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Rolf's Astrophotography
  • An Astrophotography Journey!
  • Clusters
    • Globular Clusters
      • M13 – Hercules Cluster
      • M92
    • Open Clusters
      • M39
      • M45 – The Pleiades
      • M52
  • Galaxies
    • Elliptical Galaxies
      • Markarian’s Chain with M84, M86, and M87
      • NGC 1272, NGC 1275 – The Perseus Cluster
      • NGC 3613, NGC 3619, and NGC 3625
      • NGC 3998
      • NGC 4889 and other galaxies in Coma Berenices
      • PGC 2641182
    • Irregular Galaxies
      • M82 – Cigar Galaxy
      • NGC 4449
    • Spiral Galaxies
      • IC 342
      • M101 – Pinwheel Galaxy
      • M102 – Spindle Galaxy
      • M106
      • M31 – Andromeda Galaxy
      • M33 – Triangulum Galaxy
      • M51 – Whirlpool Galaxy
      • M63 – Sunflower Galaxy
      • M64 – Black Eye Galaxy
      • M65, M66, and NGC 3628 – The Leo Triplet
      • M81 – Bodes Galaxy
      • M94
      • NGC 2683 – UFO Galaxy
      • NGC 2775
      • NGC 2841
      • NGC 3184
      • NGC 3642
      • NGC 4236
      • NGC 4244 – Silver Needle Galaxy
      • NGC 4490 – Cocoon Galaxy
      • NGC 4565 (C38) – Needle Galaxy
      • NGC 4631 (Whale Galaxy) and NGC 4656
      • NGC 5005
      • NGC 5216, NGC 5218 – Keenan’s System
      • NGC 5907 – Knife Edge Galaxy
      • NGC 6946 – Fireworks Galaxy
      • NGC 925 – Amatha Galaxy
    • The Milky Way
  • Nebulas
    • Dark Nebulas
      • IC 434 – Horsehead Nebula
      • NGC 2264 – Cone Nebula and Christmas Tree Cluster
    • Emission Nebulas
      • IC 1396 – Elephant’s Trunk Nebula
      • IC 1805 – Heart Nebula
      • IC 1848 – Soul Nebula
      • IC 2177 – Seagull Nebula
      • IC 405 – Flaming Star Nebula
      • IC 5070 – Pelican Nebula
      • IC 59 and IC 63 – Gamma Cassiopeia Nebula
      • M42 – Orion Nebula
      • NGC 1499 – California Nebula
      • NGC 2174 – Monkey Head Nebula
      • NGC 2237 – Rosette Nebula
      • NGC 2359 – Thor’s Helmet
      • NGC 281 – Pacman Nebula
      • NGC 6888 – Crescent Nebula
      • NGC 7000 – North America Nebula
      • NGC 7635 – Bubble Nebula
      • NGC 896
      • Sadr and the Gamma Cygni Nebula (IC 1318)
    • Planetary Nebulas
      • Abell 21 – Medusa Nebula
      • M27 – Dumbbell Nebula
      • M57 – Ring Nebula
      • M76 – Little Dumbbell Nebula
      • M97 – Owl Nebula
    • Reflection Nebulas
      • IC 2118 – Witch Head Nebula
      • M78
      • NGC 7023 – Iris Nebula
    • Supernova Remnants
      • M1 – Crab Nebula
      • NGC 6960 – Veil Nebula
  • Solar System
    • Comets
    • The Moon
    • Jupiter
    • Mars
    • Saturn
  • The Gear
    • APO107 Configuration Example
    • APO94 Configuration Example
    • AstroTrac TT320X and Nikon D800 DSLR Configuration Example
    • MN190 Configuration Example
    • RC8″ Configuration Example
    • Skywatcher EQ6-R Pro Equatorial Mount
Rolf's Astrophotography

Globular Clusters

M13 Hercules cluster
M13, Hercules cluster

A globular cluster is a spheroidal conglomeration of stars. Globular clusters are bound together by gravity, with a higher concentration of stars towards their centers. They can contain anywhere from tens of thousands to many millions of member stars. Their name is derived from Latin globulus (small sphere).

Globular clusters are found in nearly all galaxies. In spiral galaxies like the Milky Way they are mostly found in the outer spheroidal part of the galaxy – the galactic halo. They are the largest and most massive type of star cluster, tending to be older, denser, and composed of lower abundances of heavy elements than open clusters, which are generally found in the disks of spiral galaxies. The Milky Way has more than 150 known globulars, and there may be many more.

Click on the pictures below for more information and additional photos.

M13 Hercules cluster
M13, Hercules Cluster
M92
M92
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