Helius rashly promised to let Phaethon drive the chariot of the sun across the sky. Phaethon soon lost control, and his reckless driving threatened to destroy earth with the sun's heat. Zeus intervened by hurling a thunderbolt at Phaethon, who fell into the Eridanus River. In his grief, Phaethon's devoted friend Cygnus repeatedly dived into the water in search of the body. When Cygnus eventually died from exhaustion, Zeus took pity upon him and changed him into a swan, placing him into the sky.
Description Find the bowl of the big dipper and locate the two stars nearest the handle.
A line running through these stars, tracing away from it above the open bowl. This line runs to Deneb, the tail of the constellation Cygnus the Swan. With wings abreast, and long neck outstretched, Cygnus flies along the milky river. The size of each star indicates its relative magnitude . Constellation names are light blue .