Scutum constellation lies in the southern sky. Its name means “the shield” in Latin. It is the fifth smallest constellation in the sky.
The constellation was originally introduced by the Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius in the 17th century. Hevelius named it Scutum Sobiescianum, Shield of Sobieski, in honour of the Polish King Jan III Sobieski, who had been victorious in the Battle of Vienna in 1683. Hevelius created the constellation a year later to commemorate the event, and the name was eventually simplified to Scutum.
The most famous deep sky objects in Scutum are Messier 11, the Wild Duck Cluster, and the open cluster Messier 26. The constellation is also home to the famous variable star Delta Scuti.
FACTS, LOCATION & MAP
Scutum is the 84th constellation in size, occupying an area of only 109 square degrees. It is located in the fourth quadrant of the southern hemisphere (SQ4) and can be seen at latitudes between +80° and -90°. The neighboring constellations are Aquila, Sagittarius and Serpens Cauda.
Scutum does not have any stars brighter than magnitude 3.00 or located within 10 parsecs (32.6 light years) of Earth. The brightest star in the constellation is Alpha Scuti, with an apparent magnitude of 3.85. The nearest star is LHS 3398 (spectral class M1V), located at a distance of 41.54 light years from Earth. Scutum constellation has only one star with a confirmed exoplanet, COROT-17 (spectral class G2V).
Scutum belongs to the Hercules family of constellations, along with Aquila, Ara, Centaurus, Corona Australis, Corvus, Crater, Crux, Cygnus, Hercules, Hydra, Lupus, Lyra, Ophiuchus, Sagitta, Sextans, Serpens, Triangulum Australe and Vulpecula.
Scutum contains two Messier objects – Messier 11 (M11, NGC 6705, Wild Duck Cluster) and Messier 26 (M26, NGC 6694). There is one meteor shower associated with the constellation, the June Scutids.
STORY
Scutum constellation is not associated with any myths. It is the only constellation associated with a non-classical historical figure, the Polish King John III Sobieski.
The Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius, who created the constellation in 1684, named it Scutum Sobiescianum, or Shield of Sobieski, to commemorate the king’s victory in the Battle of Vienna in 1683. King John III Sobieski also helped Hevelius rebuild his observatory after a fire in 1679.
Scutum constellation first appeared charted in the scientific journal Acta Eruditorum in August 1684. Hevelius cited Robur Carolinum, a constellation introduced by the English astronomer Sir Edmond Halley in 1679 to honour King Charles II of England. Halley’s constellation was located between Crux and Carina and its name referred to the oak where King Charles II hid from Oliver Cromwell’s troops after the Battle of Worcester, the last battle of the English Civil War in 1651. Robur Carolinum later fell into disuse. The name Scutum Sobiescianum was eventually shortened to Scutum, the shield.
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