Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Hercules (Her)  ·  Contains:  Hercules Globular Cluster  ·  M 13  ·  NGC 6205  ·  NGC 6207
M13, Sabine Gloaguen
M13
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M13, Sabine Gloaguen
M13
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Description

With more than 500,000 stars, the M13 cluster or Hercules cluster is the largest observable globular cluster in the Northern Hemisphere.

Its age, estimated at 12 to 14 billion years, makes it one of the oldest deep-sky objects.

Another singularity is visible near its center, bottom left: three subtle dark lanes forming the apparent shape of a propeller.

Last particularity: this object was chosen for target in 1974 by the radiotelescope of Arecibo (Puerto Rico) for sending a message to extra-terrestrial populations within the framework of the SETI program. The message contained information like numbers, the atomic number of hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and phosphorus, data about DNA, the shape and size of a human, Earth's population, and the Earth's position in the solar system. The cluster being located at ~ 22,200 light years, we will not receive an answer for nearly 45,000 years ...

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M13, Sabine Gloaguen