The
Wild Duck Cluster (also known as
Messier 11, or
NGC 6705) is an
open cluster of stars in the
constellationScutum (the Shield). It was discovered by
Gottfried Kirch in 1681.
Charles Messier included it in his catalogue of diffuse objects in 1764. Its popular name derives from the brighter stars forming a triangle which could resemble a flying flock of
ducks=10.5px (or, from other angles, one swimming duck). The cluster is located just to the east of the Scutum Star Cloud midpoint.The Wild Duck Cluster is one of the richest and most compact of the known open clusters. It is one of the most massive open clusters known, and it has been extensively studied. Its age has been estimated to about 316 million years. The core radius is 1.23 pc (4.0 ly) while the
tidal radius is 29 pc (95 ly). Estimates for the cluster's mass range from 3,700
M☉ to 11,000
M☉, depending on the method chosen. The brightest cluster member is visual magnitude 8, and it has 870 members of at least magnitude 16.5. It has an integrated
absolute magnitude of –6.5, and a visual
extinction of 1.3.The cluster is
metal-rich with an iron abundance of [Fe/H] = 0.17±0.04. Despite its youth, it shows an enhancement of
Alpha process elements. Possibly this is due to an enhancement of its birth
molecular cloud by a nearby
Type II supernova explosion. At least nine
variable star members have been identified with high probability, plus 29 lower probability members. The former include two
eclipsing binary star systems.=10.5px The cluster is located 6.8 kpc (22,000 ly) from the
Galactic Center, close to the
galactic plane, and is not far from its birthplace.
Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Duck_Cluster
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