M11 — Wild Duck Cluster
Open Cluster in Scutum
About
The Wild Duck Cluster, a tight knot of roughly 870 stars brighter than magnitude 16.5 in Scutum, about 6,100 light-years away. It is around 300 million years old, and its brightest stars form a triangle that suggests a flock of ducks in flight.
Imaging tips
- At 1,730–2,890 mm on APS-C (2,650–4,420 mm on full frame) the cluster spans a third to half of the frame.
- No filter needed. One imager shot 5-minute subs at f/2 for 4 hours per panel; another found 6-minute subs left the stars a little overexposed and suggests about 3 minutes.
- A 2017 attempt processed the background so dark that faint dust lanes around the cluster vanished; keep the background gentle.
- M26 is close enough to pair with M11: one imager shot the two as a 2-panel mosaic with an f/2 system.
- Best in June and July; it stays below 34° altitude from 50°N.
Facts
- Size
- 14′
- Magnitude
- 5.8
- Coordinates
- RA 18h 51.1m, Dec −6° 16′
- Framing, APS-C
- 1730–2890 mm
- Framing, full frame
- 2650–4420 mm
- Best months
- Jun, Jul
- Peak altitude
- 34° from 50°N, 49° from 35°N