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Scutum (constellation)

April 11, 2024

Scutum is a small constellation. Its name is Latin for shield, and it was originally named Scutum Sobiescianum by Johannes Hevelius in 1684. Located just south of the celestial equator, its four brightest stars form a narrow diamond shape. It is one of the 88 IAU designated constellations defined in 1922.

Scutum
Constellation
AbbreviationSct
GenitiveScuti
Pronunciation/ˈskjuːtəm/,
genitive /ˈskjuːtaɪ/
Symbolismthe Shield
Right ascension18.7h
Declination−10°
QuadrantSQ4
Area109 sq. deg. (84th)
Main stars2
Bayer/Flamsteed
stars		7
Stars with planets1
Stars brighter than 3.00m0
Stars within 10.00 pc (32.62 ly)0
Brightest starα Scuti (3.85m)
Messier objects2
Meteor showersJune Scutids
Bordering
constellations		Aquila
Sagittarius
Serpens Cauda
Visible at latitudes between +80° and −90°.
Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of August.

History edit

 
Scutum Sobiescianum in Firmamentum Sobiescianum sive Uranographia 1690

Scutum was named in 1684 by Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius[1] (Jan Heweliusz), who originally named it Scutum Sobiescianum (Shield of Sobieski) to commemorate the victory of the Christian forces led by Polish King John III Sobieski (Jan III Sobieski) in the Battle of Vienna in 1683. Later, the name was shortened to Scutum.

Five bright stars of Scutum (α Sct, β Sct, δ Sct, ε Sct and η Sct) were previously known as 1, 6, 2, 3, and 9 Aquilae respectively.[2]

The constellation of Scutum was adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1922 as one of the 88 constellations covering the entire sky, with the official abbreviation of "Sct".[3] The constellation boundaries are defined by a quadrilateral. In the equatorial coordinate system, the right ascension coordinates of these borders lie between 18h 21.6m and 18h 59.3m , while the declination coordinates are between −3.83° and −15.94°.[4]

Coincidentally, the Chinese also associated these stars with battle armor, incorporating them into the larger asterism known as Tien Pien, i.e., the Heavenly Casque (or Helmet).[5]

Features edit

Stars edit

See also: List of stars in Scutum
 
The constellation Scutum as it can be seen by the naked eye
 
The constellation Scutum in the night sky, enhanced for color and contrast

Scutum is not a bright constellation, with the brightest star, Alpha Scuti, being a K-type giant star[6] at magnitude 3.85. However, some stars are notable in the constellation. Beta Scuti is the second brightest at magnitude 4.22, followed by Delta Scuti at magnitude 4.72. It is also known as 6 Aquilae.[7] Beta Scuti is a binary system,[8][9] with the primary with a spectral type similar to the Sun, although it is 1,270 times brighter. Delta Scuti is a bluish white giant star, which is now coming at the direction of the Solar System. Within 1.3 million years it will come as close to 10 light years from Earth,[10] and will be much brighter than Sirius by that time.

UY Scuti is a red hypergiant pulsating variable star and is also one of the largest stars currently known with a radius over 1,700 times that of the Sun,[11][12] although some studies give lower estimates.[13] Stephenson 2 DFK 1 is another red hypergiant star and is possibly the largest star currently known, with a radius of 2,150 times that of the Sun.[14] Scutum contains several clusters of supergiant stars, including RSGC1,[15] Stephenson 2 (which contains Stephenson 2 DFK 1)[16][17] and RSGC3.[18]

Deep sky objects edit

 
M1-63, a bipolar planetary nebula located in the constellation of Scutum (the Shield)

Although not a large constellation, Scutum contains several open clusters, as well as a globular cluster and a planetary nebula. The two best known deep sky objects in Scutum are M11 (the Wild Duck Cluster) and the open cluster M26 (NGC 6694). The globular cluster NGC 6712 and the planetary nebula IC 1295 can be found in the eastern part of the constellation, only 24 arcminutes apart.

The most prominent open cluster in Scutum is the Wild Duck Cluster, M11. It was named by William Henry Smyth in 1844 for its resemblance in the eyepiece to a flock of ducks in flight. The cluster, 6200 light-years from Earth and 20 light-years in diameter, contains approximately 3000 stars, making it a particularly rich cluster. It is around 220 million years old,[19] although some studies give older estimates.[20] Estimates for the mass of the star cluster range from 3,700 M☉[21] to 11,000 M☉.[22]

Space exploration edit

The space probe Pioneer 11 is moving in the direction of this constellation. It will not near the closest star in this constellation for over a million years[23] at its present speed, by which time its batteries will be long dead.

