M13 - The Hercules Globular Cluster
First Attempt..
First Attempt..
| Object Name | Globular Cluster M13 (NGC 6205) | ||
| Constellation | Hercules | ||
| Right Ascension | 3:18 (h:m) | ||
| Declination | +36 : 28 (deg:m) | ||
| Distance | 25.1 (kly) | ||
| Visual Brightness | 5.8 (mag) | ||
| Apparent Dimension | 20.0 (arc min) |
Image Details: 39 Stacked Frame, total 10 minutes, mixture of ISO 400,800 and 1600
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Well, this is my first ever astro-photography achievement, its actually the first deep sky object i target.
I had to select a target my self that would yield encouraging results that would push me forward with less frustration. Generally Globular clusters makes good target.
I didn't see the M13 in the telescope, i only had to perfectly align the telescope coordinates and circle and hope i was in the correct place, the first image yielded that am at the right inch. Centered the object and started the series of shots.
Messier 13 (M13, NGC 6205), also called the 'Great globular cluster in Hercules', is one of the most prominent and best known globulars of the Northern celestial hemisphere.
It was discovered by Edmond Halley in 1714, who noted that 'it shows itself to the naked eye when the sky is serene and the Moon absent.
At its distance of 25,100 light years, its angular diameter of 20' corresponds to a linear 145 light years - visually, it is perhaps 13' large. It contains several 100,000 stars; possibly a million. Towards its center, stars are about 500 times more concentrated than in the solar neighborhood. The age of M13 has been determined by Sandage as 24 billion years!!
Observers note 4 apparently star-poor regions in M13 (e.g., Mallas). Suggestions of them can be noted in some photos.
Globular cluster M13 was selected in 1974 as target for one of the first radio messages addressed to possible extra-terrestrial intelligent races, and sent by the big radio telescope of the Arecibo Observatory.
Nearby, about 40 arc minutes north-east of M13, is the faint (mag 11) galaxy NGC 6207, This galaxy has recently produced a type II supernova (SN 2004A)!!
I hope i can give it couple of other shots to refine the quality, since this is the first attempt.
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