A tiny constellation called Scutum. It was given the Latin name Scutum Sobiescianum by Johannes Hevelius in 1684, which means "shield" in English. Its four brightest stars create a thin diamond shape and it is located in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is one of the eighty-eight constellations that the IAU named in 1922.
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History
In honour of the triumph of the Christian armies under the command of Polish King John III Sobieski (Jan III Sobieski) in the Battle of Vienna in 1683, Scutum was given its current name by Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius (Jan Heweliusz) in 1684. The name was later abbreviated to Scutum. Previously known as 1, 6, 2, 3, and 9 Aquilae, respectively, the five bright stars of Scutum (α Sct, β Sct, δ Sct, ε Sct and η Sct) have had their names changed. (Wagman 1987) The International Astronomical Union designated Scutum as one of the eighty-eight constellations that make up the entire sky in 1922, and it was given the official abbreviation "Sct." (Russell 1922) A quadrilateral outlines the constellation's perimeter. These borders' right ascension coordinates in the equatorial coordinate system range from 18h 21.6m to 18h 59.3m, while their declination coordinates range from 3.83° to 15.94°. By chance, the Chinese connected these stars with combat armour as well, combining them into the broader asterism known as Tien Pien, or the Heavenly Casque (or Helmet). (Allen 1899) |
Features
The brightest star in the constellation of Scutum, Alpha Scuti, has a brightness of 3.85. However, a few stars in the constellation are noteworthy. At magnitude 4.22, Beta Scuti is the second-brightest star, and magnitude 4.72 is the brightness of Delta Scuti. The primary star in the binary system Beta Scuti has a spectral type comparable to the Sun's, although being 1,270 times brighter. A bluish-white massive star named Delta Scuti is now travelling in the direction of the Solar System. It will pass within 1.3 million years of Earth and be as near to ten light years away. At that point, it will be much brighter than Sirius.
One of the biggest stars currently known, UY Scuti is a red supergiant pulsing variable star with a radius that ranges from 800 to 1,700 times that of the Sun. Another red supergiant star, Stephenson 2-18 has a radius that is 2,150 times that of the Sun, making it possibly the largest star known to date.
The brightest star in the constellation of Scutum, Alpha Scuti, has a brightness of 3.85. However, a few stars in the constellation are noteworthy. At magnitude 4.22, Beta Scuti is the second-brightest star, and magnitude 4.72 is the brightness of Delta Scuti. The primary star in the binary system Beta Scuti has a spectral type comparable to the Sun's, although being 1,270 times brighter. A bluish-white massive star named Delta Scuti is now travelling in the direction of the Solar System. It will pass within 1.3 million years of Earth and be as near to ten light years away. At that point, it will be much brighter than Sirius.
One of the biggest stars currently known, UY Scuti is a red supergiant pulsing variable star with a radius that ranges from 800 to 1,700 times that of the Sun. Another red supergiant star, Stephenson 2-18 has a radius that is 2,150 times that of the Sun, making it possibly the largest star known to date.
Deep-sky Objects
Main stars - 2
Bayer stars - 7
Stars with planets - 1
Stars brighter than magnitude 3.00 - 0
Stars within 32 Ly - 0
Messier objects - 2
Meteor showers
Bordering
constellations
- Messier 11 (M11) – Open Cluster
- Messier 26 (M26) – Open Cluster
- NGC 6712 – Globular Cluster
- IC 1295 – Planetary Nebula
Main stars - 2
Bayer stars - 7
Stars with planets - 1
Stars brighter than magnitude 3.00 - 0
Stars within 32 Ly - 0
Messier objects - 2
Meteor showers
- June Scutids
Bordering
constellations
- Aquila
- Sagittarius
- Serpens Cauda