The Wild Duck Cluster in Scutum, identified additionally Messier 11 and NGC 6705, is a deep-sky showpiece of the summer season sky as some of the spectacular open clusters within the heavens. Certainly, first timers gazing at it by way of the eyepiece may very well be forgiven for pondering they’re taking a look at a globular cluster, it’s so wealthy. It has the benefit too of mendacity on the northern fringe of the Scutum star cloud in an general spectacular summer season Milky Approach subject brimming over with myriad glowing stars.
Scutum, the Protect, is among the smallest constellations but it boasts The Wild Duck Cluster and Messier 26, a fantastic open cluster in its personal proper. Scutum is sandwiched largely between Aquila, the Eagle, to its north and east and Sagittarius, the Archer, to the south. The whole thing of its territory lies south of the celestial equator, so it doesn’t rise too excessive from UK shores. At mid-month, the Wild Duck Cluster culminates at about 10.30pm BST at altitude of 32° from London.
The Wild Duck Cluster shines with an built-in magnitude of +5.8 from its almost 700 member stars spanning 25’. A pair of 10 x 50 binoculars present it as a distinguished, unresolved haze 1.8 levels south-east of magnitude +4.2 beta Scuti. An 80mm (three-inch) telescope can resolve round 100 suns, with the star-count climbing to round 150 by way of a 150mm (six-inch) telescope.
The cluster’s nickname was coined by the nineteenth-century observer William Henry Smyth; so that you see a flock of untamed geese in flight?
Messier 26 (NGC 6694) lies 3.5 levels south-south-west of Messier 11. Shining with an built-in magnitude of +8, is a fantastic goal to take pleasure in after Messier 11. A 150mm telescope exhibits about 20 stars in a 7’-wide space.
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