M13 - Globular Cluster
M13 is about 145 light-years in diameter, and it is composed of several hundred thousand stars, the brightest of which is a red giant, the variable star V11, with an apparent visual magnitude of 11.95. M13 is about 22,200 light-years away from Earth. With an apparent magnitude of 5.8, it is barely visible with the naked eye on clear nights. Its diameter is about 23 arc minutes and it is readily viewable in small telescopes.
It wasn't until 1779 that the single stars in this globular cluster were resolved. Compared to the stars in the neighborhood of the Sun, the stars in M13's stellar population are more than a hundred times denser. They are so densely packed together that they sometimes collide and produce new stars. The newly-formed, young stars, so-called "blue stragglers," are particularly interesting to astronomers.
The Arecibo message of 1974, which contained encoded information about the human race, DNA, atomic numbers, Earth's position and other information, was beamed from the Arecibo Observatory radio telescope towards M13 as an experiment in contacting potential extraterrestrial civilizations in the cluster. The cluster will move through space during the transit time; opinions differ as to whether or not the cluster will be in a position to receive the message by the time it arrives.
Imaging telescopes or lenses: Takahashi FSQ130ED
Imaging cameras: QSI 6120i
Mounts: Takahashi EM 400 Temma 2M
Guiding telescopes or lenses: Takahashi FS60CB
Guiding cameras: QHY CCD QHY 5 II
Focal Extender / Reducer: None
Software: Sequence Generator Pro SGP (for capture) PHD 2 (guiding), Astro Pixel Processor & PixInsight,
Filters: Astrodon RGB
Accessories: Robofocus Focuser, ATIK EFW3
Original Resolution: 4250 x 2838
Dates: 12th & 13th Apr 2019
Frames:
Astrodon L 51 x 1'
Astrodon R 24 x 5' + 30 x 1'
Astrodon G 24 x 5' + 30 x 1'
Astrodon B 24 x 5' + 30 x 1'
Total integration = 8.35 hours.
Center (RA, Dec):(250.472, 36.603)
Center (RA, hms):16h 41m 53.180s
Center (Dec, dms):+36° 36' 09.074"
Size:69.9 x 46.7 arcmin
Radius:0.700 deg
Pixel scale:0.986 arcsec/pixel
Orientation:Up is 89.3 degrees E of N
It wasn't until 1779 that the single stars in this globular cluster were resolved. Compared to the stars in the neighborhood of the Sun, the stars in M13's stellar population are more than a hundred times denser. They are so densely packed together that they sometimes collide and produce new stars. The newly-formed, young stars, so-called "blue stragglers," are particularly interesting to astronomers.
The Arecibo message of 1974, which contained encoded information about the human race, DNA, atomic numbers, Earth's position and other information, was beamed from the Arecibo Observatory radio telescope towards M13 as an experiment in contacting potential extraterrestrial civilizations in the cluster. The cluster will move through space during the transit time; opinions differ as to whether or not the cluster will be in a position to receive the message by the time it arrives.
Imaging telescopes or lenses: Takahashi FSQ130ED
Imaging cameras: QSI 6120i
Mounts: Takahashi EM 400 Temma 2M
Guiding telescopes or lenses: Takahashi FS60CB
Guiding cameras: QHY CCD QHY 5 II
Focal Extender / Reducer: None
Software: Sequence Generator Pro SGP (for capture) PHD 2 (guiding), Astro Pixel Processor & PixInsight,
Filters: Astrodon RGB
Accessories: Robofocus Focuser, ATIK EFW3
Original Resolution: 4250 x 2838
Dates: 12th & 13th Apr 2019
Frames:
Astrodon L 51 x 1'
Astrodon R 24 x 5' + 30 x 1'
Astrodon G 24 x 5' + 30 x 1'
Astrodon B 24 x 5' + 30 x 1'
Total integration = 8.35 hours.
Center (RA, Dec):(250.472, 36.603)
Center (RA, hms):16h 41m 53.180s
Center (Dec, dms):+36° 36' 09.074"
Size:69.9 x 46.7 arcmin
Radius:0.700 deg
Pixel scale:0.986 arcsec/pixel
Orientation:Up is 89.3 degrees E of N
Sky Map
Annotated Image - click on image for full resolution.
