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M3-Globular Cluster in Canes Venatici
M3 (also NGC5272) is one of the most spectacular globular star clusters of our own Milky Way...Containing about a half-million stars in a cotton-ball shape roughly 750 light years in diameter, M3 orbits the Milky Way's center halo high above the galactic plane. At a dark sky location, it is visible to the naked eye.
Like most globulars, it is very old and as you can see, contains a large amount of old red stars. Also clearly visible though, and unlike many globular clusters, M3 has an unusually large number of blue stars. These blue stars, called "Blue Stragglers" are now believed to have formed when their outer and cooler layers were stripped away by gravitational interactions when they pass through the star dense middle region of the cluster.
Here is a very high resolution of the same image: flic.kr/p/2nmy3pf
M3-Globular Cluster in Canes Venatici
M3 (also NGC5272) is one of the most spectacular globular star clusters of our own Milky Way...Containing about a half-million stars in a cotton-ball shape roughly 750 light years in diameter, M3 orbits the Milky Way's center halo high above the galactic plane. At a dark sky location, it is visible to the naked eye.
Like most globulars, it is very old and as you can see, contains a large amount of old red stars. Also clearly visible though, and unlike many globular clusters, M3 has an unusually large number of blue stars. These blue stars, called "Blue Stragglers" are now believed to have formed when their outer and cooler layers were stripped away by gravitational interactions when they pass through the star dense middle region of the cluster.
Here is a very high resolution of the same image: flic.kr/p/2nmy3pf