Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Hercules (Her)  ·  Contains:  Hercules Globular Cluster  ·  IC 4617  ·  M 13  ·  NGC 6205
M13 - The Hercules Cluster, KTAZ
M13 - The Hercules Cluster
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M13 - The Hercules Cluster

M13 - The Hercules Cluster, KTAZ
M13 - The Hercules Cluster
Powered byPixInsight

M13 - The Hercules Cluster

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Description

Over 100,000 stars whirl within the globular cluster M13. Located 25,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Hercules, it is one of the brightest star clusters visible from the Northern Hemisphere.

Globular clusters are tightly packed, symmetrical collections of stars, orbiting mostly in the extended star halos surrounding most spiral galaxies. They contain some of the oldest stars in a galaxy and are thought to have formed early in its history; that is why they tend to contain many red giants and few newer blue stars. These stars are so crowded that they can, at times, run into each other and even form a new star.

If you look closely, you may be able to see the famous "propeller," a Y-shaped feature made of three narrow, dark lanes at 120° angles to one another. It is barely visible at around the 5 o'clock position. You may also be able to pick out some of those young, blue stars.

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M13 - The Hercules Cluster, KTAZ