The constellation of Cygnus, the Swan, dominates the richest part of the Milky Way in the sky overhead during the summer in the northern hemisphere...This beautiful area is full of dust and gas and star forming regions. The large red emission nebula IC 1396 in Cepheus is at the far left of the frame. The large dark nebula Le Gentil 3 is between IC 1396 and NGC 7000, the North America Nebula next to Deneb. A smaller dark nebula, B168, can be seen below. Another large area of emission nebulae containing IC 1318, the Butterfly Nebula, surrounds Sadr. NGC 6992, the brighter half of the Veil Nebula is faintly visible near the bottom center. The beautiful double star Albireo lies at the head of the Swan...The great rift in the Milky Way, a large area of obscuring dark matter, dominates the right side of the frame in Vulpecula, with CR399, the Coathanger asterism, centered on it at right.