M11 - WILD DUCK CLUSTER

Messier 11, the Wild Duck Cluster, is one of the richest and most compact open clusters known, located in the constellation Scutum approximately 6,200 light-years from Earth. The cluster earns its evocative name from the V-shaped pattern of its brightest stars, which Admiral William Henry Smyth likened to a flight of wild ducks in the 19th century. M11 contains approximately 2,900 stars, an exceptionally large number for an open cluster, packed into a region about 25 light-years across. At an apparent magnitude of 6.3, it is just below naked-eye visibility but is a superb binocular and telescope target. The cluster is estimated to be about 220 million years old, old enough for some of its more massive stars to have evolved into red giants, creating an attractive mix of star colors among its members. M11 was first discovered by the German astronomer Gottfried Kirch in 1681, and Charles Messier added it to his catalog in 1764. Through binoculars, M11 appears as a bright, dense knot of light against the rich Milky Way star fields of Scutum. In a small telescope at moderate magnification, it resolves into a magnificent swarm of faint stars that has been compared to a diamond-dusted carpet. The cluster's exceptional density makes it appear almost globular-like at first glance, distinguishing it from the typical loose scattering of most open clusters. M11 is one of the few open clusters that will likely survive as a bound unit for many hundreds of millions of years due to its high stellar density and total mass.

Contains approximately 2,900 stars within 25 light-years diameter at a distance of 6,200 light-years, one of the richest known open clusters.