Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Hercules (Her)  ·  Contains:  Hercules Globular Cluster  ·  IC 4617  ·  M 13  ·  NGC 6205  ·  NGC 6207
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Messier 13 - Hercules Globular Cluster, Michel Makhlouta
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Messier 13 - Hercules Globular Cluster

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Messier 13 - Hercules Globular Cluster, Michel Makhlouta
Powered byPixInsight

Messier 13 - Hercules Globular Cluster

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Description

Messier 13, called the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules or the Hercules Globular Cluster, is a globular cluster of several hundred thousand stars in the constellation of Hercules.

About 145 light-years in diameter, M13 is composed of several hundred thousand stars and it is 22,200–25,000 light-years away from Earth. It is estimated to be over 11 billion years old.

Compared to the stars in the neighborhood of the Sun, the stars of the M13 population are more than a hundred times denser. They are so densely packed together that they sometimes collide and produce new stars. The newly formed, young stars, are sometimes called "blue stragglers".

The 1974 Arecibo message, which contained encoded information about the human race, DNA, atomic numbers, Earth's position and other information, was beamed from the Arecibo Observatory radio telescope towards M13 as an experiment in contacting potential extraterrestrial civilizations in the cluster. (Source: Wikipedia)

I've taken the data from my balcony, while waiting for the main target to rise above a certain altitude. This time of year is when my balcony chooses the target, without any say from my side. M92 was its choice last year and here is M13. Yes, I live by the grace of my balcony's wisdom.

Clear skies!

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Messier 13 - Hercules Globular Cluster, Michel Makhlouta