Cygnus constellation. Optical image of the northern constellation of Cygnus the Swan, also known as the Northern Cross. The brighter stars of Cygnus form the shape of a swan, with Gamma Cygnus (upper right) representing its body, Epsilon (lower centre) a wing and Alpha (Deneb, upper centre) its tail. The brightest of these, Deneb, is a remote supergiant, a massive, luminous star in an advanced state of stellar evolution.