Globular Clusters: Hunter Wilson

M2 in Aquarius

hewholooks@gmail.com (Hunter Wilson) — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

]]>SBIG ST-4000XCM
6x600sec
Darks/Flats/Bias Applied
Imager Temp -20C
APM/TMB 130/780
Field Flattener
40% Crop

M2 (NGC 7089) is about 37,500 light-years away from Earth. At 175 light-years in diameter, it is one of the larger globular clusters known. The cluster is rich, compact (Class II - the next most dense classification), and significantly elliptical. It is 13 billion years old - about the same as that of globular clusters M3 and M5 - and one of the older globulars associated with the Milky Way Galaxy.

M2 contains about 150,000 stars, including 21 known variable stars. Its brightest stars are red and yellow giants.

September 18, 2009

M30 in Capricornus

hewholooks@gmail.com (Hunter Wilson) — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

]]>SBIG ST-4000XCM
2x600sec
Darks/Flats/Bias Applied
Imager Temp -20C
APM/TMB 130/780
Field Flattener
30% Crop

M30 (NGC 7099) is a globular cluster in the Capricornus constellation. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1764. M30 is at a distance of about 26,000 light-years away from Earth and is about 90 light years across.

Half of this cluster's mass is concentrated in a spherical volume of a radius equal to the distance of Sirius from us, or 17.4 light years diameter. On the other hand, its tidal radius is large: 18.34 arc minutes, corresponding to a linear radius of 139 light years.

M30 is less loved by Messier Marathoners, as it is often the last missed object of an almost-complete Messier Marathon, a tour for viewing all Messier objects in one night (which is possible near the end of March in moonless nights).

M30 is a minor Messier object and one of those that lie very low on my horizon. Not a great image, it is included for completeness.

September 18, 2009

M22 in Sagittarius

hewholooks@gmail.com (Hunter Wilson) — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

]]>SBIG ST-4000XCM
4x600sec
Darks/Flats/Bias Applied
Imager Temp -10C
APM/TMB 130/780
Field Flattener
20% Crop
Link to Larger JPEG

M22 (NGC 6656) is one of the nearer globular clusters to Earth at a distance of about 10,600 light-years away. It spans 32' on the sky which translates to a spatial diameter of 99 ± 9 light-years. It is projected in front of the galactic bulge and is therefore useful for its microlensing effect on the background stars in the bulge. Despite its relative proximity to us, this metal-poor cluster's light is limited by dust extinction, giving it an apparent magnitude of 5.5 making it the brightest globular cluster in the norther hemisphere.

M22 is very unusual in that it is one of only four globulars (the others being M15, NGC 6441 and Palomar 6) that are known to contain a planetary nebula GJJC1 (aka: PK 9-7.1; PNG 98-7.5) after after the initials of Gillett, Jacoby, Joyce and Cohen. It was discovered using the IRAS satellite by Fred Gillett et al. in 1986 as a pointlike source (IRAS 18333-2357) and subsequently identified as a PN in 1989 by Gillett et al.

June 26, 2009

M22 in Sagittarius - Frame Crop

hewholooks@gmail.com (Hunter Wilson) — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

]]>SBIG ST-4000XCM
4x600sec
Darks/Flats/Bias Applied
Imager Temp -10C
APM/TMB 130/780
Field Flattener
Cropped to DSLR Frame Format

June 26, 2009

M55 in Sagittarius

hewholooks@gmail.com (Hunter Wilson) — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

]]>SBIG ST-4000XCM
4x600sec
Darks/Flats/Bias Applied
Imager Temp -10C
APM/TMB 130/780
Field Flattener
20% Crop

Link to Larger JPEG

M55( NGC 6809) is a globular cluster in the constellation Sagittarius. M55 is about 17,300 light-years from Earth. M55 is a quite large globular cluster (about 19', roughly 2/3 of the Moon's apparent diameter) and has such a loose appearence that it gives the observer the impression of 'graininess' in small binoculars.

