what was i lookng at?

[boborange]

Hi, I was wondering if one of you more knowledgeable people could work out to what I saw.

I was looking for M13, great cluster in hercules, and all i could see on a clear night was a smudge that did not seem to come into focus. Was this it or was i looking at something completely different ?

I was using a megrez 72 with a 15mm eyepiece giving me about 28 magnification.

thanks for your help

[Space Oddity6]

Sounds like it. Was it between the 2 top stars of the middle 'square'?

Check stellarium if you're in any doubt.

[Adz]

Definitely sounds like it, you could try focusing on a nearby star close by and then going back to it. There is nothing in the immediate vicinity of m13 that is similar

[cotterless45]

That's what you'd get at x28. M13 will really look superb from x60 up to x100.

[boborange]

Thanks for letting me know that i was looking at M13. Shame I did not put the bigger eyepiece in but my family were too interested in looking at saturn and trying to find the ISS instead as the smudge in the eyepeice did not really hold their attention..oh well will have to find it again and give it a proper look...

[mylatestwhim]

Sounds like the great cluster too. I was looking at it last week

[West End Wendy]

I find M13 looks better to me now than it did when I first bought a telescope about a year ago. Maybe that's experience, or maybe it's about expectation.

72mm is a relatively small aperture to resolve stars in globulars, particularly from London, so it may always look like a bit of a large smudge. Averted vision really helps.

Tim.

[swamp thing]

Hi

Sounds like you were on it, although there are two great Globs in Hercules. M92 being the other, but it isn't in the "keystone".

I would try more mag next time if I were you. At least twice what you were using.

Regards Steve

[UTMonkey]

I have 20x80 Bins, and that's what it looks like for me (still jaw dropping when you realise what it is!)

[cotterless45]

Check out M3 while you're there. It's half way between Arcturus and Cor Caroli. Little stunner.