Messier 13

Messier 13 (M13), also known as the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules, is one of the brightest and best-known globular star clusters in the northern sky. It is located in the constellation Hercules, about 22,000 light-years from Earth. The cluster was discovered in 1714 by Edmond Halley and later added to the catalog of Charles Messier in 1764.

M13 contains several hundred thousand stars packed into a sphere about 145 light-years across. These stars are very old, with ages estimated at over 11 billion years, making the cluster one of the ancient structures in the Milky Way Galaxy.

Because of its brightness, Messier 13 is a popular target for amateur astronomers and can be seen with small telescopes or even binoculars under good observing conditions.