In late July and early August, look ahead to considered one of our sky’s most stunning sights. Look in a dark sky, removed from the glare of metropolis lights, for a hazy pathway that stretches throughout the sky. It’ll be within the southern sky within the Northern Hemisphere, or overhead within the Southern Hemisphere. This band is the edgewise view into our personal Milky Way galaxy. And when you see it, you can too discover a small however noteworthy constellation known as Scutum the Defend.
There are solely 5 stars in Scutum’s define, however the constellation is noticeable in a darkish sky as a result of the Milky Way round it’s so wealthy. In reality, Scutum lies close to the well-known Teapot sample within the constellation Sagittarius, which marks the path of the Milky Way’s heart.
Scutum doesn’t mark the precise heart of our galaxy, nevertheless it’s fairly shut!
Named after a Polish king
The constellation Scutum has an interesting historical past. In 1683, the Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius named it Scutum Sobiescianum, which means the Defend of Sobieski. He named it for Jan III Sobieski, a Polish king who led his military to victory within the Battle of Vienna. In charts from the period, the constellation resembles the king’s coat of arms on his protect. And right now, you continue to typically hear beginner astronomers seek advice from this a part of the sky as Scutum Sobieski.
Scutum is considered one of two constellations named after actual folks. The opposite is Coma Berenices, named for an Egyptian queen.
The Defend isn’t huge, and it requires a darkish sky to be seen. However – to those that discover it in darkish skies – it gives some very good views with the unaided eye or binoculars. The very noticeable Teapot of Sagittarius is beneath Scutum. And the intense star Vega shines excessive above.
Well-known deep-sky objects close to Scutum
Some well-known deep-sky objects reside on this a part of the sky, too. One is the Wild Duck Cluster, often known as M11. It’s an open star cluster – one of many densest ever discovered – and it incorporates some 3,000 stars.
One other open cluster on this a part of the sky is M26, an open cluster found by Charles Messier in 1764.
Backside line: Search for the constellation Scutum the Defend. It’s positioned in a wealthy area of the Milky Way and requires a darkish sky to be seen.
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