Scutum

Scutum

Abbreviation: Â Sct
English Name: Â The Shield
Genitive:Â Scuti
Hemisphere:  Southern Hemisphere
Location:Â Between the constellations of Sagittarius and Serpens.
Visible between latitudes: Â +70 and -90 degrees
Best season: Summer
Seen in three seasons:Â Spring, Summer & Winter
Best seen in:  August
Seen between:Â June and September
Right Ascension (RA):  19 hour
Declination (DEC):  -10 degrees
Area (square degrees): Â 475 (84th)

Scutum  (The Shield)

  • Scutum is not a large constellation that lies just south of the celestial equator in a rich area of Milky-Way.
  • This constellation has some of the brightest star clouds of the Milky-Way, and has 15 Open Clusters there.

Messier Objects

  • M11 Â – Â Open Cluster;also known as The Wild Duck Cluster – readily clearly visible with binoculars and magnificent object with large telescopes; one of the most compact of all the Open Clusters.
  • M26 Â – Â Open Cluster; fairly loose, so it is not an easy object with small telescopes.

Features of Interest

  • NGC 6712 Â – Â Globular Cluster; detectable with 4-inch telescope, but still poorly resolved with 8-inch telescopes.

Named Stars

  • R Scuti  –  yellow supergiant and variable star; changing from magnitude +5.7 to magnitude +8.4 and back over period of about five months, about 1º degree northwest of the Wild Duck Cluster (M11).

Others

  • Photo of the constellation;Â Scutum, as it appears to the naked eye. (Lines have been added for clarity.)
  • Sky Chart  –  Scutum
  • List of stars in Scutum.

Back to The 88 Constellations Lists  page.

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