Scutum constellation
Latin Scutum, genitive Scuti, abbreviation Sct
North up, east to the left, as you see the sky. The lines are a common figure; the stars are from the catalogue.
The myth
Johannes Hevelius created it in 1684 in honour of the Polish king John III Sobieski, who had relieved Vienna the year before: his shield. Small, in a bright stretch of the Milky Way.
When can Scutum be seen?
It stands highest around 10 pm in July. It can be seen from everywhere south of 71°N, and it never sets south of 85°S.
The brightest stars
| Star | Designation | Magnitude | Colour |
|---|---|---|---|
| – | α Sct | 3.85 | orange |
| – | β Sct | 4.22 | orange |
| – | ζ Sct | 4.68 | yellow |
| – | γ Sct | 4.70 | white |
| – | δ Sct | 4.72 | yellowish white |
| – | η Sct | 4.83 | orange |
| – | ε Sct | 4.90 | orange |
The smaller the number, the brighter: below 1 are the brightest stars of the sky, 4 is hard to see under a city sky. Greek letters after Johann Bayer (1603).