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Proper NameHercules Cluster
Messier NumberM13
NGC/IC NumberNGC 6205
ConstellationHercules
Right Ascension16h 41m 42s
Declination+36° 27' 41"
Distance22,200 light years
6,800 parsecs
MagnitudeApparent: +5.8
Absolute: -8.4
DiameterApparent: 20'
Actual: c.140 light years
Optimum VisibilityJune
NotesThis distant globular cluster is easy to locate in the sky, lying almost directly between the stars Eta and Zeta Herculis that define the western edge of the prominent 'Keystone' asterism at the heart of the constellation of Hercules.

A Globular Cluster a little under 25,000 light years from Earth, and well outside the plane of the Galaxy, that is just visible to the naked eye. It takes its name from its native constellation of Hercules.

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