M11

The Wild Duck Cluster is one of the richest and most compact open clusters known, located about 6,200 light-years away in the constellation Scutum. It contains roughly 2,900 stars in an area about 25 light-years across, giving it an almost globular-like density. The cluster is about 220 million years old and lies in a rich Milky Way star field.

Located at the northern end of the Scutum Star Cloud, one of the brightest sections of the summer Milky Way. Visible to the naked eye from dark sites. Binoculars show a bright, dense patch embedded in the Milky Way. A 4-inch telescope at 50-80x reveals a stunning triangular pattern of stars — the V-formation that gives it the 'wild duck' name. Higher power resolves hundreds of faint stars packed into the core. Best observed from July through September.

Discovered by Gottfried Kirch in 1681. Charles Messier cataloged it in 1764. The common name was coined by Admiral William Henry Smyth in the 1830s, who thought the V-shaped pattern of bright stars resembled a flock of wild ducks in flight.