One can see from the relative paucity of stars in the background as compared to other globulars in this area of the sky that this globular lies outside of the main mass of the Milky Way on the sky charts.

This object is among the most southern of the Messier objects and can be difficult to observe from northern boreal latitudes.

June 26, 2009

M55 in Sagittarius - Frame Crop

hewholooks@gmail.com (Hunter Wilson) — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

]]>SBIG ST-4000XCM
4x600sec
Darks/Flats/Bias Applied
Imager Temp -10C
APM/TMB 130/780
Field Flattener

Cropped to DSLR Frame Format

June 26, 2009

M62 in Ophiuchus

hewholooks@gmail.com (Hunter Wilson) — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

]]>SBIG ST-4000XCM
4x600sec
Darks/Flats/Bias Applied
Imager Temp -10C
APM/TMB 130/780
Field Flattener
30% Crop
Link to Larger JPEG

M62 (NGC 6266) is a globular cluster in the constellation Ophiuchus which is located at a distance of about 22,500 light-years from Earth and measures some 100 light-years across. It contains a number of x-ray sources, thought to be close binary star systems, and millisecond pulsars in binary systems.

M62 is one of the most irregularly shaped globular clusters. This deformation may be a result of the fact that M62 is one of the closest of Messier's globulars to the Galactic center (only about 6100 light years), so that it is deformed by tidal forces. Its central condensation is obviously displaced from the center.

June 26, 2009

M62 in Ophiuchus - Frame Crop

hewholooks@gmail.com (Hunter Wilson) — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

]]>SBIG ST-4000XCM
4x600sec
Darks/Flats/Bias Applied
Imager Temp -10C
APM/TMB 130/780
Field Flattener
Frame Crop to DSLR Format

June 26, 2009

M4 in Scorpius

hewholooks@gmail.com (Hunter Wilson) — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

]]>SBIG ST-4000XCM
6x600sec
Darks/Flats/Bias Applied
Imager Temp -10C
APM/TMB 130/780
Field Flattener
Full Frame
Link to Larger JPEG

Astrophotogallery.org June Hard Object Winner

One of the nearest globulars at 7200 light years, M4 (NGC 6121) would be one of the most impressive globulars in the sky if it were not obscured by heavy clouds of dark interstellar matter in the vicinity of Antares. M4 is one of the most open, or loose, globulars and displays a peculiar 'barred' pattern in it's core, as can be seen in this photo. It was the first globular to be resolved to it's core (by Messier himself) as it is one of the most open, or loose, globulars - its classification in concentration being a class IX. It's diameter (half mass) is about 16 light years.

In 1987, the first millisecond pulsar was discovered in this globular cluster. This pulsar, 1821-24, is a neutron star rotating (and pulsating) once every 3.0 milliseconds, or over 300 times per second, which is even 10 times faster than the Crab pulsar in M1.

June 23, 2009

M4 in Scorpius - Frame Crop

hewholooks@gmail.com (Hunter Wilson) — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

]]>SBIG ST-4000XCM
6x600sec
Darks/Flats/Bias Applied
Imager Temp -10C
APM/TMB 130/780
Field Flattener

Frame Cropped to DSLR Format

June 23, 2009

M19 in Ophiuchus

hewholooks@gmail.com (Hunter Wilson) — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

]]>SBIG ST-4000XCM
ONEx600sec
Darks/Flats/Bias Applied
Imager Temp -10C
APM/TMB 130/780
Field Flattener
40% Crop

Link to Larger JPEG

Messier 19 (NGC 6273) is a globular cluster in the constellation Ophiuchus. M19 is the most oblate of the known globular clusters (personaly, I feel that M14 is very similar in this regard). It is at a distance of about 28,000 light-years from the Solar System, and is quite near to the Galactic Center, at only about 5,200 light-years away.

