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✨ The Hercules Globular Cluster (M13) – Jewel of the North ✨

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Behold M13, the magnificent globular cluster nestled in the constellation Hercules. Home to hundreds of thousands of ancient stars packed into a tight, spherical swarm roughly 22,000 light-years from Earth, this stellar beehive shines at naked-eye limit and bursts into view through binoculars and small telescopes alike.

Gazing upon M13 is like looking back in time—most of its stars were born over 11 billion years ago, long before our Solar System formed. Its densely packed core offers a glimpse into the extremes of stellar evolution, where close encounters and gravitational interactions shape the cluster’s destiny.

📍 Constellation: Hercules
🌌 Distance: 22,000 light-years
✨ Apparent Magnitude: 5.8
📏 Apparent Size: 20 arcminutes
Coordinates: RA 16h 41m 41s | Dec +36° 27′ 36″

Let M13 remind you that even in the darkest reaches of space, ancient light and timeless beauty endure.

Lights: 52x300" (LRGB)
Telescope: Officina Stellare ProRC 700
Camera: FLI PL16803
Filters: LRGB Astrodon
Processed: Pixinsight
Date: 02/04/2021

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🐬 Dolphin Nebula (Sharpless 2-308)

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Drifting through the cosmic sea, a luminous dolphin dances among the stars, inviting wonder.
The Dolphin Nebula, also known as Sharpless 2-308, is an immense bubble of glowing gas and dust located in the constellation Canis Major. This ethereal structure was sculpted by powerful stellar winds from a massive Wolf–Rayet star, forming a glowing shell of ionized hydrogen — an H II region.

Spanning about 60 light-years, the nebula glows softly in the light emitted by oxygen and hydrogen atoms, offering a view both haunting and beautiful.

🔭 Quick Facts

• Apparent magnitude: ~7.0
• Distance from Earth: ~4,530 light-years
• Coordinates (J2000): RA 06h54m13s, Dec –23°55′42″
• Constellation: Canis Major
• Angular size: ~35′ × 35′ (similar to the full Moon)

💫 Cosmic Highlights

• At the heart of the nebula lies EZ Canis Majoris (WR 6), a hot, massive Wolf–Rayet star.
• Its intense winds have blown a vast bubble into the surrounding space over the past 70,000 years.
• The nebula’s ghostly blue hue is due to emission from doubly ionized oxygen (O III), giving it a haunting appearance.

The Dolphin Nebula is a cosmic reminder that even in stellar endings, beauty emerges. Through turbulence and transformation, the universe creates extraordinary forms that inspire awe and curiosity. Keep looking up — the cosmos always has more to show us.

Lights: 48x300" and 48x600"
Telescope: Takahashi FSQ-106ED
Camera: Camera QHY 600M
Filters: Halpha, OIII, SII Astrodon