Object: M2
Globular cluster M2 in the constellation Aquarius lies about 38.000 light-years from Earth and spans nearly 175 light-years across, making it one of the largest clusters in our galaxy. It has an extremely dense core compared to most other globular clusters and contains over 150,000 stars.
M 2 was discovered by the Italian-born French astronomer Jean-Dominique Maraldi on September 11, 1746. Charles Messier didnít spot the cluster until September 11, 1760 but thought it a ìnebula without starsî. It wasnít until 1783 that William Herschel first resolved the cluster into individual stars.
- Team: Dave Jurasevich and Howard Hedlund
- Filters: Tru-Balance LRGB filter set Gen 2
- Exposure: L 15 ea x 300 sec 1x1 bin; RGB 8 ea x 300 sec 1x1 bin
- Date: June and July 2015
- Software: CCDStack 2, Photoshop CS5