June 23, 2009

M19 in Ophiuchus - Frame Crop

hewholooks@gmail.com (Hunter Wilson) — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

]]>SBIG ST-4000XCM
ONEx600sec
Darks/Flats/Bias Applied
Imager Temp -10C
APM/TMB 130/780
Field Flattener

Frame Cropped to DSLR Format

June 23, 2009

M80 in Scorpius - Widefield View

hewholooks@gmail.com (Hunter Wilson) — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

]]>SBIG ST-4000XCM
4x600sec
Darks/Flats/Bias Applied
Imager Temp -10C
APM/TMB 130/780
Field Flattener
40% Crop

Link to Larger JPEG

Thin clouds intervened in all frames then stopped imaging altogether.

M80 (NGC 6093) is a globular cluster in the constellation Scorpius. It is among the more densely populated globular clusters in the Milky Way Galaxy. It's distance from the Sun is 32,600 light years, and distance from galactic center is 12,400 light years. It's diameter is 84 light years.

M80 contains a relatively large amount of blue stragglers, stars that appear to be much younger than the cluster itself. It is thought these stars have lost part of their outer layers due to close encounters with other cluster members or perhaps the result of collisions between stars in the dense cluster. Images from the Hubble Space Telescope have shown districts of very high blue straggler densities, suggesting that the center of the cluster is likely to have a very high capture and collision rate.

June 22, 2009

NGC 5466 in Bootes

hewholooks@gmail.com (Hunter Wilson) — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

]]>SBIG ST-4000XCM
13x600sec
Darks/Flats/Bias Applied
Imager Temp -20C
Celestron 9.25 Reduced 0.63
40% Crop

NGC 5466 is a 9.1 magnitude class XII globular cluster in the Boötes constellation. Located 51,800 light years from Earth and 52,800 light years from the Galactic center.

This globular cluster is unusual insofar as to contain a certain blue horizontal branch of stars, as well as being usually metal poor like ordinary globular clusters. It is thought to be the source of a stellar stream discovered in 2006, called the 45 Degree Tidal Stream. This star stream is an about 1.4° wide star lane extending from Boötes to Ursa Major.

May 20, 2009

M3 in Canes Venatici

hewholooks@gmail.com (Hunter Wilson) — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

]]>SBIG ST-4000XCM
14x600sec
Darks/Flats/Bias Applied
Imager Temp -20C
Celestron 9.25 Reduced 0.63
20% Crop

Cloudy Nights CCD Imaging Forum May Challenge Winner

Astrophotogallery.org May, 2009 Easy Category Winner

Sky and Telescope Online Gallery June 1, 2009

Messier 3 (NGC 5272) is a globular cluster in the constellation Canes Venatici. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1764, and resolved into stars by William Herschel around 1784. This cluster is one of the largest and brightest, and is made up of around 500,000 stars. It is located at a distance of about 33,900 light-years away from Earth.

M3 is further away than the center of our Galaxy, the Milky Way, but still shines at magnitude 6.2, as its absolute magnitude is about -8.93, corresponding to a luminosity of about 300,000 times that of our sun. M3 is thus visible to the naked eye under very good conditions. Its apparent diameter of 18.0 arc minutes corresponds to a linear extension of about 180 light years.

Globular cluster M3 is extremely rich in variable stars:
By 1978, 212 variables have been found, 186 periods determined, more than in every other globular cluster in our Milky Way galaxy.

May 18, 2009

M56 in Lyra

hewholooks@gmail.com (Hunter Wilson) — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

]]>SBIG ST-4000XCM
14x600sec
Darks/Flats/Bias Applied
Imager Temp -20C
Celestron 9.25 Reduced 0.63
30% Crop

Sky and Telescope Online Gallery April 1, 2009

Messier 56 (M56, NGC 6779) is located about half-way between Beta Cygni (Albireo) and Gamma Lyrae in an extremely star-rich region. It is one of the less bright Messier globulars, especially lacking the bright core which most globulars have. Nevertheless it is not too difficult to resolve, even at its rather large distance. This led to its classification in concentration class X.