See also edit

 
Serpens held by Ophiuchus, as depicted in Urania's Mirror, a set of constellation cards published in London c. 1825. Above the tail of the serpent is the now-obsolete constellation Taurus Poniatovii while below it is Scutum.

References edit

  1. ^ Star Tales ― Scutum by Ian Ridpath
  2. ^ Wagman, M. (August 1987). "Flamsteed's Missing Stars". Journal for the History of Astronomy. 18 (3): 212–213. Bibcode:1987JHA....18..209W. doi:10.1177/002182868701800305. S2CID 118445625.
  3. ^ Russell, Henry Norris (1922). "The New International Symbols for the Constellations". Popular Astronomy. 30: 469. Bibcode:1922PA.....30..469R.
  4. ^ "Scutum, Constellation Boundary". The Constellations. International Astronomical Union. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  5. ^ Richard H. Allen (1899) Star Names and Their Meanings, p. 363
  6. ^ Keenan, Philip C.; McNeil, Raymond C. (1989). "The Perkins catalog of revised MK types for the cooler stars". The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. 71: 245. Bibcode:1989ApJS...71..245K. doi:10.1086/191373.
  7. ^ Wagman, M. (August 1987). "Flamsteed's Missing Stars". Journal for the History of Astronomy. 18 (3): 212. Bibcode:1987JHA....18..209W. doi:10.1177/002182868701800305. S2CID 118445625.
  8. ^ Hutter, D. J.; Zavala, R. T.; Tycner, C.; Benson, J. A.; Hummel, C. A.; Sanborn, J.; Franz, O. G.; Johnston, K. J. (2016). "Surveying the Bright Stars by Optical Interferometry. I. A Search for Multiplicity among Stars of Spectral Types F-K". Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. 227 (1): 4. arXiv:1609.05254. Bibcode:2016ApJS..227....4H. doi:10.3847/0067-0049/227/1/4. S2CID 118803592.
  9. ^ Parsons, S. B.; Franz, O. G.; Wassermann, L. H. (2005). "The Fine Guidance Sensor Orbit of the G4 Bright Giant HD 173764". Astronomical Journal. 129 (3): 1700. Bibcode:2005AJ....129.1700P. doi:10.1086/427853.
  10. ^ García-Sánchez, J.; et al. (2001), "Stellar encounters with the solar system", Astronomy and Astrophysics, 379 (2): 634–659, Bibcode:2001A&A...379..634G, doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20011330
  11. ^ Arroyo-Torres, B.; Wittkowski, M.; Marcaide, J. M.; Hauschildt, P. H. (2013). "The atmospheric structure and fundamental parameters of the red supergiants AH Scorpii, UY Scuti, and KW Sagittarii". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 554: A76. arXiv:1305.6179. Bibcode:2013A&A...554A..76A. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201220920. S2CID 73575062.
  12. ^ Tabernero, H. M.; Dorda, R.; Negueruela, I.; Marfil, E. (2021). "The nature of VX Sagitarii". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 646: A98. arXiv:2011.09184. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202039236. S2CID 227013580.
  13. ^ Messineo, M.; Brown, A. G. A. (2019). "A Catalog of Known Galactic K-M Stars of Class I Candidate Red Supergiants in Gaia DR2". The Astronomical Journal. 158 (1): 20. arXiv:1905.03744. Bibcode:2019AJ....158...20M. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/ab1cbd. S2CID 148571616.
  14. ^ Fok, Thomas K. T; Nakashima, Jun-ichi; Yung, Bosco H. K; Hsia, Chih-Hao; Deguchi, Shuji (2012). "Maser Observations of Westerlund 1 and Comprehensive Considerations on Maser Properties of Red Supergiants Associated with Massive Clusters". The Astrophysical Journal. 760 (1): 65. arXiv:1209.6427. Bibcode:2012ApJ...760...65F. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/760/1/65. S2CID 53393926.
  15. ^ Figer, D. F.; MacKenty, J. W.; Robberto, M.; Smith, K.; Najarro, F.; Kudritzki, R. P.; Herrero, A. (2006). "Discovery of an Extraordinarily Massive Cluster of Red Supergiants". The Astrophysical Journal. 643 (2): 1166–1179. arXiv:astro-ph/0602146. Bibcode:2006ApJ...643.1166F. doi:10.1086/503275. S2CID 18241900.
  16. ^ Davies, B.; Figer, D. F.; Kudritzki, R. P.; MacKenty, J.; Najarro, F.; Herrero, A. (2007). "A Massive Cluster of Red Supergiants at the Base of the Scutum‐Crux Arm". The Astrophysical Journal. 671 (1): 781–801. arXiv:0708.0821. Bibcode:2007ApJ...671..781D. doi:10.1086/522224. S2CID 1447781.
  17. ^ Stephenson, C. B. (1990). "A possible new and very remote galactic cluster". The Astronomical Journal. 99: 1867. Bibcode:1990AJ.....99.1867S. doi:10.1086/115464.
  18. ^ Negueruela, I.; González-Fernández, C.; Marco, A.; Clark, J. S.; Martínez-Núñez, S. (2010). "Another cluster of red supergiants close to RSGC1". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 513: A74. arXiv:1002.1823. Bibcode:2010A&A...513A..74N. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/200913373. S2CID 118531372.
  19. ^ MacRobert, Alan (September 2012). "So, Where Are the Wild Ducks?!". Sky and Telescope.
  20. ^ Casamiquela, L.; et al. (March 2018), "NGC 6705 a young α-enhanced open cluster from OCCASO data", Astronomy & Astrophysics, 610: 10, arXiv:1710.11069, Bibcode:2018A&A...610A..66C, doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201732024, S2CID 59397264, A66.
  21. ^ Cantat-Gaudin, T.; et al. (September 2014), "The Gaia-ESO Survey: Stellar content and elemental abundances in the massive cluster NGC 6705", Astronomy & Astrophysics, 569: 18, arXiv:1407.1510, Bibcode:2014A&A...569A..17C, doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201423851, S2CID 5111744, A17.
  22. ^ Santos, J. F. C. Jr.; et al. (October 2005), "Structure and stellar content analysis of the open cluster M 11 with 2MASS photometry", Astronomy and Astrophysics, 442 (1): 201–209, arXiv:astro-ph/0507216, Bibcode:2005A&A...442..201S, doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20053378, S2CID 15323948.
  23. ^ Pioneer 11 is travelling at ~2.4 au/yr, 41.54 ly ≈ 2.627x106au.

