Messier 3 (Darius Kopriva)

Messier 3

Messier 3 (M3 also NGC 5272) is a globular cluster of stars in the northern constellation of Canes Venatici.

A globular cluster is a spheroidal conglomeration of stars. Globular clusters are bound together by gravity, with a higher concentration of stars towards their centers. They can contain anywhere from tens of thousands to many millions of member stars. Their name is derived from Latin globulus (small sphere). Globular clusters are occasionally known simply as "globulars".

M3 was discovered on May 3, 1764, and was the first Messier object to be discovered by Charles Messier himself. Messier originally mistook the object for a nebula without stars. This mistake was corrected after the stars were resolved by William Herschel around 1784. Since then, it has become one of the best-studied globular clusters. Identification of the cluster's unusually large variable star population was begun in 1913 by American astronomer Solon Irving Bailey and new variable members continue to be identified up through 2004.

Many amateur astronomers consider it one of the finest northern globular clusters, following only Messier 13. M3 has an apparent magnitude of 6.2, making it a difficult naked eye target even with dark conditions with averted vision. However, with a moderate-sized telescope, the cluster can be seen as a cloudy smudge even in severely light-polluted skies, and can be further defined in darker conditions. It can be found by looking almost exactly halfway along the north-west line that would join Arcturus (α Boötis) to Cor Caroli (α Canum Venaticorum). Using a telescope with a 25 cm (9.8 in) aperture, the cluster has a bright core with a diameter of about 6 arcminutes and spans a total of double that.

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Status	Advanced success
Started	...
Astrometry.net job	6178597
PixInsight job	G41GOOO74ZOUJZJOIPNBZOWTCQWOKBJC
PixInsight queue size	n/a
PixInsight stage	TASK_LOG

RA (center)	13h42m02s.12
RA (top/left)	13h32m45s.17
RA (top/right)	13h50m29s.31
RA (bottom/right)	13h51m32s.60
RA (bottom/left)	13h33m22s.36

Dec (center)	+28°22′59″.3
Dec (top/left)	+27°11′31″.6
Dec (top/right)	+26°55′10″.0
Dec (bottom/right)	+29°32′02″.1
Dec (bottom/left)	+29°48′45″.3

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