Great Hercules Cluster (M13)
Also known as M13 · M 13 · Great Hercules Cluster · NGC 6205 · Hercules Globular Cluster
Great Hercules Cluster (M13) is a globular star cluster in the constellation Hercules, about 26,090 light-years from Earth.
Facts
| Type | Globular star cluster |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hercules |
| Position (J2000) | 16h 41m 41s, +36° 27′ |
| Distance | 26,090 light-years (its light set off about 26,090 years ago) |
| Brightness | magnitude 5.8 (smaller is brighter; the faintest stars the eye sees are about 6) |
| Size on the sky | 33′ × 33′ (the full Moon is about 31′) |
| Filter | No filter (It shines in starlight of every colour, so a nebula filter would only dim it; a dark sky helps more.) |
| Studied in | 2,316 scientific papers (SIMBAD) |
When and how to see it
Great Hercules Cluster (M13) is highest in the sky at midnight in May. From India (about 20° N) it climbs to about 74° above the horizon; from 50° N, to about 76°. To see it you need the naked eye from a dark site.
Heights are worked out for India and for 50° N. Set your location in Settings to see them for where you are.
For tonight's best time from your own town, the darkness and the Moon, open it on the map and see its "Tonight from your location" card.
More in Hercules
Everything in Hercules · All 88 constellations · All sky objects
Data: SIMBAD (CDS, Strasbourg; the site's weekly copy) · OpenNGC · Data sources & credits