Northern Cross (asterism)

It is much larger than the Southern Cross and consists of the brightest stars in Cygnus: Deneb, Sadr, Gienah, Delta Cygni and Albireo.

Near midnight, the Cross lies virtually overhead at mid-northern latitudes during the summer months; it can also be seen during spring in the early morning to the East.

From the southern hemisphere it appears upside down and low in the sky during the winter months.

Below the cross he placed lesser constellations which he called Alpha and Omega, which can be identified with part of Delphinus and Lyra.

In Johann Bayer's 17th-century star atlas, the Uranometria, it was suggested that Alpha, Beta and Gamma Cygni formed the pole of the Christian Cross, while Delta and Epsilon formed the cross beam.