Start by finding the Summer Triangle, which consists of the three of the brightest stars in the sky--Vega, Deneb, and Altair. The Summer Triangle is high overhead throughout the summer, and it sinks lower in the west as fall progresses.
For this star hop, start from Deneb, the first-magnitude star that forms the tail of Cygnus, the swan (or if you visualize the brightest stars of Cygnus as a cross shape, Deneb is at the top of the cross).
From Deneb, look to the southwest for Sadr, the magnitude 2 star at the center of the Cygnus cross shape. Continue past Sadr another 2-1/2 degrees in the same direction and you will arrive at the location of the Crescent Nebula. Look for a 7.5 magnitude star that is in the center of the crescent shape. If you have a nebula filter, the nebula will be a lot easier to see.
