Generalities: it is a small southern  constellation  situated next to  the celestial equator, deprived of  bright stars, but famous for the presence of a beautiful open cluster. The Shield transits at midnight in July.

Origins and mythology: it was introduced  in modern times by Hevelius, in 1683, who devoted it to the Polish king  John III Sobieski, who had defeated the Saracens stopping the Turkish advance  in Europe. For this reason  the constellation is sometimes called  "Sobieski’s Shield":

Stars: it shows only a star under  magnitude 4. It is  alpha, of orange color, with magnitude equal to 3.85 and 180 light-years far.

Other objects: in the Shield  one of the most suggestive open clusters of the sky is found, M11. This heap  is called also “Wild Duck” for the form it recalls. In this constellation another  interesting open cluster is present, M26.

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