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#1 Researcher

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Posted 04 June 2023 - 01:06 PM

HI everyone

 

Last night i was searching for m13 but i couldnt find it. Is it a hard target to find? Im in a bortle 8 sky and the full moon was up there.

My telescope is a 8" dobsonian.and was scanning the area with a 30mm plossl

 


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#2 AstroFrankMontana

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Posted 04 June 2023 - 01:21 PM

M13 is very bright, but spread out.  If you don't know exactly what you are looking for, on a full moon night with the moon close by it will be hard to see.  M13 is 2/3 the size of the moon, after all.  If the skies are transparent, that will help.  Best is to wait a couple of days for the moon to not be so bright and try again. 

 

If you can see the keystone stars, slowly pan along each edge of the trapezoid and you should be able to find it.


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#3 EsaT

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Posted 04 June 2023 - 01:24 PM

Without light pollution it's easy to recognize even in (8x)50mm finder scope, but heavy light pollution messes everything. (and moon isn't helping any)

 

You would need at least higher magnification to darken that background and increase contrast to stars.

If you can find/see Hercules constellation, I would go directly nearer 100x magnification.

Though you would want better AFOV eyepieces than Plössls to make it easier to find anything...


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#4 DAG792

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Posted 04 June 2023 - 01:26 PM

Bortle 8 sky, the full moon, and you being a newbie (I assume, forgive me if I'm wrong) all compound to make it very difficult to see M13.

Though its not a hard object to locate if you have a quality skychart, it will be quite difficult to recognize with such a large amount of skyglow present.

 

Even with no moon, under a Bortle 8 sky, it will look like a dim fuzzball at best. You might want to use a higher magnification eyepiece to actually 'see' the cluster. 32 mm Plossls are great for starhopping but they don't dim the sky enough under a light-polluted sky. A 20 mm or 15 mm eyepiece would be better.

 

What Finderscope, and starchart are you using? I recommend Stellarium just so you can familiar with its locations. Its pretty easy to find once you get used to it.


Edited by DAG792, 04 June 2023 - 01:26 PM.

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#5 Researcher

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Posted 04 June 2023 - 01:56 PM

M13 is very bright, but spread out.  If you don't know exactly what you are looking for, on a full moon night with the moon close by it will be hard to see.  M13 is 2/3 the size of the moon, after all.  If the skies are transparent, that will help.  Best is to wait a couple of days for the moon to not be so bright and try again. 

 

If you can see the keystone stars, slowly pan along each edge of the trapezoid and you should be able to find it.

 

Without light pollution it's easy to recognize even in (8x)50mm finder scope, but heavy light pollution messes everything. (and moon isn't helping any)

 

You would need at least higher magnification to darken that background and increase contrast to stars.

If you can find/see Hercules constellation, I would go directly nearer 100x magnification.

Though you would want better AFOV eyepieces than Plössls to make it easier to find anything...

 

Bortle 8 sky, the full moon, and you being a newbie (I assume, forgive me if I'm wrong) all compound to make it very difficult to see M13.

Though its not a hard object to locate if you have a quality skychart, it will be quite difficult to recognize with such a large amount of skyglow present.

 

Even with no moon, under a Bortle 8 sky, it will look like a dim fuzzball at best. You might want to use a higher magnification eyepiece to actually 'see' the cluster. 32 mm Plossls are great for starhopping but they don't dim the sky enough under a light-polluted sky. A 20 mm or 15 mm eyepiece would be better.

 

What Finderscope, and starchart are you using? I recommend Stellarium just so you can familiar with its locations. Its pretty easy to find once you get used to it.

Thanks foy your advices guys

 

Actually i got fun while searching for m13, i saw an arterism which have a beautiful double star called Rho Herculis, saw two red stars Nu coronae borealis, and other stars wich are kinda close to the area where m13 is. I suposed light pollution and the light of the moon could make it a bit hard to find m13

 

DAG792, yes im a newbie, no shame on that. I use a straight 9 x 50 finder and stellarium. Usually i have good results with both but last night i just couldnt find m13. Thanks of your advices now i understan why it was hard to find


Edited by Researcher, 04 June 2023 - 01:59 PM.