Sources edit

External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Scutum (constellation).
  • The Deep Photographic Guide to the Constellations: Scutum


April 11, 2024
scutum, constellation, scutum, small, constellation, name, latin, shield, originally, named, scutum, sobiescianum, johannes, hevelius, 1684, located, just, south, celestial, equator, four, brightest, stars, form, narrow, diamond, shape, designated, constellati. Scutum is a small constellation Its name is Latin for shield and it was originally named Scutum Sobiescianum by Johannes Hevelius in 1684 Located just south of the celestial equator its four brightest stars form a narrow diamond shape It is one of the 88 IAU designated constellations defined in 1922 ScutumConstellationList of stars in ScutumAbbreviationSctGenitiveScutiPronunciation ˈ s k juː t em genitive ˈ s k juː t aɪ Symbolismthe ShieldRight ascension18 7hDeclination 10 QuadrantSQ4Area109 sq deg 84th Main stars2Bayer Flamsteedstars7Stars with planets1Stars brighter than 3 00m0Stars within 10 00 pc 32 62 ly 0Brightest stara Scuti 3 85m Messier objects2Meteor showersJune ScutidsBorderingconstellationsAquila SagittariusSerpens CaudaVisible at latitudes between 80 and 90 Best visible at 21 00 9 p m during the month of August Contents 1 History 2 Features 2 1 Stars 2 2 Deep sky objects 3 Space exploration 4 See also 5 References 6 Sources 7 External linksHistory edit nbsp Scutum Sobiescianum in Firmamentum Sobiescianum sive Uranographia 1690Scutum was named in 1684 by Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius 1 Jan Heweliusz who originally named it Scutum Sobiescianum Shield of Sobieski to commemorate the victory of the Christian forces led by Polish King John III Sobieski Jan III Sobieski in the Battle of Vienna in 1683 Later the name was shortened to Scutum Five bright stars of Scutum a Sct b Sct d Sct e Sct and h Sct were previously known as 1 6 2 3 and 9 Aquilae respectively 2 The constellation of Scutum was adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1922 as one of the 88 constellations covering the entire sky with the official abbreviation of Sct 3 The constellation boundaries are defined by a quadrilateral In the equatorial coordinate system the right ascension coordinates of these borders lie between 18h 21 6m and 18h 59 3m while the declination coordinates are between 3 83 and 15 94 4 Coincidentally the Chinese also associated these stars with battle armor incorporating them into the larger asterism known as Tien Pien i e the Heavenly Casque or Helmet 5 Features editStars edit See also List of stars in Scutum nbsp The constellation Scutum as it can be seen by the naked eye nbsp The constellation Scutum in the night sky enhanced for color and contrastScutum is not a bright constellation with the brightest star Alpha Scuti being a K type giant star 6 at magnitude 3 85 However some stars are notable in the constellation Beta Scuti is the second brightest at magnitude 4 22 followed by Delta Scuti at magnitude 4 72 It is also known as 6 Aquilae 7 Beta Scuti is a binary system 8 9 with the primary with a spectral type similar to the Sun although it is 1 270 times brighter Delta Scuti is a bluish white giant star which is now coming at the direction of the Solar System Within 1 3 million years it will come as close to 10 light years from Earth 10 and will be much brighter than Sirius by that time UY Scuti is a red hypergiant pulsating variable star and is also one of the largest stars currently known with a