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Wild Duck Cluster

Salt and Pepper Cluster, M11, NGC 6705

Proper NamesWild Duck Cluster, Salt and Pepper Cluster
Messier NumberM11
NGC/IC Number6705
ConstellationScutum
Right Ascension18h 51m 5s
Declination-6° 16' 12"
Distancec.6,100 light years
c.1,900 parsecs
MagnitudeApparent: +5.8
Absolute: -5.6
DiameterApparent: 32'
Actual: 57 light years
Number of Starsc. 1,400
Optimum VisibilityJuly
NotesOne of the richest and most populous open star clusters, the Wild Duck Cluster contains more than a thousand stars within a region less than a hundred light years across. These stars, then, are densely packed together, especially in the core region at the centre of the cluster.

A rich open cluster some six thousand light years further inward across the Galactic disc than our own Solar System. It contains about 1,400 stars, and lies in the constellation of Scutum, the Shield.

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