COSMOS / CONSTELLATIONS / SCT
Scutum (Shield)
The Shield. IAU abbreviation Sct. One of the seven constellations introduced by Johannes Hevelius and published in his star atlas of 1690.
STAR CHART
KEY FACTS
- IAU abbreviation
- Sct
- Latin name / genitive
- Scutum / Scuti
- Position
- Right ascension ≈ 18 h 39 m; declination −16° to −5°
- Visibility from Türkiye
- Visible in full from anywhere in Türkiye. When it crosses the meridian its centre stands about 40° above the horizon from Ankara.
- Best time to observe
- Best placed at 21:00 Türkiye time around 28 August.
- Number of stars
- 32 stars brighter than magnitude 6.5 in the catalogue; 7 brighter than 5 and 1 brighter than 4.
INTERACTIVE LAB
Where is Scutum tonight?
The lab opens for Ankara on today’s date. Drag the time slider through the night; the “Best night” button jumps to the date when the constellation is highest at 21:00 (around 28 August). Change the city to compare the view from elsewhere in Türkiye and around the world.
MYTH, HISTORY AND OBSERVING
Hevelius introduced this small constellation in 1684 as the shield of King John III Sobieski of Poland (Scutum Sobiescianum), commemorating his victory at the Siege of Vienna in 1683. The Scutum Star Cloud, one of the brightest parts of the Milky Way, and the “Wild Duck” open cluster M11 are here.
BRIGHTEST STARS
| Star | Magnitude | Distance (light-years) | Spectral type |
|---|---|---|---|
| α Sct | 3.85 | 199 | K2III |
| β Sct | 4.22 | 916 | G5II |
| ζ Sct | 4.66 | 207 | K0III |
| γ Sct | 4.67 | 319 | A1IV/V |
| δ Sct | 4.70 | 202 | F2IIIp |
| η Sct | 4.83 | 202 | K1III |
| ε Sct | 4.88 | 538 | G8II |
| HIP 92814 | 5.08 | 1,400 | B3II |
Magnitude: apparent brightness; the smaller the number, the brighter the star. Distances derive from parallax measurements and are uncertain for distant stars. Source: HYG v4.1 star catalogue (CC BY-SA 4.0).
SOURCES
Position, visibility and best observing time were computed approximately for this page from the catalogue stars (Ankara, 39.9° N). The 88 constellations were adopted by the IAU in 1922; their boundaries were drawn by Eugène Delporte in 1930.