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#6 edsmx5

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Posted 04 June 2023 - 02:07 PM

Thanks foy your advices guys

 

Actually i got fun while searching for m13, i saw an arterism which have a beautiful double star called Rho Herculis, saw two red stars Nu coronae borealis, and other stars wich are kinda close to the area where m13 is. I suposed light pollution and the light of the moon could make it a bit hard to find m13

 

DAG792, yes im a newbie, no shame on that. I use a straight 9 x 50 finder and stellarium. Usually i have good results with both but last night i just couldnt find m13. Thanks of your advices now i understan why it was hard to find

I'm looking for it too, if that makes you feel any betterlol.gif  


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#7 Researcher

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Posted 04 June 2023 - 02:20 PM

I'm looking for it too, if that makes you feel any betterlol.gif  

lol.gif  we are on the same boat. Good luck friend, we gotta find it waytogo.gif


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#8 Jon Isaacs

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Posted 04 June 2023 - 02:32 PM

Jon to youngest son;

 

"Where's M13?"

 

Youngest son:

 

"Don't ask me, I didn't take it."  lol.gif

 

M13 is relatively easy to locate. Eta, zeta, epsilon and pi Herculis are known as the Keystone and M13 is about 2.5° from eta Herculis nearly on a line to Zeta Herculis. It should appear as a fuzzy star in binos, a finder or low power evepiece.

 

Screenshot_20230604-122559.png

 

Jon


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#9 Researcher

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Posted 04 June 2023 - 02:42 PM

Jon to youngest son;

 

"Where's M13?"

 

Youngest son:

 

"Don't ask me, I didn't take it."  lol.gif

 

M13 is relatively easy to locate. Eta, zeta, epsilon and pi Herculis are known as the Keystone and M13 is about 2.5° from eta Herculis nearly on a line to Zeta Herculis. It should appear as a fuzzy star in binos, a finder or low power evepiece.

 

attachicon.gif Screenshot_20230604-122559.png

 

Jon

 

lol.gif

Thanks Jon

 

Im trying again tonight if the sky let it happen


Edited by Researcher, 04 June 2023 - 02:42 PM.

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#10 Inkie

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Posted 04 June 2023 - 03:07 PM

If you have ever seen a comet in a scope, a reasonably bright one, say mag 7+ in binos, that's about what M13 looks light at first glance.  With more aperture, a stiller view, and more magnification, it soon becomes very apparent that it ain't a comet.

 

I may be telling you how to suck eggs, I hope not, but you should align your view the best you can with a star chart with M13 partway down the one side of the 'keystone'. Note where M13 is sort of out of line, partway down, and then aim your scope with a wide view and look for the smudge.  That's it!


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#11 dnayakan

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Posted 04 June 2023 - 03:46 PM

DSOs can be tricky things because 1) you need to find their location and they are dim and 2) the way they look changes under different light conditions (phase of the moon, light pollution etc.). So, you are presented with the twin challenges of navigating across the sky and finding them while not really knowing how they look. You actually need to see a particular DSO multiple times to really get an understanding of it and how it will present itself under a particular sky. As one example, M1 (the Crab Nebula) can be invisible from my location except under favorable conditions and/or with larger apertures and you need to know for sure that you are looking at the right place to be able to conclude that the viewing conditions are preventing you from seeing it. Without that certainty, you will get frustrated by not knowing whether it is the viewing conditions or looking in the wrong place that prevents you from seeing the object you are after. 
 

Locating M13 can be relatively easy in cleaner skies. If you can see eta and zeta Hercules, point your finder about a third of the way between them and you should see a fuzzy ball which higher power might be able to resolve. In poorer skies, starhopping skills will be essential.

 

If you are learning to starhop, the following may be helpful. 
 

1) Don’t go hunting for DSOs when you are first learning to starhop. DSOs are dim, difficult to see and vary in how they present themselves under different light conditions. Instead, learn to starhop from one bright star to another - in other words, start at one bright star, put your eye to the eyepiece of your optical finder or a low power eyepiece in the telescope and make your way to another bright star without removing your eye from the eyepiece. As your skill grows, select stars that are separated by wider distances. 
 

