The Great Globular Cluster in Hercules

The Great Globular Cluster in Hercules - an ideal target when there are only a few hours of darkness and a bright full Moon to contend with. M13, as it's usually known, is a well-known object and I've imaged it several times before but not for a long time and not with the current set-up. I think it looks better than previous attempts even though the object appears smaller due to the shorter focal length.

 

Messier 13 (M13) or NGC 6205 is a globular cluster located 22,200 light years away in the constellation Hercules. It contains about 300,000 stars and it's mass is estimated to be about half a million solar masses with a diameter of 145 light years. M13 is estimated to be 11.65 billion years old.

 

The small object above M13, near the top of the image, is NGC 6207, a spiral galaxy about 30 million light years away from Earth. For those with sharp eyes there is another galaxy between NGC 6207 and M13, IC 4617. This object is estimated to be approximately 489 million light years away.

 

Information from:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messier_13

www.messier-objects.com/messier-13-hercules-globular-clus...

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC_6207

www.ptobservatory.com/far-farther-farthest-farthest-er/

 

020 x 180 second exposures at Unity Gain (139) cooled to -20°C

054 x dark frames

030 x flat frames

100 x bias/offset frames

Total integration time = 1 hour

 

Captured with APT

Guided with PHD2

Processed in Nebulosity, Fitsworks, and Photoshop

Astrometry information from www.astromerty.net

 

Equipment

Telescope: Sky-Watcher Explorer-150PDS

Mount: Skywatcher EQ5

Guide Scope: Orion 50mm Mini

Guiding Camera: ZWO ASI120MC

Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI1600MC Pro

Baader Mark-III MPCC Coma Corrector

Light pollution filter

Done