Globular Cluster in Canes Venatici
Messier 3 is one of the brightest globular clusters in the sky. It is about 33,000 light year away, and contains about half a million stars. Globular clusters vary quite a bit in how densely packed with stars their central regions are. As this picture shows, Messier 3 has a very dense center.
| Magnitude | 6.3 |
| Apparent Size | 16' |
| Distance (light yrs) | 33,000 |
| Right Ascension | 13:42.2 |
| Declination | +28 32 |
Image details: Exposure times of 30 minutes luminance, 9 minutes each of red, green, and blue, taken with an SBIG ST-8300M imager and a 14" Meade LX850 telescope at f/6.
July 2014