At its distance of 32,900 light-years. its diameter of 8.8 arc minutes corresponds to a linear extension of about 85 light years. Visually, only about the inner third of this great ball, of about 3' diameter is visible. While the NGC mentions "stars of 11th to 14th magnitude", more modern measurements have shown that the brightest stars in this cluster are of about 13th magnitude, and the horizontal branch level is at magnitude 16.2 (according to the Deep Sky Field Guide to Uranometria 2000.0). Helen Sawyer Hogg gives an average magnitude of 15.31 for the 25 brightest stars, an overall spectral type of F5, and a color index of -0.04.

Globular cluster M56 was found by Harlow Shapley to be elongated with ellipticity 8 (E2) at position angle 45 deg. He found only 1 variable star in it, and even until today, only about a dozen of variables were identified in M56. This stellar swarm is approaching us at the high velocity of 145 km/sec.

M56 was one of Charles Messier's original discoveries; he saw it first on January 23, 1779 and describes it as a "nebula without stars," like most globular clusters. It was first resolved into stars by William Herschel around 1784.

May 17, 2009

M13 in Hercules

hewholooks@gmail.com (Hunter Wilson) — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

]]>SBIG ST-4000XCM
27x300sec
Darks/Flats/Bias Applied
Imager Temp -20C
Celestron 9.25 Reduced 0.63
20% Crop

Astronomy Magazine Picture of the Day July 28, 2009

Small Wonders: Hercules June, 2009 (Tom Trusock)

Anacortes Telescope and Wild Bird Picture of the Day May 18, 2009

M13 (NGC 6205) is a globular cluster in the constellation of Hercules. M13 is about 145 light-years in diameter, and it is composed of several hundred thousand stars, the brightest of which is the variable star V11 with an apparent magnitude of 11.95. M13 is 25,100 light-years away from Earth.

It was discovered by Edmond Halley in 1714, and cataloged by Charles Messier on June 1, 1764.

The Arecibo message of 1974, designed to communicate the existence of human life to hypothetical extraterrestrials, was transmitted toward M13. The reason was that with a higher star density, the chances of a life harboring planet with intelligent life forms, were higher.

The "Merceds Benz sign", a collection of known star-poor areas can be seen as an inverted "Y" in the left lower part of the core in this image.

May 11, 2009

M15 in Pegasus

hewholooks@gmail.com (Hunter Wilson) — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

]]>Canon 350D Hap Griffin Baader Mod
10x180sec at iso 1600
30 Darks/Flats/Bias
Celestron 9.25 reduced 0.63

Discovered by Jean-Dominique Maraldi in 1746, globular cluster Messier 15 (NGC 7078) is at a distance of about 33,600 light years. Its diameter is about 175 light-years. Its brightest stars are about of apparent magnitude 12.6 or absolute magnitude -2.8 or a luminosity of 1,000 times that of our Sun. The globular cluster is approaching us at 107 km/sec. An intermediate-mass black hole lies at the core, with a mass about 4,000 times that of the the Sun. M15 contains 9 known pulsars, neutron stars which are the remnants of ancient supernova explosions from the time when the cluster was young.

M15 is perhaps the densest of all (globular) star clusters in our Milky Way galaxy, and it took the Hubble Space Telescope to photographically resolve its superdense core.

September 22, 2008

M4 and NGC 6144 in Scorpius

hewholooks@gmail.com (Hunter Wilson) — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

]]>Canon 350D Hap Griffin Baader Mod
5x180sec at iso 1600
30 Darks/Flats/Bias
APM/TMB 130/780 with APM Field Flattener

Wide view of M4 and globular NGC 6144.

At the distance of 7,200 light-years that has been determined for M4, it is perhaps the closest globular cluster to our Solar system. It is also a rather loosely concentrated cluster of class IX. M4 appears about the same size as the Moon on the sky which, given its distance, yields a spatial dimension of some 75 light years across. At least 43 variable stars have been observed in this cluster.

