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M13 - Great Globular Cluster in Hercules
At a distance of around 25,000 light years, M13 is a globular cluster comprising of more than 100,000 stars. The "Great Globular Cluster in Hercules", as it is often referred to, was discovered by Edmond Halley in 1714. Funnily, when Messier catalogued it in 1764 he described it as a "nebula containing no stars".

The stars within M13 are quite old, around 14 billion years. However, there is a peculiar young blue star contained within the cluster, seen here just above-right of its centre - which is strange for such an old star formation and apparently is a field star captured by M13's gravity.

Click on the image to open a high resolution version.

Solar Worlds - M13 Globular Cluster in Hercules
 

This snapshot of M13 is my "first light" image with the Canon EOS 350D DSLR camera.
 

(c) 2008 Solar Worlds - All rights reserved. Last updated 30 September 2008. ìTell a friend