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| English name | Shield | ||||
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| Major stars | No star of the constellation exceeds the magnitude 3,5. | ||||
| Description | Small constellation between Aquila and Sagittarius. In spite of its dimensions, it contains some interesting objects, besides rich stellar fields of the Milky Way. Delta Scuti is the prototype of a rare class of variable stars, which have small oscillations of brightness in a very brief period. This star, in particular, varies from the magnitude 4,6 to the 4,7 in 4 hours and 40 minutes: the deviation of magnitude is too small to be valued to the naked eye.
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| Mythology and history | The constellation was drawn in 1684 by Johannes Hevelius. At first it took the name of Scutum Sobiescianum, in honor of the king of Poland John III Sobieski: it is the only still used constellation which was traced for politic reasons. | ||||
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M11 is an open cluster composed by two hundred stars: it is nicknamed Wild Duck Cluster, since the disposition of its stars remembers a ducks' fan-shaped flight. To resolve the single stars you need a rather powerful instrument.