NGC 6144 was discovered by William Herschel on May 22, 1784 and catalogued as H VI.10. While it doesn't appear so, due to it's lower 9th magnitude brightness, NGC 6144 is a much tighter globular than M4.

June 29, 2008

M75 in Sagittarius

hewholooks@gmail.com (Hunter Wilson) — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

]]>Canon 350D Hap Griffin Baader Mod
4x180sec at iso 1600
30 Darks/Flats/Bias
APM/TMB 130/780

Globular cluster Messier 75 (M75, NGC 6864) is one of the apparently fainter globular clusters in Messier's catalog, due to its large distance. It is situated in the eastern part of Sagittarius.

After its discovery in the night of August 27-28, 1780 by Pierre Méchain, globular cluster M75 was observed by Charles Messier on October 5 and October 18, 1780, and added to his catalog after obtaining a position. William Herschel resolved it into stars in 1784 and described it as a "miniature of M3."

At a distance of about 67,500 light years, M75 is one of the more remote of Messier's globular clusters, lying well beyond the Galactic center (from which it is 47,600 light years distant). Some sources give even larger distances, up to as much as 100,000 light years ! (E.g., Burnham has 95,000) This would make it the most remote Messier globular, and the most remote galactic Messier object at all. But W.E. Harris' database has it with 67,500 light years.

M75 is one of the more compact, concentrated globulars, classified as class I. Because of this and its distance, larger scopes are required to resolve it into stars. Its angular diameter of 6.6' corresponds to a linear extension of well almost 130 light years, and it is of high luminosity, perhaps about 180,000 times that of the Sun

June 5, 2008

M72 in Aquarius

hewholooks@gmail.com (Hunter Wilson) — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

]]>Canon 350D Hap Griffin Baader Mod
4x180sec at iso 1600
30 Darks/Flats/Bias
APM/TMB 130/780

Cloudy Nights Small Wonders: Quick Peeks - Aquarius 10/13 (Tom Trusock)

Messier 72 (M72, NGC 6981) is one of the apparently smaller and fainter globular clusters in Messier's catalog. It is situated in the very western part of constellation Aquarius, close to the the group of four stars, M73.

Globular cluster M72 was discovered by Pierre Méchain in the night of August 29-30, 1780. Consequently, Charles Messier looked for it on the following October 4 and 5, and included it in his catalog.

M72 is one of the more remote of Messier's globular clusters: At about 53,000 light years, it lies a considerable distance beyond the Galactic Center. It is of 9th or 10th apparent magnitude, but as it is so distant it is one of the more intrinsically luminous globular cluster. M72 is approaching us quite rapidly, at 255 km/sec. Its diameter is about 106 light years.

June 5, 2008

M107 in Ophiuchus

hewholooks@gmail.com (Hunter Wilson) — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

]]>Canon 350D Hap Griffin Baader Mod
5x180sec at iso 1600
30 Darks/Flats/Bias
APM/TMB 130/780

Small Wonders: Ophiuchus June, 2009 (Tom Trusock)

Messier 107 (NGC 6171) is another additional object found by Pierre Méchain in April, 1782. It may be the Messier object which was the latest to be discovered. Eventually, Helen Sawyer Hogg added it to the Messier Catalog in 1947, together with M105 and M106, although it appears probable that already Méchain had intended to add it to a future edition of Charles Messier's list.

M107 apparently contains some dark obscured regions, which is unusual for globular clusters. Its distance is about 21,000 light years, and it's diameter is roughly 80 light years. M107 is approaching us at 147 km/sec, contains about 25 known variables, and as a globular cluster, is of intermediate metallicity (abundances of elements heavier than Helium).

June 5. 2008

M9 in Ophiuchus With Comet C/2007 G1 (LINEAR)

hewholooks@gmail.com (Hunter Wilson) — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

]]>Canon 350D Hap Griffin Baader Mod
20x180sec at iso 1600
30 Darks/Flats/Bias
APM/TMB 130/780

Small Wonders: Ophiuchus June, 2009 (Tom Trusock)

M9 is one of the nearer globular clusters to the nucleus of our Galaxy, with a computed distance of 5500 light-years from the Galactic Center with a diameter of 90 light years. M9 is receding from us at the very high velocity of 224 km/sec.

