Messier 13 - Hercules Globular Cluster

Messier 13 globular cluster

  • The Hercules Globular Cluster is found in the Hercules constellation. It is one of the most brilliant clusters visible from the northern hemisphere, containing upwards of 100,000 stars!
    Globular clusters such as this one have provided us with a better understanding of stellar evolution, yet they are still rather mysterious to astronomers as they are located in what is called a Globular Cluster Halo that surrounds galaxies.

    This image is officially the first light with the Celestron edge 8HD telescope and is the result of relatively little data. Fortunately enough, star clusters don’t require much integration time to produce a nice image, making them great first-light targets.

    • Luminance: 24 x 60sec (0.4h)

    • Red: 30 x 60sec (0.5h)

    • Green: 29 x 60sec (0.48h)

    • Blue: 25 x 60sec (0.42h)

    TOTAL: 1.8h

  • 120 gain, 30 offset, -15°C, 2x2 bin

    • Imaging cam - ZWO asi294mm pro

    • Filters - Baader LRGB filters

    • Guiding cam - ZWO asi290mm mini

    • Imaging scope - Celestron EDGE 8HD

    • Focal Reducer - Celestron 0.7x reducer for edge 8HD

    • Guidescope - Celestron OAG

    • Mount - Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro

    • ASIAIR Plus

    • Stacked and processed in Pixinsight and Photoshop

  • The Laurentians, Canada (Bortle ~4)

  • June 29th, 2022