Star Lore Of All Ages/The Minor Constellations/Scutum Sobiescanum

by William Tyler Olcott

Scutum Sobiescanum
Sobieski's Shield

Hevelius was the first to introduce this figure, which appeared in his star chart of 1690. It is situated in the Milky Way, west of Aquila, between the tail of the Serpent and the head of Sagittarius.

The figure is that of the Coat of Arms of the third John Sobieski, King of Poland, a distinguished warrior.

The group is generally styled "Scutum," and, according to Heis, contains eleven stars, none brighter than the fourth magnitude.

In China these stars comprise an ancient figure known as "the Heavenly Casque."

There are several fine clusters in this region, and it is said that within the boundaries of Scutum, in a space five degrees square, Sir Wm. Herschel estimated that there were 331,000 stars.