User:Amarpreetd/sandbox

MESSIER 13: Drafting

"It’s located in the constellation Hercules, between summertime’s two brightest stars, Vega and Arcturus. About one-third the way from Vega to Arcturus, locate the four modestly bright stars forming the Keystone of Hercules. On the Arcturus side of the Keystone, M13 is found between the stars Eta Herculis and Zeta Herculis. Like all globular clusters, the Great Cluster in Hercules is best viewed through telescopes with large apertures (light-gathering capability). M13 looks like a dim, fuzzy star to the unaided eye. In binoculars and low-power telescopes, this cluster looks somewhat like a hazy mothball, resembling a comet in appearance. At mid-northern latitudes, the M13 cluster can be found in the sky for at least part of the night all year round. It’s up all night long in May, June and July. In August and September the Hercules cluster is still very much a night owl, staying up till after midnight."

• I will boil down this paragraph in the "Discovery and Visibility" subheading of the Messier 13 wiki page. It explains the location of M13 in relation to the stars forming the "Keystone" of the Hercules constellation. It also describes how and when one can observe this cluster to see it in its true form.

"Because they are so densely packed together, the cluster’s individual stars were not resolved until 1779. Near the core of this cluster, the density of the stellar population is about a hundred times greater than the density in the neighborhood of our sun. These stars are so crowded that they can, at times, run into each other and even form a new star. The resulting “blue stragglers” appear to be younger than the other stars in their immediate vicinity and are of great scientific interest to astronomers."

• This paragraph will help me compare M13 to the stars near our Sun. It also describes the nature of the stars in M13 and how stars collide and form new stars. It introduces how astronomers/scientists are astonished by M13. I will use this paragraph to expand the "Characteristics" subheading.

"In the 18th century, French astronomer Charles Messier began cataloging all the “nebulous objects” he had come to find while searching the night sky. Having originally mistook these for comets, he compiled a list these objects in the hopes of preventing future astronomers from making the same mistake. In time, the list would include 100 objects, and would come to be known as the Messier Catalog to posterity. One of these objects is M13 (aka. NGC 6205) a globular cluster located in the Hercules constellation."

• The wiki page of Messier 13 mentions Charles Messier, but does not expand on how he cataloged M13. I will elaborate on the "history" of this globular cluster in the "Discovery and Visibility" subheading.

"Today, if you use good binoculars and look toward that spot in the sky where M13 is, you likely will see a similar view: a roundish glow or patch of light. Moving up to a telescope, the view dramatically improves. With a 4 to 6-inch telescope, the "patch" starts to become resolved into hundreds of tiny pinpoints of light.  In larger instruments, Messier 13 is transformed into a spectacular celestial chrysanthemum."

• This paragraph simply describes how using a telescope (or certain type of telescope) can drastically improve how you see the M13. This will also be used in the "Discovery and Visibility" subheading.