To the north and west, its light is significantly dimmed by interstellar dust, as it lies at the edge of a patch of dark nebula (Barnard 64 - seen in this image as a dark blot to the right of the cluster); its light is probably weakened by at least one magnitude, but it's absolute luminosity is roughly 120,000 times that of our sun.

Comet C/2007 G1 (LINEAR) can be seen at magnitude 12 in the lower left third of the frame.

June 5, 2008

M92 in Hercules

hewholooks@gmail.com (Hunter Wilson) — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

]]>Canon 350D Hap Griffin Baader Mod
10x180sec at iso 1600
10x60sec at iso 1600 (core)
30 Darks/Flats/Bias
Celestron 9.25 reduced 0.63

Astronomy Magazine Picture of the Day July 25, 2008

This globular is so tightly packed, that I had to use a second set of data at shorter exposures to keep the core from oversaturating.

M92 is one of the brighter globular clusters in the northern hemisphere, but it is often overlooked by amateur astronomers because of its proximity to the even more spectacular Messier 13. It may be a bit younger than M13 as its turnoff point is shifted to the brighter and bluer end.

M92, or NGC 6341, is about 26,000 light years distant, only little more than its brighter apparent neighbor M13, and is approaching earth at a speed of 112 km/sec.

May 28. 2008

M10 in Ophiuchus

hewholooks@gmail.com (Hunter Wilson) — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

]]>Canon 350D Hap Griffin Baader Mod
8x180sec at iso 1600
30 Darks/Flats/Bias
Celestron 9.25 reduced 0.63

Sky and Telescope Online Gallery May 23, 2008

Astronomy Magazine Picture of the Day May 16, 2008

Astronomy Magazine Weekly Newsletter May 16, 2008

Messier 10 (also known as NGC 6254) is a globular cluster in the constellation Ophiuchus. It was discovered by Charles Messier on May 29, 1764, cataloged as number 10 in his list, and described as a "Nebula without stars".

This 7th magnitude globular cluster appears at about 8 or 9 arc minutes diameter when observed visually in smaller instruments. Average photos show it at about 15.1 arc minutes diameter, and deep photos show it to reach out to about 20 arc minutes, or 2/3 of the diameter of the Full Moon. At its distance of 14,300 light years, this corresponds to a linear diameter of 83 light years. Its brighter core which can be seen visually is only less than half as large, about 35 light-years. It is receding from us at 69 km/sec.

Only 4 variable stars have been discovered in this cluster.

May 12, 2008

M12 in Ophiuchus

hewholooks@gmail.com (Hunter Wilson) — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

]]>Canon 350D Hap Griffin Baader Mod
10x180sec at iso 1600
30 Darks/Flats/Bias
Celestron 9.25 reduced 0.63

Sky and Telescope Online Gallery May 23, 2008

Messier 12 (also known as NGC 6218) is a globular cluster in the constellation Ophiuchus. It was discovered by Charles Messier on May 30, 1764.

Located roughly 3° from the cluster M10, M12 is about 16,000 light-years distant and has a spatial diameter of ~75 light-years. The brightest stars of M12 are of 12th magnitude. It is rather loosely packed for a globular and M12 was once thought to be a tightly concentrated open cluster. Thirteen variable stars have been recorded in this cluster.

A study published in 2006 concluded that this cluster lost about one million stars of low mass, and therefore has an unusually low number of such stars. The authors surmise that they were stripped from the cluster by the gravitational influence of the Milky Way.

May 12, 2008

M14 in Ophiuchus

hewholooks@gmail.com (Hunter Wilson) — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

]]>Canon 350D Hap Griffin Baader Mod
6x180sec at iso 1600
30 Darks/Flats/Bias
Celestron 9.25 reduced 0.63

Sky and Telescope Online Gallery May 23, 2008

Messier 14 (also known as M14 or NGC 6402) is a globular cluster in the constellation Ophiuchus. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1764.

