M13 · HERCULES CLUSTER JUN 2025
§ DEEP-SKY · TARGET
M13
Hercules Cluster
- TYPE
- Globular cluster
- CONSTELLATION
- Hercules
- DISTANCE
- 22,200 ly
- MAGNITUDE
- +5.8
- APPARENT SIZE
- 20'
ACQUISITION
DATE
Jun 2025
LOCATION
Idyllwild, CA · Bortle 3
INTEGRATION
4h 00m
PALETTE
LRGB
SUBS
240 × 60s
SEEING
2.1"
FILTERS
L · R · G · B
300,000 stars packed into a sphere 145 light-years across. The core is dense enough that individual stars blur together at anything less than excellent seeing.
§ 01 · THE NIGHT
How this one came together
Short integration but clean data. The challenge with globulars is not signal but resolution -- you need tight stars to resolve the core. This night delivered.
§ 02 · PROCESSING
Workflow
- LRGB with aggressive deconvolution on luminance
- Star color calibration against Gaia DR3 references
- Core-halo balance via HDR multiscale decomposition
§ 03 · GEAR
Equipment
- SCOPE
- Printed 200/800 Newt · OTA v1.3
- CAMERA
- ASI2600MM Pro
- MOUNT
- EQ6-R Pro
- FILTERS
- Antlia LRGB
- GUIDING
- OAG