M13: A Glimpse of the Hercules Globular Cluster from Bortle 5 Skies
This past weekend, I turned my telescope towards the magnificent M13, also known as the Hercules Globular Cluster. Capturing this celestial jewel from my Bortle 5 location presented a unique challenge, but the results were well worth the effort!
The Target: M13
M13 is one of the finest globular clusters in the Northern Hemisphere, located in the constellation Hercules. It's a dense collection of hundreds of thousands of stars, packed tightly together, offering a breathtaking spectacle.
Equipment Setup
- Camera: Canon EOS 2000D
- Lens: Walimex 500mm f/6.3
- Filter: Optolong L-Pro EOS Clip
- Star Tracker: Skywatcher Star-Adventurer 2i
Acquisition Details
To gather enough light, I captured a total of 180 exposures, each 20 seconds long, for a total integration time of 1 hour. The ISO was set to 3200.
- Total Integration Time: 1 hour
- Exposures: 180 x 20s
- ISO: 3200
Calibration Frames
Proper calibration is crucial for removing noise and artifacts. I acquired the following calibration frames:
- 30 Flats
- 30 Darks
- 30 Biases
Processing Workflow
The raw data was then processed using a suite of powerful tools to bring out the details of M13:
- Stacking & Initial Processing: Siril
- Denoising: GraXpert
- Final Touches: Gimp and Snapseed
The Result
Here is the final image of M13, captured from my Bortle 5 skies:
While Bortle 5 skies present a challenge with light pollution, using the right equipment and processing techniques allows us to still capture incredible detail from deep-sky objects like M13. I'm eager to see how this cluster looks from darker skies in the future!
Clear skies!
