Messier 11 (M 11) - Wild Duck Cluster

Introduction | Map | Find/Identify | Sketch | My Best Own Photos | My Own Observations | References || Appendix: My Own Photos

On this page I collect my observations of the open star cluster M 11, called Wild Duck Cluster, in the constellation Scutum/Shield.

Introduction

The open star cluster M 11, called Wild Duck Cluster, is located in the constellation Scutum/Shield and, according to Stoyan, is regarded as the most beautiful of its kind that is visible from central Europe. M 11 is located in the Scutum cloud, a special section of the Milky Way.

Size: 7' (Stoyan)
Distance: 6,000 light years (Stoyan)
Rating: **** (Stoyan)

Map

M 11 (top) belongs to the constellation Scutum/Shield. All other objects belong to the Sagittarius constellation (M 8, M 16, M 17, M 20, M 21, M 23, M 24). (Image Courtesy of SkySafari Astronomy, www.simulationcurriculum.com)

Find/Identify

Find: M 11 is located at the "tail end" of the constellation Aquila and close to the constellation Scutum. I see there a chain of stars, which comes down diagonally and ends horizontally to the right (at beta Scutum). Below you will find the star cluster M 11, which you can quickly recognize by its glow. To its right there is a small trapeze (see Identify). (Image Courtesy of SkySafari Astronomy, www.simulationcurriculum.com)

Here is another closer map (Image Courtesy of SkySafari Astronomy, www.simulationcurriculum.com):

Identify: M 11 in the constellation Scutum/Shield is located close to an irregular trapezium, which I can see well in binoculars (and depending on the telescope, it is on the left or right side of M 11), but cannot find on many star maps and in many astronomy programs, because it is quite small. This trapezium helps me to find the star cluster and also to identify it as M 11!

(Image created with Stellarium)

Sketch

The sketch by Michael Vlasov (DeepSkyWatch.com) provides an impression of what I failed to observe in Summer/Autumn 2016: Sketch of the M 11 star cluster by Michael Vlasov (Copyright © Michael Vlasov 2016)

Note: I only have the author's permission to link to the sketch.

My Best Own Photos

ZWO ASI224

M 11 - Sep 2, 2021, PS 72/432, 60frames, 5sec, gain300, with IR/UV cut filter		M 11 - Sep 4, 2021, TLAPO1027, 60frames, 5sec, gain300		M 11 - Sep 4, 2021, TLAPO1027, 60frames, 5sec, gain300, processed

eVscope

M 11 - Jun 11, 2020		M 11 - Jun 11, 2020, photo left processed		M 11 - Jun 11, 2020, photo left processed and sharpened
M 11 - Aug 23,2020		M 11 - Aug 23,2020, photo left processed		M 11 - Aug 23,2020, photo left processed and sharpened
M 11 - Sep 8, 2021		M 11 - Sep 8, 2021, photo left processed		M 11 - Sep 8, 2021, photo left processed and sharpened
M 11 - Oct 7, 10.2021		M 11 - Oct 7, 10.2021, photo left processed		M 11 - Oct 7, 10.2021, photo left processed and sharpened

eVscope 2

M 11 - Aug 22, 2022		M 11 - Aug 22, 2022, photo left processed		M 11 - Sep 6, 2023, 2 min
M 11 - Oct 10, 2023, 2 min

Vespera

M 11, Jul 31, 2022- original (5 frames = 50 seconds; before autofocus update)
M 11, Jul 31, 2022 - original (18 frames = 180 seconds; after autofocus update)
M 11, Oct 5, 2022 - original (30 frames = 300 seconds)		M 11 with NGC 6712 (bottom), Nov 10, 2022 - original, mosaic (194 frames = 1940 seconds) - evaluation

My Own Observations

Observations September 2016

• September 7, 2016 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: Skymax-102 on GoTo mount): Observed M 11 and saw stars and some nebula around them...
• September 9, 2016 (ditto, Heritage P130 on GoTo mount): Ditto

Observations October/November 2017

• November 13, 2017 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: LT and TS binoculars): M 11 probably not found...