radius over 1 700 times that of the Sun 11 12 although some studies give lower estimates 13 Stephenson 2 DFK 1 is another red hypergiant star and is possibly the largest star currently known with a radius of 2 150 times that of the Sun 14 Scutum contains several clusters of supergiant stars including RSGC1 15 Stephenson 2 which contains Stephenson 2 DFK 1 16 17 and RSGC3 18 Deep sky objects edit nbsp M1 63 a bipolar planetary nebula located in the constellation of Scutum the Shield Although not a large constellation Scutum contains several open clusters as well as a globular cluster and a planetary nebula The two best known deep sky objects in Scutum are M11 the Wild Duck Cluster and the open cluster M26 NGC 6694 The globular cluster NGC 6712 and the planetary nebula IC 1295 can be found in the eastern part of the constellation only 24 arcminutes apart The most prominent open cluster in Scutum is the Wild Duck Cluster M11 It was named by William Henry Smyth in 1844 for its resemblance in the eyepiece to a flock of ducks in flight The cluster 6200 light years from Earth and 20 light years in diameter contains approximately 3000 stars making it a particularly rich cluster It is around 220 million years old 19 although some studies give older estimates 20 Estimates for the mass of the star cluster range from 3 700 M 21 to 11 000 M 22 Space exploration editThe space probe Pioneer 11 is moving in the direction of this constellation It will not near the closest star in this constellation for over a million years 23 at its present speed by which time its batteries will be long dead See also editScutum Chinese astronomy Taurus Poniatovii a constellation created by the Polish astronomer Marcin Odlanicki Poczobutt in 1777 to honor King of Poland Stanislaw August Poniatowski nbsp Serpens held by Ophiuchus as depicted in Urania s Mirror a set of constellation cards published in London c 1825 Above the tail of the serpent is the now obsolete constellation Taurus Poniatovii while below it is Scutum References edit Star Tales Scutum by Ian Ridpath Wagman M August 1987 Flamsteed s Missing Stars Journal for the History of Astronomy 18 3 212 213 Bibcode 1987JHA 18 209W doi 10 1177 002182868701800305 S2CID 118445625 Russell Henry Norris 1922 The New International Symbols for the Constellations Popular Astronomy 30 469 Bibcode 1922PA 30 469R Scutum Constellation Boundary The Constellations International Astronomical Union Retrieved 3 September 2020 Richard H Allen 1899 Star Names and Their Meanings p 363 Keenan Philip C McNeil Raymond C 1989 The Perkins catalog of revised MK types for the cooler stars The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series 71 245 Bibcode 1989ApJS 71 245K doi 10 1086 191373 Wagman M August 1987 Flamsteed s Missing Stars Journal for the History of Astronomy 18 3 212 Bibcode 1987JHA 18 209W doi 10 1177 002182868701800305 S2CID 118445625 Hutter D J Zavala R T Tycner C Benson J A Hummel C A Sanborn J Franz O G Johnston K J 2016 Surveying the Bright Stars by Optical Interferometry I A Search for Multiplicity among Stars of Spectral Types F K Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series 227 1 4 arXiv 1609 05254 Bibcode 2016ApJS 227 4H doi 10 3847 0067 0049 227 1 4 S2CID 118803592 Parsons S B Franz O G Wassermann L H 2005 The Fine Guidance Sensor Orbit of the G4 Bright Giant HD 173764 Astronomical Journal 129 3 1700 Bibcode 2005AJ 129 1700P doi 10 1086 427853 Garcia Sanchez J et al 2001 Stellar encounters with the solar system Astronomy and