At a distance of about 30,000 light-years (twice the distance of M10 and M12), M14 contains several hundred thousand stars. At a brightness of magnitude 7.6 it can be easily observed with binoculars and medium sized telescopes begin to show some hint of the individual stars of which the brightest is of magnitude +14.

The total luminosity of M14 is in the order of 400,000 times that of the Sun corresponding to an absolute magnitude of -9.12. The shape of the cluster is decidedly elongated or ovoid. M14 spans about 100 light-years across.

M14 contains the considerably large number of over 70 variables, many of them W Virginis stars.

Globular cluster M14 was the first CCD image taken, according to TheSky advertising.

May 12, 2008

M71 in Sagitta

hewholooks@gmail.com (Hunter Wilson) — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

]]>Canon 350D Hap Griffin Baader Mod
15x180sec at iso 1600
30 Darks/Flats/Bias
Celestron 9.25 reduced 0.63

Some say this cluster is shaped like an arrowhead. Seems appropriate for an object in the constellation Sagitta.

M71 is at a distance of about 12,000 light years away from Earth and spans some 27 light years across. The irregular variable star Z Sagittae is a member of this cluster.
M71 was long thought (until the 1970's) to be a densely packed open cluster and was classified as such by leading astronomers in the field of star cluster research due to its lacking a dense central compression , its stars having more "metals" than is usual for an ancient globular cluster, and further its lacking the RR Lyrae "cluster" variable stars that are common in most globulars. However, modern photometric photometry has detected a short "horizontal branch" in the H-R diagram of M71, which is characteristic of a globular cluster. The shortness of the branch explains the lacking of the RR Lyrae variables and is due to the globular's relatively young age of 9-10 billion years. The relative youth of this globular also explains the abundance of "metals" in its stars. Hence today, M71 is designated as a very loosely concentrated globular cluster, much like M68 in Hydra. M71 has a luminosity of around 13,200 suns.
(From Wikipedia)

May 4, 2008

M5 in Serpens

hewholooks@gmail.com (Hunter Wilson) — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

]]>Canon 350D Hap Griffin Baader Mod
19x180sec at iso 1600
30 Darks/Flats/Bias
Celestron 9.25 reduced 0.63

Spanning 165 light-years across, M5 is one of the larger globular clusters known. The gravitational sphere of influence of M5, (ie. the volume of space where stars would be gravitationally bound to the cluster and not ripped away from it by the Milky Way's gravitational pull), has a radius of some 200 light-years.

At 13 billion years old it is also one of the older globulars associated with the Milky Way Galaxy. The distance of M5 is about 24,500 light-years away from Earth and the cluster contains more than 100,000 stars up to perhaps 500,000 according to some estimates.

M5 is, under extremely good conditions, just visible to the naked eye as a faint "star" near the star 5 Serpentis. Binoculars or small telescopes will identify this cluster as non-stellar while larger telescopes will start to show individual stars, of which the brightest are of apparent magnitude 12.2.

April 26, 2008

M53 and NGC 5053 in Coma Bereneces

hewholooks@gmail.com (Hunter Wilson) — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

]]>Canon 350D Hap Griffin Baader Mod
19x180sec at iso 1600
30 Darks/Flats/Bias
APM/TMB 130/780 Refractor with AP flattener

Sky and Telescope Online Gallery May 23, 2008

Yahoo Digital Astro Group April, 2008 Monthly Challenge Runner Up

Astroimaging Challenge Yahoo Group Winner April, 2008

Globular star cluster M53 is one of the more outlying globulars, being about 60,000 light years away from the Galactic center, and almost the same distance (about 58,000 light years) from our Solar system. It's diameter is roughly 220 light years and it is rapidly approaching us at a velocity between 79 km/s and 112 km/s.

