m53

	M53

Home New Images Galleries Auroras Chrono Film Chrono DSLR Clusters Galaxies Nebulas Misc. Pool Equipment Links Credits

	RA: 12:12.9 Dec: +18:10 Magnitude: 7.7 Size: 12.6 arc min Distance: 59,700 ly Constellation: Coma Berenices	Scope: 8" SCT at f/10 Autoguider: ST-4 faint mode Sky conditions: Moderate seeing and transparency. Film: Kodak Supra 400 Exposure: 30 and 45 minutes Date: April 8, 2005
	Comments: This was the first night back out after a long cold and cloudy (during the periods of new moon) winter. The evening was slightly breezy and cold, but it sure was nice to be out there again. Globular star cluster M53 is one of the more outlying globulars, being about 60,000 light years away from the Galactic center, and almost the same distance (about 58,000 light years) from out Solar system. Its was discovered by Johann Elert Bode on February 3, 1775. As in all globular clusters, the stars of M53 are apparently "metal-poor", which means that they contain only little quantities of elements heavier than helium (actually mainly elements like carbon and oxygen); those of M53 are even below the average globular cluster members in "metallicity". It contains the considerably respectable number of 47 known RR Lyrae variables.