Escudo
Shield (Scuti)
Scutum, the Shield, is a small constellation in the southern Milky Way, created by Johannes Hevelius in 1684. Despite its modest size, Scutum lies in one of the brightest sections of the Milky Way and contains stunning star clouds and clusters, including the famous Wild Duck Cluster (M11). It's one of the finest areas for scanning with binoculars.
📜 Mitología
Scutum is a modern constellation created by Johannes Hevelius in 1684. He originally named it 'Scutum Sobiescianum' (Sobieski's Shield) to honor the Polish King John III Sobieski, who had led the defense of Vienna against Ottoman forces in 1683. This was one of only two constellations named after real historical figures to survive (the other being Coma Berenices). The name was later shortened to simply Scutum.
💡 Datos curiosos
- ✦The Wild Duck Cluster (M11) contains about 3,000 stars and is one of the richest open clusters known
- ✦The Scutum Star Cloud is one of the brightest regions of the Milky Way visible to the naked eye
- ✦Delta Scuti is the prototype of a class of pulsating variable stars