M13 (also called the Hercules Globular Cluster) is a globular cluster consisting of approximately 300,000 stars. It's about 25,000 light years away and was discovered in 1714 by Edmond Halley (of Halley's Comet fame). It can easily be seen with binoculars and small telescopes. In the lower right is NGC 6207, a 12th magnitude spiral galaxy.

Technical Information       

Date:                        May, 2014

Location:                 Green Valley, Arizona

Telescope:              Takahashi FSQ-106EDX

Camera:                  SBIG STT-8300M

Filters:                     Astrodon Gen 2

Mount:                     AstroPhysics 1200

Exposure:               LRGB = 860:120:120:120 minutes, all unbinned

Software:                Acquisition: Maxim DL 5, TheSkyX, Pinpoint, CCD Commander

                                 Processing: CCDStack, PhotoShop CS6 with various plugins