Globular Cluster M92

July 13, 2017

M92_EPOD (1)

Photographer: Greg Parker
Summary Author: Greg Parker

Globular clusters are, as their names implies, relatively congested knots of stars that surround the disk of the Milky Way and other galaxies. M92, some 27,000 light years from our Sun in the direction of the constellation of Hercules, is quite an impressive looking globular cluster that doesn't seem to get much attention. This is a bit of a shame as M92 is a superb specimen. However, it just happens to be overshadowed by its close neighbor M13the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules. M13 is perhaps the best known of the 150 or so globular clusters. It's approximately 1.3 times brighter than M92 and is visible with the naked eye. M92 can also be seen with the unaided eye but only under very dark skies. Binoculars or a small telescope show that they're congregations of stars (about 1/4 million in M92) and not mere smudges in the night sky. Hercules is now high overhead before midnight -- in the mid-latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. Look for M92 near the top of Hercules, a little above and to the left of M13.

Photo Details: Image taken using a Hyperstar III on a Celestron C11 telescope; with an M25C 6-Megapixel OSC CCD.