2) Don’t starhop from point to point (I.e., star to star). Starhop from pattern to pattern. For most people, triangles appear to be particularly useful patterns because of their pointing ability. I like making up shapes in the sky and these shapes make idiosyncratic landmarks for me. Patterns make it less likely that you will lose your way in the sky. 

 

3) When you are studying starcharts to look for patterns, pay attention to the magnitudes of the stars and try to make up patterns that use stars of about the same magnitude. My mind at least tends to automatically make patterns from similar things and magnitude is the most obvious candidate initially, although later on things like color could also be used.
 

Once you get the hang of this, incorporate DSOs into the mix. A useful exercise is to actually starhop from eta Hercules to zeta Hercules first and find some useful patterns along the way. Now look up those patterns in a star map or software. Now you should be able to zoom into the exact area of the sky. 


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#12 mikemarotta

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Posted 04 June 2023 - 04:09 PM

I have found it by looking around the Keystone of Hercules. I finally found it well by relying on my computerized "go to" Celestron AVX mount and a refractor, selecting Messier 13 from the menu, and then with another telescope (AWB OneSky Newtonian) looking at the two red dots in the finders to see what I was looking at and looking for. One thing about this is that the stars do not move east to west. They circle about Polaris. So, as Hercules rises, culminates, and sets, its orientation changes. That was why AstroFrankMontana gave the advice he did.
 

If you can see the keystone stars, slowly pan along each edge of the trapezoid and you should be able to find it.

 

Best Regards (and Clear Skies),
Mike M.


Edited by mikemarotta, 04 June 2023 - 04:21 PM.

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#13 Researcher

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Posted 04 June 2023 - 05:55 PM

If you have ever seen a comet in a scope, a reasonably bright one, say mag 7+ in binos, that's about what M13 looks light at first glance.  With more aperture, a stiller view, and more magnification, it soon becomes very apparent that it ain't a comet.

 

I may be telling you how to suck eggs, I hope not, but you should align your view the best you can with a star chart with M13 partway down the one side of the 'keystone'. Note where M13 is sort of out of line, partway down, and then aim your scope with a wide view and look for the smudge.  That's it!

 

Actually i was able to find and see the C/2022 E3 comet with a 127mm scope. It was very very dim and difficult to view. I suppose m13 is a bit easier to see

 

 

DSOs can be tricky things because 1) you need to find their location and they are dim and 2) the way they look changes under different light conditions (phase of the moon, light pollution etc.). So, you are presented with the twin challenges of navigating across the sky and finding them while not really knowing how they look. You actually need to see a particular DSO multiple times to really get an understanding of it and how it will present itself under a particular sky. As one example, M1 (the Crab Nebula) can be invisible from my location except under favorable conditions and/or with larger apertures and you need to know for sure that you are looking at the right place to be able to conclude that the viewing conditions are preventing you from seeing it. Without that certainty, you will get frustrated by not knowing whether it is the viewing conditions or looking in the wrong place that prevents you from seeing the object you are after. 
 

Locating M13 can be relatively easy in cleaner skies. If you can see eta and zeta Hercules, point your finder about a third of the way between them and you should see a fuzzy ball which higher power might be able to resolve. In poorer skies, starhopping skills will be essential.

 

If you are learning to starhop, the following may be helpful. 
 

1) Don’t go hunting for DSOs when you are first learning to starhop. DSOs are dim, difficult to see and vary in how they present themselves under different light conditions. Instead, learn to starhop from one bright star to another - in other words, start at one bright star, put your eye to the eyepiece of your optical finder or a low power eyepiece in the telescope and make your way to another bright star without removing your eye from the eyepiece. As your skill grows, select stars that are separated by wider distances. 
 

2) Don’t starhop from point to point (I.e., star to star). Starhop from pattern to pattern. For most people, triangles appear to be particularly useful patterns because of their pointing ability. I like making up shapes in the sky and these shapes make idiosyncratic landmarks for me. Patterns make it less likely that you will lose your way in the sky. 

 

3) When you are studying starcharts to look for patterns, pay attention to the magnitudes of the stars and try to make up patterns that use stars of about the same magnitude. My mind at least tends to automatically make patterns from similar things and magnitude is the most obvious candidate initially, although later on things like color could also be used.
 

