"The Shield"
History: Scutum
is a modern constellation, unusual for the Northern Hemisphere sky.
It is a very dim constellation, and some consider it to merely be an extension
of the constellation Sagittarius.
Scutum was first described by the Polish Astronomer Johannes Helvelius
in 1684 (Helvelius also drew the first detailed maps of the Moon) and gave
the constellation the full name Scutum Sobiescianum, which means "the shield
of Sobieski." Helvelius did this to honor King John Sobieski III,
the King of Poland, and his defeat of the Turks in 1683.
Other Interesting Sights: Although Scutum is an inconspicuous constellation, within its boundaries is M11, also called the Wild Duck Cluster (no kidding!) -- a typical open cluster of stars.
M11 -- the Wild Duck Cluster.