Observations September/October 2018 (France)

• September 27, 2018 (Sumène, France: PS 72/432, AZ Pronto Mount, LT and TS binoculars): M 11 (Wild Duck Cluster) discovered by Astrid with the bino, seen with both LT and TS binoculars, and with the PS72 as well: with 24mm only a glow, with 4 mm many stars - a two-fold glow with a few stars inside...
• September 28, 2018 (ditto: PS 72/432, AZ Pronto Mount, LT and TS binoculars): M 11 found again
• October 4, 2018 (ditto: PS 72/432, AZ Pronto Mount): M 11 with 24 mm just a glow, with 7 mm and 4 mm resolved into stars

Observations October-December 2018 (Mühlhausen)

• October 12, 2018 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: PS 72/432, AZ Pronto Mount): Nebula glow, divided in two parts at higher magnifications (see also Stoyan's image!), close to an oblique trapezium (Scutum, on top of Sagittarius) > obviously M 11
• October 14, 2018 (ditto: PS 72/432, AZ Pronto Mount): M 11 observed (found using the trapezium)
• November 1, 2018 (ditto: Skymax-127, TS binoculars): M 11 observed at 24 mm (more or less a nebula), 16 mm and 10 mm (here stars were visible, no longer a nebula); also observed with TS binoculars (found via the end of Aquila, verified with "trapezium" close to M 11; like a nebula with two close stars nearby)
• November 11, 2018 (ditto: Skymax-127, TS and LT binoculars): M 11 observed with 24 mm eyepiece (SM127), but also larger; up to 100 x with 100P; with 24 mm nice glow; at higher magnifications less glow, more resolved into stars; also seen with TS binoculars; with LT binoculars just, later no more...
• November 12-13, 11.2018 (ditto: Heritage 100P, TS binoculars): M 11 observed again

Observations August/September 2019 (Mühlhausen)

• August 30, 2019 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: Explorer 150PDS on GoTo mount): M 11 beautiful in various magnifications, from very small to about 100 x (7mm = 107x), and even higher (4mm = 187,5 x); at low magnification rather "like a nebula", at larger ones (100 - 200 x) many fine small stars and no nebula look anymore. "Wild duck" character not recognizable...
• September 3, 2019 (Explorer 150PDS on GoTo mount, Skymax-127 on AZ Pronto Mount): M 11 observed and compared in Explorer 150PDS and Skymax-127 at a magnification of 100 x, Explorer even more; Explorer 150PDS performed a little bit better, but Skymax-127 was also good.
• September 6, 2019 (StarTravel 120/600 on AZ Pronto Mount, PS 72/432 on photo tripod): Observed M 11 in both telescopes, with the ST120 up to a magnification of 150 x, and saw fine stars, but perhaps not as many as some days before (due to the moon).

Observations September/October 2019 (France)

• September 17, 2019 (Sumène, France: LT and TS binoculars): M 11 (Wild Duck Cluster) seen with nearby "trapezium".
• September 18, 2019 (Sumène, France: StarTravel 120/600 on AZ Pronto Mount): M 11 (24, 10, 4 mm) showed fine stars at 60 x and more.
• September 19, 2019 (Sumène, France: PS 72/432 on AZ Pronto Mount): M 11 (24, 7, 4 mm) again seen very beautifully
• September 20, 2019 (Sumène, France: StarTravel 120/600 on AZ Pronto Mount): M 11 found by chance...
• September 28, 2019 (Sumène, France: StarTravel 120/600 on AZ Pronto Mount): M 11 (24, 10, 7, 4 mm): Very nicely seen at all magnifications.
• September 30, 2019 (Sumène, France: StarTravel 120/600 on AZ Pronto Mount): M 11 (24, 10, 7, 4 mm) very nice as always

Observations October 2019 (Mühlhausen)

• October 13, 2019 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: StarTravel 120/600 on AZ Pronto Mount, PS 72/432 on photo tripod): Comparison of ST120 and PS72
  • M 11 with PS72 (7 mm eyepiece, appr. 62 x; Amici prism): Nebula-like shimmer faint and diffuse, small stars hardly to recognize (yes, but only with difficulty)
    M 11 with ST120: 3 small stars were seen easily, nebula-like shimmer was more distinct; according to Astrid, clear winner...
• October 14,2019 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: StarTravel 120/600 on GoTo mount, PS 72/432 and Skymax-127 on AZ Pronto Mount): Comparison of ST120, PS72, and Skymax-127
  • In the first test using M 11 (ST120 with 10 mm-Delos eyepiece (60 x) and 2"-to-1,25" Amici prism versus SM-127 with 24 mm eyepiece and 1,25" Amici prism), the ST120 was superior to the SM-127, the nebula was better visible, but also the sky background brighter. Opinions between Astrid and me diverged regarding the recognizability of the stars in M 11 (about 3...): Astrid found them better in the ST120, I rather in the SM127 (because of the darker background).
  • In the second test using M 11 (ST120 ditto, PS72 with 7 mm UWA eyepiece and 2" zenith mirror), the ST120 was even more superior to the PS72. The nebula was much better to see, but also the sky background was brighter. This time, the fine stars were better visible in the PS72 than the day before.
  • In the third test on M 11 (both telescopes with zenith mirror (2" and 1,25")), the SM-127 was clearly superior to the PS72. The nebula was better to recognize, as were the fine stars.
• October 16, 2019 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: StarTravel 120/600 on AZ Pronto Mount, Explorer 150PDS on GoTo mount): Comparison of ST120 and Explorer 150PDS
  • I compared the telescopes at a magnification of about 60 x: On the ST120 with 10 mm (60 x), on the Exp150 with 16 mm (47 x) and 24 mm/2x FE (62.5 x). With the latter, the picture appeared clearly larger than in the ST120, with the former probably clearly smaller...
    Altogether, I did many tests under varying conditions (at the end, with higher magnification). A decision was difficult for me, sometimes one telescope seemed better, sometimes the other... Astrid voted more clearly in favour of the Exp150. At the end of the day, this is to be expected from the larger aperture...
• October 31, 2019 (Erkerode: Skymax-127 on AZ Pronto Mount, LT binoculars ): M 11 (32, 24, 16, 10 mm) at low magnification nebula-like, two distinct stars; at high magnification large, fine stars; Astrid observed M 11 also with the LT binoculars.

