Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Canes Venatici (CVn)  ·  Contains:  M 3  ·  NGC 5272
Messier 3 Globular Cluster, Richard Pattie
Messier 3 Globular Cluster
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Messier 3 Globular Cluster

Messier 3 Globular Cluster, Richard Pattie
Messier 3 Globular Cluster
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Messier 3 Globular Cluster

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Messier 3 is a globular cluster of stars in the northern constellation of Canes Venatici. It was discovered by Charles Messier on May 3, 1764, and resolved into stars by William Herschel around 1784. Since then, it has become one of the best-studied globular clusters. Messier 3 is located 31,600 light years above the Galactic plane. This cluster is one of the largest and brightest, and is made up of around 500,000 stars. It is estimated to be 8 billion years old. It is located at a distance of about 33,900 light years away from Earth, with a diameter of 177 light years.

A globular cluster is a spherical collection of stars that orbits a galactic core as a satellite. Globular clusters are very tightly bound by gravity, which gives them their spherical shapes and relatively high stellar densities toward their centers. Globular clusters are fairly common; there are about 155 currently known globular clusters in the Milky Way. [Source: Wikipedia]

Original: lum only

Version E: LRGB

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    Messier 3 Globular Cluster, Richard Pattie
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Messier 3 Globular Cluster, Richard Pattie