Messier 13
| Messier 13 | |
|---|---|
Globular cluster Messier 13 in Hercules captured with an amateur telescope in 2025. | |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Class | V |
| Constellation | Hercules |
| Right ascension | 16h 41m 41.24s |
| Declination | +36° 27′ 35.5″ |
| Distance | 22.2 kly (6.8 kpc) |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 5.8 |
| Apparent dimensions (V) | 20 arcminutes |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Absolute magnitude | –8.5 |
| Mass | 6×105 M☉ |
| Radius | 84 ly |
| Metallicity | = –1.33 dex |
| Estimated age | 11.65 Gyr |
| Notable features | One of the best-known clusters of the Northern Hemisphere |
| Other designations | NGC 6205 |
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Messier 13, or M13 (also designated NGC 6205 and sometimes called the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules, the Hercules Globular Cluster, or the Great Hercules Cluster), is a globular cluster of several hundred thousand stars in the constellation of Hercules.