Photographer: Greg Parker

Summary Authors: Greg Parker; Jim Foster

Featured above is the Wild Duck star cluster (also known as M11) sitting in the constellation of Scutum the Shield. Composed of nearly 3,000 stars, this compact grouping, one of the most compact open star clusters, lies some 6000 light years away. As viewed from the Northern Hemisphere it resides in the southern sky, within the glow of the Milky Way and between the constellations of Aquila and Sagittarius. Though it's highest in the sky in late summer and early fall, it can only be observed with a moderate-sized telescope. Detecting a duck of any kind in this cluster is no more challenging than identifying a shield in Scutum.

Photo Details: Taken with the Sky 90 array and processed by Noel Carboni.