M53 has a bright compact central nucleus of about 2' in diameter, although its stars are not very concentrated toward the center when compared to other globulars. Its discoverer, Johann Elert Bode, who found it on February 3, 1775, described it as a "rather vivid and round" nebula. Charles Messier, who independently rediscovered and cataloged it two years later, on February 26, 1777, found it "round and conspicuous" and that it resembles M79. William Herschel was the first to resolve it into stars, and found it similar to M10.

As in all globular clusters, the stars of M53 are apparently "metal-poor", which means that they contain only little quantities of elements heavier than helium (actually mainly elements like carbon and oxygen); those of M53 are even below the average globular cluster members in "metallicity". It contains the considerably respectable number of 47 known RR Lyrae variables, some of them were reported to have changed their periods irreversibly with time (Kenneth Glyn-Jones).

At only about 1 degree separation to the east, the faint and quite loose globular cluster NGC 5053 comes into the field of view. NGC 5053 was discovered by William Herschel on March 14, 1784. NGC 5053 is at roughly the same distance as M53 (53,500 light years), indicating that these clusters are also physically rather close together. NGC 5053 is of a much lesser stellar density than its prominent neighbor, and particularly lacks a concentrated bright nucleus.
At a distance of about 53,500 light-years from us, NGC 5053's diameter is about 160 light-years. The cluster shines at a visual brightness of about 9.5 magnitudes. It is receding from us at about 44 km/s.

Because of its moderate stellar content, the nature of this cluster as a globular has been doubted in the past, but spectroscopic investigations have now firmly re-established this classification.

March 28, 2008

M71 in Sagitta- Widefield

hewholooks@gmail.com (Hunter Wilson) — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

]]>Canon 30D Unmodified
15x180sec at iso 1600
30 Darks/Flats/Bias
Orion ED80 with WO 0.8 reducer/flattener

Some say this cluster is shaped like an arrowhead. Seems appropriate for an object in the constellation Sagitta.

M71 is at a distance of about 12,000 light years away from Earth and spans some 27 light years across. The irregular variable star Z Sagittae is a member of this cluster.
M71 was long thought (until the 1970's) to be a densely packed open cluster and was classified as such by leading astronomers in the field of star cluster research due to its lacking a dense central compression , its stars having more "metals" than is usual for an ancient globular cluster, and further its lacking the RR Lyrae "cluster" variable stars that are common in most globulars. However, modern photometric photometry has detected a short "horizontal branch" in the H-R diagram of M71, which is characteristic of a globular cluster. The shortness of the branch explains the lacking of the RR Lyrae variables and is due to the globular's relatively young age of 9-10 billion years. The relative youth of this globular also explains the abundance of "metals" in its stars. Hence today, M71 is designated as a very loosely concentrated globular cluster, much like M68 in Hydra. M71 has a luminosity of around 13,200 suns.
(From Wikipedia)

Loose open cluster Harvard 20 can be seen below M71.

M68 in Hydra

hewholooks@gmail.com (Hunter Wilson) — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

]]>SBIG ST-4000XCM
8x300sec
Darks/Flats/Bias Applied
Imager Temp -20C
Celestron 9.25 Reduced 0.63
40% Crop

M68 lies at a distance of 33,000 light years and has a spread of 106 light years.

This is one object that is actually approaching us - at a rate of 112km/sec.

Not a great image due to poor seeing and low latitude, but it's better than the original DSLR version of this object. The scope was parallel with the ground while taking this image. No way I will get a good shot of this object from the home observatory.

May 11, 2009

M53 in Coma Berenices

hewholooks@gmail.com (Hunter Wilson) — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

]]>2x120sec at iso 1600
30 Darks/Flats/Bias
C8 at 1260mm with Canon 30D

Globular Cluster M53 in Coma Berenices

Globular cluster M53 is one of the more outlying globulars, being about 60,000 light years away from the Galactic center, and almost the same distance (about 58,000 light years) from our Solar system.

5-8-2007