Open star cluster
The Wild Duck Cluster
Also M11 · NGC 6705
One of the richest and most compact open clusters in the night sky, in the constellation Scutum.
Measured
- Distance
- 6,120 light-years
- Size
- about 40 light-years across (approximate)
- Constellation
- Scutum
- Position (J2000)
- RA 18h 51m 05s, Dec −6.27°
How far, from the Sun
6,120 light-years. To cross it:
- Light6,120 years
- Voyager 1's speed109 million years
- Driving at 100 km/h66.1 billion years
Voyager 1 at the speed it moved outward over the year to 2026-10-25 (JPL Horizons). Driving: nonstop, never refuelling.
Facts
- Its V-shaped pattern of bright stars reminded observers of a flight of wild ducks.
- Estimates of its age run from about 220 to 316 million years.
How it was found
- Gottfried Kirch discovered it in 1681.
Where this comes from
- Kharchenko et al. 2005, A&A 438, 1163 (1,877 pc)
Every catalogue Ouranos draws is credited on the credits page.