#herculescluster

M13 “The Great Globular Cluster in Hercules” - A globular cluster is a spherical collection of stars, gravitationaly bound to each other, that orbit the core of a galaxy. This particular cluster is is approximately 145 lightyears in diameter. M13 contains several hundred thousand stars. It can be visible to the naked eye (depending on viewing conditions) but individual stars can’t be made out without the help of a telescope. It’s also worth noting that these stars are extremely old. Thought to be 12-13 billion years in age, they are almost as old as the universe itself! I don’t remember how much data was accumulated to create this image as it was shot in early summer 2020.