Astrophysics 379 2 634 659 Bibcode 2001A amp A 379 634G doi 10 1051 0004 6361 20011330 Arroyo Torres B Wittkowski M Marcaide J M Hauschildt P H 2013 The atmospheric structure and fundamental parameters of the red supergiants AH Scorpii UY Scuti and KW Sagittarii Astronomy amp Astrophysics 554 A76 arXiv 1305 6179 Bibcode 2013A amp A 554A 76A doi 10 1051 0004 6361 201220920 S2CID 73575062 Tabernero H M Dorda R Negueruela I Marfil E 2021 The nature of VX Sagitarii Astronomy amp Astrophysics 646 A98 arXiv 2011 09184 doi 10 1051 0004 6361 202039236 S2CID 227013580 Messineo M Brown A G A 2019 A Catalog of Known Galactic K M Stars of Class I Candidate Red Supergiants in Gaia DR2 The Astronomical Journal 158 1 20 arXiv 1905 03744 Bibcode 2019AJ 158 20M doi 10 3847 1538 3881 ab1cbd S2CID 148571616 Fok Thomas K T Nakashima Jun ichi Yung Bosco H K Hsia Chih Hao Deguchi Shuji 2012 Maser Observations of Westerlund 1 and Comprehensive Considerations on Maser Properties of Red Supergiants Associated with Massive Clusters The Astrophysical Journal 760 1 65 arXiv 1209 6427 Bibcode 2012ApJ 760 65F doi 10 1088 0004 637X 760 1 65 S2CID 53393926 Figer D F MacKenty J W Robberto M Smith K Najarro F Kudritzki R P Herrero A 2006 Discovery of an Extraordinarily Massive Cluster of Red Supergiants The Astrophysical Journal 643 2 1166 1179 arXiv astro ph 0602146 Bibcode 2006ApJ 643 1166F doi 10 1086 503275 S2CID 18241900 Davies B Figer D F Kudritzki R P MacKenty J Najarro F Herrero A 2007 A Massive Cluster of Red Supergiants at the Base of the Scutum Crux Arm The Astrophysical Journal 671 1 781 801 arXiv 0708 0821 Bibcode 2007ApJ 671 781D doi 10 1086 522224 S2CID 1447781 Stephenson C B 1990 A possible new and very remote galactic cluster The Astronomical Journal 99 1867 Bibcode 1990AJ 99 1867S doi 10 1086 115464 Negueruela I Gonzalez Fernandez C Marco A Clark J S Martinez Nunez S 2010 Another cluster of red supergiants close to RSGC1 Astronomy and Astrophysics 513 A74 arXiv 1002 1823 Bibcode 2010A amp A 513A 74N doi 10 1051 0004 6361 200913373 S2CID 118531372 MacRobert Alan September 2012 So Where Are the Wild Ducks Sky and Telescope Casamiquela L et al March 2018 NGC 6705 a young a enhanced open cluster from OCCASO data Astronomy amp Astrophysics 610 10 arXiv 1710 11069 Bibcode 2018A amp A 610A 66C doi 10 1051 0004 6361 201732024 S2CID 59397264 A66 Cantat Gaudin T et al September 2014 The Gaia ESO Survey Stellar content and elemental abundances in the massive cluster NGC 6705 Astronomy amp Astrophysics 569 18 arXiv 1407 1510 Bibcode 2014A amp A 569A 17C doi 10 1051 0004 6361 201423851 S2CID 5111744 A17 Santos J F C Jr et al October 2005 Structure and stellar content analysis of the open cluster M 11 with 2MASS photometry Astronomy and Astrophysics 442 1 201 209 arXiv astro ph 0507216 Bibcode 2005A amp A 442 201S doi 10 1051 0004 6361 20053378 S2CID 15323948 Pioneer 11 is travelling at 2 4 au yr 41 54 ly 2 627x106au Sources editIan Ridpath and Wil Tirion 2017 Stars and Planets Guide 5th ed Collins London ISBN 978 0 00 823927 5 Princeton University Press Princeton ISBN 978 0 69 117788 5 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Scutum constellation The Deep Photographic Guide to the Constellations Scutum Portals nbsp Astronomy nbsp Stars nbsp Spaceflight nbsp Outer space nbsp Solar System Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Scutum constellation amp oldid 1197851355, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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