M13_2011-06-03

Clusters - M13

R.A.: 16h 41m 41s
Dec.: +36° 27' 36.9"
Mag.: 5.8
Dim.: 20 arcmin

Messier 13 (sometimes called the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules) is a globular cluster of about 300,000 stars in the constellation of Hercules. M13 is about 145 light-years in diameter, and it is composed of several hundred thousand stars, the brightest of which is the variable star V11 with an apparent magnitude of 11.95. M13 is 25,100 light-years away from Earth.

© Wikipedia

M 13 – Great Hercules Globular Cluster

Date/time:
04.06.2011 00:35 to 04.06.2011 03:30
Ambient conditions: 15°C, transparency 3/5, seeing 4/5, windy and high thin clouds.
Location: Germany

Equipment:
Telescope: Deltagraph 300 f/3.3
Mount: GM2000QCI
Camera: SXVF-M25C
Guiding scope: Orion short tube 80mm f/5
Guiding camera: ATIK 16IC
Filters: IDAS LPS

Acquisition:
Software: Maxim DL 5
FOV, Image scale: 62.5 x 54.8 arcmin, 1.62 arcs/pixel
Sub-exposures: 2h 05min (25 x 5min) lights with 3 pixels dithering
Calibration frames: 50 x 15ms T-shirt flats, 50 bias

Processing:
Maxim DL 5: Calibration and Stacking with SDMask.
CS3: Curves & Levels, GradientXterminator, Carboni´s Actions: star color enhancement and deep space noise reduction.

Comments:
Minimum of processing steps to preserve stars. The astrograph was previously collimated with Baader laser collimator, fine-tuned on stars. One day before, the PEC of the new 10-Micron mount was trained. The lights were taken with activated A-PEC. The tracking was just perfect and the mount guides the 25kg heavy astrograph like a feather even in that windy night.

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