M11 (NGC 6705), The Wild Duck Cluster (Ruben Barbosa)

M11 (NGC 6705), The Wild Duck Cluster

* Image Acquisition by Jim Misti / Steven Mazlin.

* Processing: Ruben Barbosa.

Wild Duck (also known as Messier 11 or NGC 6705) is an open stellar cluster located 6,000 light-years away, in the direction of the Scutum constellation.

It is so named because the brightest stars form a triangle, resembling the formation of a flock of ducks in flight.

M11 is an open cluster. These objects are distinguished from the globular ones by having far fewer stars, having a dominant population of young and hot stars, and being confined in the plane of the galactic disk.

By comparison with the structure, we can think of the Pleiades or our Sun which is believed to have originated in an open swarm.

Within the open clusters, M11 is considered one of the richest; has about 2,900 stars, of which the blue giants (spectral class B8) and 82 variables stand out.

His age was estimated to be only 250 million years old; however, since M11 stars are little gravitationally bound together, it is normal for stellar eclipses to occur outside the cluster, and it is estimated that in the not-too-distant future they will be fully dispersed in the interstellar medium.

To accomplish the hunting of the Duck, no great weaponry is needed, just a binocular or a small telescope and good conditions of visibility.

Final
Original
B

B

Description: Lots of stars

Uploaded: ...

3. Star Clusters & Comets

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Status	Basic failed
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Astrometry.net job	3865403
PixInsight job	n/a
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