BEAUTY: 
BRAGGING RIGHTS: A beautiful sight
HOW EASY IS IT TO SEE? Best with a small telescope
BEST TIME TO SEE IT: Summer (in Scutum)
TYPE: Open Cluster DISCOVERED: 1681 by Gottfried Kirch
Small but rich. Messier 11 is only about 13 arcminutes across—less than half the width of the full moon—yet it packs hundreds of stars. Under dark skies you may be able to see this cluster with the naked eye as a faint fuzzy blob. Look halfway between Alpha Scuti and Lambda Aquilae. With binoculars the blob resolves into scores of faint stars.
Use moderate power. A telescope resolves more stars. Can you see a V shape in the stars? This cluster is sometimes called the “Wild Duck Cluster” because of this birdlike shape. Use moderate power (50× or so) to resolve the stars at the center of the cluster. Messier 11 is in a rich and bright part of the Milky Way. Sweep around and get lost in this sea of stars. Under very dark skies, you might be able to see various nebulae.
