Milky Way. Optical image of the Milky Way in the constellations Cygnus, Vulpecula and Lyra. North is at top. The bright star at top right is Vega (Alpha Lyrae) in the constellation Lyra, the lyre. Just below and left of centre is Albireo (Beta Cygni) in the constellation Cygnus, the swan. The orange star below Albireo is Anser (Alpha Vulpeculae) in the constellation Vulpecula, the fox. The Milky Way is the band of light crossing the sky formed from the millions of stars in the disc of our galaxy. The constellations seen here are best seen in the summer in the northern hemisphere.