Observations May to September 2020

• May 29, 2020 (Erkerode: eVscope): M 11 photographed in the new rectangular format without overlay
• May 31, 2020 (Erkerode: eVscope): M 11 photographed, poor conditions (n.o., r.f.)
• June 11, 2020 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: eVscope): M 11 photographed (n.o., r.f.)
• July 9, 2020 (Ulm: eVscope): M 11 photographed (n.o., r.f.)
• July 23, 2020 (Erkerode: TS binoculars): M 11 observed, identified using trapezium of stars; like a nebula in binoculars
• July 24, 2020 (Erkerode: TS binoculars): M 11 observed: Briefly saw it as a glow in binoculars, then clouds came and covered the sky...
• August 6, 2020 (Erkerode: TS and LT binoculars): M 11 observed
• August 7, 2020 (Erkerode: Skymax-127 on AZ Pronto Mount, TS and LT binoculars): M 11 observed
• August 8, 2020 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: eVscope): M 11 photographed (n.o., r.f.)
• August 22, 2020 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: eVscope): M 11 photographed (n.o., r.f.), fuzzy (not shown)
• August 23, 2020 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: eVscope): M 11 photographed (n.o., r.f.)
• August 27, 2020 ((Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: PS72 on AZ Pronto; TLAPO1027 on AZ4): M 11 a faint glow, a little larger in the APO >> the more than half moon was already to bright...
• September 7, 2020 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: eVscope): M 11 photographed (n.o., r.f.), disturbed
• September 30, 2020 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: eVscope): M 11 photographed (n.o., r.f.), slightly disturbed

Observations July to October 2021

• July 17, 2021 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: eVscope): M 11 photographed (n.o., r.f.), new image size and processing, poor collimation
• July 18, 2021 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: eVscope): M 11 photographed (n.o., r.f.), new image size and processing, poor collimation despite new collimation
• July 29, 2021 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: eVscope): M 11 photographed (n.o., r.f.), new image size and processing, poor collimation
• August 11, 2021 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: C5 on AZ-GTi mount, C8 on Star Discovery mount): M 11 observed; nice, but a completely different view than with cameras
• August 13, 2021 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: C5 on AZ Pronto mount): M 11 observed; nice, but a completely different view than with cameras; found via Albireo ff.
• August 14, 2021 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: C8 on Star Discovery mount): M 11 observed; very nice and large
• August 20, 2021 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: eVscope): M 11 photographed (n.o., r.f.), new image size and processing, better new collimation, served as test object for the collimation, partly clouds
• September 2, 2021 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: PS72 on AZ-GTi mount, ASI224): M 11 photographed
• September 4, 2021 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: TLAPO1027 on Star Discovery mount, ASI224 ): M 11 photographed
• September 8, 2021 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: eVscope): M 11 photographed (n.o., r.f.), new image size and processing
• October 7, 2021 (Erkerode: eVscope): M 11 photographed (n.o., r.f.), new image size and processing
• October 16, 2021 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: eVscope): M 11 photographed (n.o., r.f.), new image size and processing; more than half moon

Observations July to November 2022

• July 21, 2022 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: PS 72/432 on AZ-GTi): M 11 and many globular star clusters observed
• July 24, 2022 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: C5R on AZ-GTi): : M 11 and many globular star clusters observed
• July 31, 2022 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: Vespera): M 11 photographed
• August 22, 2022 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: eVscope2): M 11 photographed
• October 5, 2022 (Erkerode: Vespera): M 11 photographed
• November 10, 2022 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: Vespera): M 11 photographed as mosaic together with NGC 6712

Observations September/October 2023

• September 6, 2023 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: eVscope2): M 11 photographed
• October 10, 2023 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: eVscope2): M 11 photographed (v 2.5)

