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Credit & Copyright: Eric Coles and
Mel Helm
Explanation:
In
1716, English astronomer
Edmond Halley noted,
"This is but a little Patch, but it shews itself to the naked Eye, when
the Sky is serene and the Moon absent."
Of course, M13
is now less modestly recognized as the Great Globular Cluster in
Hercules, one of the brightest
globular
star clusters in the northern sky.
Sharp telescopic views like this one
reveal
the spectacular cluster's hundreds of thousands of stars.
At a distance of 25,000 light-years, the
cluster stars
crowd into a region 150 light-years in diameter.
Approaching the cluster core
upwards of 100 stars could be contained
in a cube just 3 light-years on a side.
For comparison, the
closest star to the Sun is over
4 light-years away.
The remarkable range of brightness recorded in this image
follows stars into the dense cluster core and reveals three
subtle dark lanes forming the apparent shape of a propeller
just below and slightly left of center.
Distant background galaxies in the medium-wide field of view
include NGC 6207 at the upper left.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: M 13 - globular cluster
Publications with words: M 13 - globular cluster
See also: