Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Canes Venatici (CVn)  ·  Contains:  M 3  ·  NGC 5272
M3, Menlo Astronomy
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M3

M3, Menlo Astronomy
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M3

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Description

Globular cluster M3 taken by Caroline Baccus. The Globular cluster M3 is in the constellation Canes Venatici and is one of the largest and brightest globular clusters in the sky. It comprises around 500,000 stars and is estimated to be about 33 thousand light-years away. M3 is a particularly interesting cluster, as it is located  38,800 light-years above the galactic plane of the Milky Way Galaxy. Unlike other globular clusters, M3 is thought to have an unusual amount of heavy elements, unlike most Globular Clusters which are usually very poor in elements other than Hydrogen and Helium. It also contains more variable stars (stars whose brightnesses fluctuate over time) than any other cluster.  Photographing M3 is relatively easy, as it is large, bright and does not require more than a 1-sec exposure to see.

Click here to learn more about M3 and its discovery.

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M3, Menlo Astronomy