References

• Messier Catalogue - Messier 11: messier.seds.org/m/m011.html

On this Site

• Sky-Watcher Heritage 100P Information (4" Dobson)
• Sky-Watcher Heritage P130 Information (5" Dobson)
• Sky-Watcher Explorer 150PDS Information (6" Newton)
• Sky-Watcher Skymax-102 OTA Information (4" Maksutov-Cassegrain)
• Sky-Watcher Skymax-127 OTA Information (5" Maksutov-Cassegrain)
• Omegon Photography Scope 72/432 ED OTA Information (2.8" Refractor)
• Sky-Watcher StarTravel 120/600 OTA Information (4.7" Refractor, Borrowed)
• TS Optics Photoline 102/715 Information (4" Refractor)
• Celestron C5 OTA - Informationen (5" Schmidt-Cassegrain)
• Celestron C8 OTA - Informationen (8" Schmidt-Cassegrain)
• Unistellar eVscope Information
• Unistellar eVscope 2 - Information
• Vaonis Vespera - Information
• ZWO ASI224 Color Camera - Information
• Sky-Watcher AZ Pronto Mount Information
• Sky-Watcher AZ4 Mount Information
• Sky-Watcher Star Discovery AZ GoTo Mount Information
• Sky-Watcher AZ-GTi AZ GoTo Mount Information
• My Binoculars

Appendix: My Own Photos

ZWO ASI224

M 11 - Sep 2, 2021, PS 72/432, 60frames, 5sec, gain300, with IR/UV cut filter		M 11 - Sep 4, 2021, TLAPO1027, 60frames, 5sec, gain300		M 11 - Sep 4, 2021, TLAPO1027, 60frames, 5sec, gain300, processed

eVscope

M 11 - May 29, 2020		M 11 - May 29, 2020		M 11 - May 31, 2020, poor conditions
M 11 - May 29, 2020, photo on top processed		M 11 - May 29, 2020, photo on top processed		M 11 - May 31, 2020, photo on top processed
M 11 - Jun 11, 2020		M 11 - Jun 11, 2020, photo left processed		M 11 - Jun 11, 2020, photo left processed and sharpened
M 11 - Jul 9, 2020		M 11 - Aug 8, 2020		M 11 - Sep 7, 2020, disturbed
M 11 - Jul 9, 2020, photo on top processed		M 11 - Aug 8, 2020, photo on top processed		M 11 - Sep 7, 2020, photo on top processed
M 11 - Aug 23, 2020		M 11 - Aug 23, 2020, photo left processed		M 11 - Aug 23, 2020, photo left processed and sharpened
M 11 - Sep 30, 2020, slightly disturbed		M 11 - Sep 30, 2020, photo left processed		M 11 - Sep 30, 2020, photo left processed and sharpened
M 11 - Jul 17, 2021, collimated poorly		M 11 - Jul 17, 2021, photo left processed		M 11 - Jul 17, 2021, photo left processed and sharpened
M 11 - Jul 18, 2021, collimated poorly		M 11 - Jul 18, 2021, photo left processed		M 11 - Jul 18, 2021, photo left processed and sharpened
M 11 - Jul 29, 2021, collimated poorly		M 11 - Jul 29, 2021, photo left processed
Collimation Test (Aug 20, 2021)
M 11 - Jul 29, 2021, collimated poorly, for comparison (see also Aug 17 and 18, 2021)		M 11 - Aug 20, 2021, after collimation with clouds		M 11 - Aug 20, 2021, after collimation with less clouds
M 11 - Jul 29, 2021, photo on top processed		M 11 - Aug 20, 2021, photo on top processed		M 11 - Aug 20, 2021, photo on top processed
M 11 - Jul 29, 2021, photo on top processed and sharpened		M 11 - Aug 20, 2021, photo on top processed and sharpened		M 11 - Aug 20, 2021, photo on top processed and sharpened
M 11 - Sep 8, 2021		M 11 - Sep 8, 2021, photo left processed		M 11 - Sep 8, 2021, photo left processed and sharpened
M 11 - Oct 7, 10.2021		M 11 - Oct 7, 2021, photo left processed		M 11 - Oct 7, 2021, photo left processed and sharpened
M 11 - Oct 16, 10.2021		M 11 - Oct 16, 2021, photo left processed

eVscope 2

M 11 - Aug 22, 2022		M 11 - Aug 22, 2022, photo left processed		M 11 - Sep 6, 2023, 2 min
M 11 - Oct 10, 2023, 2 min

Vespera

M 11, Jul 31, 2022- original (5 frames = 50 seconds; before autofocus update)
M 11, Jul 31, 2022 - original (18 frames = 180 seconds; after autofocus update)
M 11, Oct 5, 2022 - original (30 frames = 300 seconds)		M 11 with NGC 6712 (bottom), Nov 10, 2022 - original, mosaic (194 frames = 1940 seconds) - evaluation