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. About 8 degrees to the northwest, find δ (delta) Cygni, which is the western point of the cross shape. Continue the line from Sadr past δ Cygni another 2 degrees, and slightly left (north), to reach NGC 6811.
