It must always be remembered that a certain proportion of stars (amongst those separated by so considerable a distance) _must_ be optically combined only.
The star [chi] Cygni is a wide double (variable) star.

The components are separated by nearly 26", their magnitudes 5 and 9, their colours yellow and light blue.

[chi] may be found by noticing that there is a cluster of small stars in the middle of the triangle formed by the stars [gamma], [delta], and [beta] Cygni (see Map 4, Frontispiece), and that [chi] is the nearest star _of the cluster_ to [beta].

The star [phi] Cygni, which is just above and very close to [beta] (Albireo), does not belong to the cluster.

[chi] is about half as far again from [phi] as [phi] from Albireo.