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Credit & Copyright: Thomas V. Davis
(tvdavisastropix.com)
Explanation:
In 1714,
Edmond Halley
noted that M13 "shows itself to the
naked eye when the sky is serene and the Moon absent."
Of course, M13
is now modestly recognized as
the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules,
one of the brightest
globular
star clusters in the northern sky.
Telescopic views 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,
but
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.
Along with the cluster's dense core, the outer reaches of M13
are highlighted in
this
deep color image.
A distant background galaxy,
NGC 6207
is also visible above and
to the right of the Great Globular Cluster
M13.
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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: globular cluster - M 13
Publications with words: globular cluster - M 13
See also:
- APOD: 2025 December 28 Á NGC 1898: Globular Cluster in the Large Magellanic Cloud
- APOD: 2025 November 26 Á Globular Cluster M15 Deep Field
- APOD: 2025 September 5 Á 47 Tucanae: Globular Star Cluster
- APOD: 2025 August 14 Á M13: The Great Globular Cluster in Hercules
- APOD: 2025 July 26 Á Globular Cluster Omega Centauri
- NGC6366 vs 47 Ophiuchi
- Messier 2