24 replies to this topic

[Whiteduckwagglinginspace]

Everybody knows M24: The Small Sagittarius Star Cloud.

Further north, we find the Scutum Star Cloud (at the hight of M11)

...But between these two star clouds there would be another star cloud, according to stellarium: Patchy Unnamed Cloud

I only found very little information about it....can someone here tell a bit more about this? 

 

[oldphotonm]

Approximate RA/DEC?

[FiddleHead Galaxy]

Are you referring to the region surrounding Gamma Scuti? I haven't really seen much on it either. Likely because its somewhat obscured by dust, and just so happens to be right next to multiple showpiece objects. I was looking around the region with my 15x70 binos not too long ago, and I couldn't identify a large star cloud. I'll have to give it a shot with my scope soon.

[JOEinCO]

Everybody knows M24....Further north, we find M11....between these two star clouds there would be another star cloud

 

Approximate RA/DEC?

 

Yeah... We need some more guidance.  There's a lot between M24 and M11.   

[Fabricius]

Approximate RA/DEC?

According to Stellarium: (J2000.0) 18h33m01.4 -14:19:58.3, i.e. close to Gamma Scuti.

 

I think this is a crowded region of the Milky Way, less obscured by dark nebulae than surrounding regions.

[Don W]

You found it, you get to name it!

[Dave Mitsky]

Here's a screen shot of that region from Stellarium.

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[Whiteduckwagglinginspace]

You can see it left of the Eagle Nebula. 

[Whiteduckwagglinginspace]

You found it, you get to name it!

The White Duck Star Cluster

[Whiteduckwagglinginspace]

Are you referring to the region surrounding Gamma Scuti? 

Yes indeed!

[JOEinCO]

The White Duck Star Cluster

 

Not the Waggling Duck Cluster?  

[Whiteduckwagglinginspace]

Not the Waggling Duck Cluster?  

That's even better.

[scottinash]

Great post!   You sparked my curiosity and I found that Aladin provides a spectacular view of the area.

 

https://simbad.cds.u...ent=Gamma Scuti

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Edited by scottinash, 17 June 2025 - 09:02 PM.

[scottinash]

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[oldphotonm]

According to Stellarium: (J2000.0) 18h33m01.4 -14:19:58.3, i.e. close to Gamma Scuti.

 

I think this is a crowded region of the Milky Way, less obscured by dark nebulae than surrounding regions.

 

I think @Fabricius has explained it as there are numerous darker, obscuring dust clouds in the area plus the roundish one just north of those coords.

To me, the area centered on those coords in Aladin sure looks like a brighter spray of many many stars:

(My Aladin reticle is almost at those coords, note the field size: a skosh more than a full moon diameter.

 

[Whiteduckwagglinginspace]

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So, this means that it is an area to search for - curious how it will look like in real life. Unfortunately, it is too light over here now (summer in Norway and only seeing the Moon.)

For the people who can see this object and searching for it: please let us know if this is worth looking up!

@Stellarium: Waggling Duck Star Cloud sounds way better than Patchy Unnamed Cloud. (Should be a Duck-area together with M11)

Edited by Whiteduckwagglinginspace, 19 June 2025 - 02:34 AM.

[Dave Mitsky]

Not the Waggling Duck Cluster?  

Cluster will have to be changed to Star Cloud. 

[JoeFaz]

I tried to look for this last night with 10x56 binoculars and had no luck. The Scutum Star Cloud was pretty easy to see, so this is, at minimum, notably harder to make out than that. South is not my darkest section of sky --- SQM-L in the range of 20-20.1 the two times of the night I tried.

[Whiteduckwagglinginspace]

Thank you for telling this! Now we know that the Scutum Star Cloud is significantly brighter. We will need dark skies to see this 'new' star cloud.  

[BrentKnight]

 

Very interesting field.  Nearby B 312 has the popular name The Gorilla Nebula.

 

There appear to be 2 brighter parts to the star cloud.  One just south of LDN 389 and another just north of an unnamed dark nebula (I don't know why Lynds didn't pick this one up as it's pretty apparent).

 

AstroBin has a couple images from this general area though many of them miss the area we are looking at.  The deeper images show lots of obscuring material all around here, and the Aladin image above shows significant reddening.

 

From the way these two patches of stars appear in relation to the LDN objects, I would guess they were nearer to us than the dark nebulae.  Stars that appear related to the patches seem to cross over in front of the dark nebula bits.

[JoeFaz]

I suspect that in addition to being a little brighter, the Scutum SC also has more dark contrasty "borders" which make it easier to pick out. This area is probably bright enough for me to see in my skies, but lacks enough contrasting borders to make it as easy (kind of like how Mexico and Florida are easier to detect in the NA Neb compared to the other edges --- it contrasts with the surrounding sky better).

[Whiteduckwagglinginspace]

 

Very interesting field.  Nearby B 312 has the popular name The Gorilla Nebula.

 

There appear to be 2 brighter parts to the star cloud.  One just south of LDN 389 and another just north of an unnamed dark nebula (I don't know why Lynds didn't pick this one up as it's pretty apparent).

 

AstroBin has a couple images from this general area though many of them miss the area we are looking at.  The deeper images show lots of obscuring material all around here, and the Aladin image above shows significant reddening.

 

From the way these two patches of stars appear in relation to the LDN objects, I would guess they were nearer to us than the dark nebulae.  Stars that appear related to the patches seem to cross over in front of the dark nebula bits.

Very interesting! Thank you for sharing!

[scottinash]

Very nice chart overlay, Brent.

 

I found that the Triatlas contains details of the area as well. However, I’m not familiar with some of these catalog designations beyond LDN.  

 

EDIT to correct- the attached chart is Triatlas, not MSA. 
 

 

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Edited by scottinash, 19 June 2025 - 08:16 PM.

[Nightfly]

For years now, I've simply called it the Southern Scutum Star Cloud.  

 

A few images of this region taken in 2014 using Acros film and the 400mm on the Pentax 67

 

 

It's a beautiful area, especially in large binoculars.  It pairs beautifully with Barnard 312 under dark skies in my large BT100 binos.  

 

 

Cropped from image above

 

Barnard 312 makes this jewel of a star cloud stand out in photography as well as visually under dark skies.

 

I believe Brian Ventrudo named it the Gamma Scuti Star Cloud in his excellent article in August 2024 Sky & Telescope. 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Nightfly, 19 June 2025 - 08:47 PM.

[Whiteduckwagglinginspace]

 

For years now, I've simply called it the Southern Scutum Star Cloud.  

 

A few images of this region taken in 2014 using Acros film and the 400mm on the Pentax 67

 

 

 

It's a beautiful area, especially in large binoculars.  It pairs beautifully with Barnard 312 under dark skies in my large BT100 binos.  

 

 

 

Cropped from image above

 

Barnard 312 makes this jewel of a star cloud stand out in photography as well as visually under dark skies.

 

I believe Brian Ventrudo named it the Gamma Scuti Star Cloud in his excellent article in August 2024 Sky & Telescope. 

 

 

 

 

That's great!! You really saw it and even took pictures of it! Very happy with that!