M13

Alt. Designations: NGC 6205
Object Type: Globular  Cluster
Constellation: Hercules
Distance: 25 kly
Right Ascension: 16h 41m 41.5s
Declination: +36° 27´ 39"
Visual Magnitude: 5.9
Apparent Dimension: 20.0´ Dia.
Best Month To View: Jun

Also known as the Hercules cluster, M13 is perhaps the finest and most well known globular cluster in the Northern hemisphere. It originally was discovered by Edmond Halley in 1714. Halley noted that the cluster could easily be seen with the naked eye on dark, moonless nights. As its common name would imply, M13 lies in the constellation Hercules. It is about 25,000 light-years from us, and has an impressive diameter of about 150 light-years.