in spring.
How high Deneb climbs from each latitude
The evening is about 9 pm local time, or 10 pm in summer time, and later when the sky is still too bright. A star counts as in the evening sky when it's at least 10° above the horizon.
| Latitude | Visibility | Highest point | Evening sky |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60° N | Never sets | 75° in the south | All year |
| 50° N | Never sets | 85° in the south | May to Jan |
| 40° N | Rises and sets | 85° in the north | Jun to Jan |
| 30° N | Rises and sets | 75° in the north | Jun to Dec |
| 20° N | Rises and sets | 65° in the north | Jun to Dec |
| Equator | Rises and sets | 45° in the north | Jul to Nov |
| 20° S | Rises and sets | 25° in the north | Aug to Oct |
| 34° S | Rises and sets | 11° in the north | Sep |
| 45° S | Never rises | Below the horizon | None |
What the name Deneb means
Deneb comes from the Arabic dhanab, tail. It marks the tail of Cygnus, the Swan.
Keep the sky of a night that matters
Our star maps show the stars above any place, at the minute you choose, with the constellation lines drawn in. If Deneb was above the horizon that night, it's on your map, and we print it on museum-grade paper.
Questions about Deneb
Deneb is in Cygnus. It sits 45.3° north of the celestial equator, at a right ascension of 20 h 41 min.
Deneb is highest in the evening sky around 16 September. That's autumn in the northern hemisphere and spring in the southern hemisphere.
Yes, from anywhere north of 45° S. From 34° S, it climbs to 11° above the horizon in the north.
Deneb has a magnitude of 1.25, which ranks it 19th of the 74 bright stars on our list. Sirius looks about 12 times brighter.
Deneb comes from the Arabic dhanab, tail. It marks the tail of Cygnus, the Swan.