• Constellation: Hercules
  • Right Ascension: 16h 41m 41.24s
  • Declination: +36° 27′ 35.5″
  • Distance: 22,200 ly

Discovered by Edmond Halley in 1714, and added to the Messier catalog by Charles Messier in 1764. It is one of the best know and brightest globular clusters visible in the northern hemisphere.

The cluster contains an estimated 300,000 stars stretching across a diameter of 145 light years. Globular clusters tend to be quite old objects with their stars containing very little of the metal elements.

 

  • Telescope: EDT 80mm Reftactor
  • Camera: ZWO 1600 MM