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Deep Sky
M13: Great Hercules Cluster
M13 is a dense ball of hundreds of thousands of ancient stars orbiting the Milky Way.
Equipment Seestar S30
Location Florida, USA
Total integration 1.1 hours
Quick Facts
Object type Globular Cluster
Constellation Hercules
Distance ~22,000 light-years
Apparent magnitude 5.8
Diameter ~145 light-years
Discovered 1714
Where it is in the sky
This simple finder map shows the general area of the night sky where this target is located.
What you're looking at
The sparkling ball is a tightly packed cluster of old stars, many billions of years old.
Why it is interesting
M13 is one of the best globular clusters for beginner astrophotography because it is bright and resolves into many stars.
How I captured it
Captured with a Seestar S30.
Observation Log
Total integration time: 1.1 hours across 2 sessions.
2026-06-18 — 56 minutes 20 second exposures
2026-06-29 — 11 minutes 20 second exposures
full moon