Celestial hemisphere:  Southern  ·  Constellation: Scutum (Sct)  ·  Contains:  B112  ·  M 11  ·  NGC 6705  ·  Wild Duck cluster
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M11, Gary Imm
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M11

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M11, Gary Imm
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M11

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Description

This object is one of the most beautiful open clusters in the night sky. It is located in the southern constellation of Scutum at a declination of -6 degrees. It is about 7,600 light years from Earth. It covers an apparent field of view of 9 arc-minutes, which corresponds to an actual diameter of 20 light years.

M11 is the most distant open cluster listed in the Messier catalogue that is visible to the naked eye. This mag 5.8 object contains almost 3000 stars, which makes it one of the most populated open clusters known. Most of these 3000 stars are luminous giants that shine much brighter than our sun. It is also one of the most compact clusters and is said to resemble a flock of ducks when observed in a small telescope, which is how it got its name.

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M11, Gary Imm