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M3 - a dog's dinner, Tom Gray

M3 - a dog's dinner

Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
M3 - a dog's dinner, Tom Gray

M3 - a dog's dinner

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I was reluctant to post this 'dog's dinner', but as is my way, I use Astrobin as a record of most of my mistakes, as well as my achievements. Certainly not my best, nor the worst - I'd encourage you to have a look at Scott's @wsg image from the same moonlit night - a much better representation of this venerable 'old dog'.

Charles Messier's first, discounted object, was resolved by William Herschel in 1784. It is very much older at ~8-11 billion years, and lies 38,000 LY away. It is made up of many ageing golden stars, as well as variable stars and, in Hubble images, 'blue stragglers'. The former are well represented in my image, but not much else is discernible.

Fortunately this object is visible throughout the spring and early summer, so plenty of opportunity to teach an old dog new tricks!

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