Constellations of the Month: Scutum (the Shield) and Serpens Cauda (the Serpent's Tail)

 

Before August ends, I'd better get in another "constellation of the month".  I'm running out of the more prominent northern ones...this time I decided to combine two of them, although technically Serpens Cauda is only half a constellation.  Serpens Cauda, representing a serpent's tail, along with its counterpart Serpens Caput (the head), sandwich the large July constellation Ophiuchus, which plays the role of serpent handler.  But I'd rather group "Cauda" with a neighboring constellation, namely neighboring Scutum, and discuss the snake's other half next June (if I'm still doing this blog feature, that is).  Neither Serpens Cauda nor Scutum are distinguished by any bright stars, although the latter does contain two deep-sky Messier objects, M11 and M26...both open star clusters.  This relatively dim sector of the sky, however, does have two prominent constellations bordering it: Sagittarius to the south and Aquila to the east.  On a clear night, making out the above connected patterns of Serpens Cauda and Scutum should serve as a good vision test...maybe I'll do so myself if these damned tropical storms will just leave me alone.