Observing the Constellation Scutum
The Celestial Shield in the Summer Sky
Scutum the Shield is short on stars but provides two Messier star clusters.
Scutum [SKOOT-um] the Shield is the name of an ancient defensive weapon that Romans used in battle. The original name of the constellation was Sobieski's Shield or Scutum Sobiesscianum. It was named in 1683 by Johannes Hevelius and takes up a tiny part of sky. It is the fifth smallest constellation. The stars are unremarkable but two nice Messier objects can be found within its boundaries.
Finding the Constellation Scutum
Scutum is located on he Milky Way and is best seen in summer skies from the Northern Hemisphere. Scutum lies in front of Aquila the Eagle. Aquila appears to be flying right into the constellation of Scutum. Other constellations surrounding Scutum include another dim star grouping named Serpens, plus Sagittarius and its distinctive teapot shape can be found south of Scutum.
The Stars of the Constellation of the Shield
The stars in Scutum are dim and mostly inconsequential. The brightest is named Alpha Scuti and shines at magnitude 3.85. It lies 174 light-years away. The second brightest is named Beta Scuti and shines at magnitude 4.2. Beta Scuti lies 690 light-years away. If you draw a line between Alpha and Beta, the line would be parallel to the body of Aquila. Beta is closer to Aquila while Alpha is farther away.
Deep-Sky Objects in Scutum
Two Messier objects can be found in Scutum. Both lie close to the two stars Alpha and Beta Scuti. The first object is less than two degrees from Beta Scuti. The magnitude 5.8 open cluster is named M11 or the Wild Duck Cluster. Approximately 6,000 light-years away, the Wild Duck Cluster contains thousands of stars. At its fairly bright magnitude, it is possible to catch it in binoculars but improve the view with a telescope.
Three and a half degrees south of M11 and almost three degrees southeast of Alpha Scuti is the second Messier object, M26. M26 is an open cluster of 8th magnitude that lies about 5,000 light-years away. Although it is a bit closer than M11, M26 is less remarkable for observers.
The Gem of the Milky Way
The term "the Gem of the Milky Way" was given to a starry section of our galaxy in Scutum. Astronomer E. E. Barnard named this beautiful section that is thick with stars and free of interfering dust and clouds. The Scutum Star Cloud can be found starting near Beta Scuti and stretching down past M11 toward M26. This region of dense stars can be scanned with binoculars or a telescope but really shows its glory through astrophotographs.
