The Fixed Stars

Aljanah

Epsilon Cygni, Al Janah

From the Arabic al-janah, the wing. It stands at about 24° Aquarius (tropical).

The wing of the Swan, spread against the Milky Way.

Epsilon Cygni marks the eastern wing of the Swan, and its name Aljanah is simply the Arabic word for the wing. It is an orange giant, one of the brighter stars of Cygnus after Deneb and Sadr, and it helps trace the cross-shape by which the constellation is known. The Swan lies off the ecliptic, so the star carries no mansion or nakshatra, but it is a clear waypoint in the great bird's outstretched wing.