M13 - Great Hercules Cluster

[PhotoGav]

This is my latest attempt at this most wonderful of globular clusters - Messier 13, the Great Hercules Cluster. Globs are my favourite objects visually in a telescope, the intensity and sheer number of stars is mesmerising. I also find them fascinating as nobody seems to really know where they originate from - are they stripped galaxies, cluster formations or what?! As I'm sure you are aware, this globular cluster is about 25,000 light years away from Earth in the Keystone asterism in Hercules.

 

 

The data for this project was gathered (or should that be 'were gathered'? though that never sounds right to me!) during May. I have only just got round to processing it. It consists of 24 x 300s in each of RGB and 42 x 300s in Lum, making a total integration time of 9 1/2 hours. I used a Celestron EdgeHD 8" with a QSI 683-WSG8 and 31mm Astrodon filters, all on a Mesu 200.

I'm happy with the result, especially as 'the Propellor' is pretty visible in the upper right quadrant of the cluster. I'm never certain about star colours, but I think this is about right. I used APP and PS to process the data. Please let me know what you think of it.

Clear skies and enjoy the Perseids tonight, weather permitting!

 

[PaulM]

Great image captures the intensity of this object when viewed visually

[tomato]

A fine M13, star resolution right into the core and good star colour to my eye. Did you use the star colour calibration in APP.

And some distant galaxies  captured on the RHS of the image.👍 

[Ronclarke]

A great M13 , well done...

[PhotoGav]

Thank you @PaulM, @tomato and @Ronclarke.

Yes, I did use ‘Calibrate Star Colour’ in APP, though with great caution. I selected my sample star areas as far as possible from the globular itself as the algorithm requires main sequence stars and the globular is full of anything but main sequence stars! Huge fan of APP, it has greatly sped up my processing workflow.

[Rodd]

Nice resolution--globuars are amazinzg close in