Messier 3 (M3), also known as NGC 5272 is a Globular Star Cluster in the constellation of Canes Venatici. Was first discovered by Charles Messier in 1784 who mistook the object for a nebula without stars, this was corrected by William Herschel in 1784 (Garner 2017).
M3 is one of the most studied globular clusters due to its unusually large variable star population which started in 1913 by Solon Irving Bailey and continued through to 2004 (Valcarce & Catelan 2008).
The M3 cluster is estimated to be 11.4Billion years old and contains roughly 500,000 stars (Garner 2017) and is roughly 32,600 Ly away. (Cacciari et al., 2005). The cluster is very isolated as it is 31,600Ly above the galactic plane and roughly 38,800Ly from the centre of the milky way. It is thought to have 274 known variable stars, 133 of these are RR Lyrae variables showing the Blazhko effect (Variable in period and amplitude). Others have shown to have an abundance of heavier elements (Cacciari et al., 2005)
M3 is one of the most studied globular clusters due to its unusually large variable star population which started in 1913 by Solon Irving Bailey and continued through to 2004 (Valcarce & Catelan 2008).
The M3 cluster is estimated to be 11.4Billion years old and contains roughly 500,000 stars (Garner 2017) and is roughly 32,600 Ly away. (Cacciari et al., 2005). The cluster is very isolated as it is 31,600Ly above the galactic plane and roughly 38,800Ly from the centre of the milky way. It is thought to have 274 known variable stars, 133 of these are RR Lyrae variables showing the Blazhko effect (Variable in period and amplitude). Others have shown to have an abundance of heavier elements (Cacciari et al., 2005)
M3 is the best Northern Globular Cluster, next to Messier 13. With an apparent magnitude of 6.2, making a difficult target for the naked eye but is more defined with a modern telescope under Bortal 7 skies.
The picture above is only 30-minute total exposure at 30-sec individual exposures stacked. Not a lot of time is required to obtain this target, but as you can see by the picture, the core is blown out if not careful exposure times or post-processing is pushed too hard.
The picture above is only 30-minute total exposure at 30-sec individual exposures stacked. Not a lot of time is required to obtain this target, but as you can see by the picture, the core is blown out if not careful exposure times or post-processing is pushed too hard.