Once you get the hang of this, incorporate DSOs into the mix. A useful exercise is to actually starhop from eta Hercules to zeta Hercules first and find some useful patterns along the way. Now look up those patterns in a star map or software. Now you should be able to zoom into the exact area of the sky. 

 

Thanks for your good tips, i need more practice in order  to improve my skills at starhoping, still a lot to learn im glad

 

 

I have found it by looking around the Keystone of Hercules. I finally found it well by relying on my computerized "go to" Celestron AVX mount and a refractor, selecting Messier 13 from the menu, and then with another telescope (AWB OneSky Newtonian) looking at the two red dots in the finders to see what I was looking at and looking for. One thing about this is that the stars do not move east to west. They circle about Polaris. So, as Hercules rises, culminates, and sets, its orientation changes. That was why AstroFrankMontana gave the advice he did.
 

 

Best Regards (and Clear Skies),
Mike M.

 

Thank you Mike

Since i havent a goto, I was thinking about to use astrohopper or skeye for those hard targets until i learn how to starhop properly



#14 MikeHC8

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Posted 04 June 2023 - 08:23 PM

Also you may try a pair of binoculars, you may not see it but look for star patterns and check your chart and/or app.  It takes time and a lot of work to find it, but when you do no one can ever take that away from you.  You have start your adventure and came to the right place to get answers.


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#15 rodsager

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Posted 04 June 2023 - 10:06 PM

HI everyone

 

Last night i was searching for m13 but i couldnt find it. Is it a hard target to find? Im in a bortle 8 sky and the full moon was up there.

My telescope is a 8" dobsonian.and was scanning the area with a 30mm plossl

 

Hercules is pretty high up in the sky at points during the night it is up around 80º or so off the horizon. I have found that it can be challenging to maneuver a dob on directly overhead targets as the normally intuitive dob movement becomes a little counterintuitive when the scope is upright. You can definitely see it once you get it in your eyepiece. As others have said already it will just be a fuzzy blob with those sky conditions


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#16 therealdmt

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Posted 05 June 2023 - 07:57 AM

HI everyone

 

Last night i was searching for m13 but i couldnt find it. Is it a hard target to find? Im in a bortle 8 sky and the full moon was up there.

My telescope is a 8" dobsonian.and was scanning the area with a 30mm plossl

I'm looking for it too, if that makes you feel any betterlol.gif  

As others have said, it’ll definitely be easier to find M13 when the Moon is not lighting up the sky, and overall it’ll be more visible the darker the sky is (though it’ll hold up reasonably well to light pollution). And after you find it the first time, it’ll be easier the next, then after you find it a few times, it’ll become much easier, and eventually it’ll become "old hat" (and someday an old friend). I can find it even under deep Bortle 9 skies, and the following is how I do it.

 

First, I can only see a few stars under Bortle 9, especially with summer humidity, but one I can see for sure is the star Vega in the constellation Lyra, which these days is rising in the East in the evenings. Another is Arcturus in Boötes, which is currently high overhead (again, in the late evening to midnightish or so). Fortunately, as can be seen in the first screenshot below, the "Keystone of Hercules" (the trapezoid shape that makes up the middle of the constellation) is in between Arcturus and Vega, the two brightest stars in the sky at this time of year. Now if those are truly the only stars you can make out at all, it’s not really going to be the best conditions for viewing M13. In particular, if I can at least make out a little bit the two "eyes" (which I’ve circled in blue) of Draco the dragon, I’ll know I’m in decent shape. You might remember that Hercules fought and defeated the dragon in the course of completing one of his 12 Labors. The dragon’s eyes are looking right at the Keystone of its nemesis, Hercules.

 

Okay, so just those few stars naked eye will be plenty to go with, if supplemented by a sky chart and small hand-held binoculars (I use 8x32s or 12x25s, so pretty small). With the binoculars I look up and find that distinctive grouping of three stars at the one corner of the Keystone, the actual outline star being the brightest of them (Pi, I see now that I have a chart in front of me, but when outside, honestly I am not thinking about the names, I’m just going by the shape). You can see this little group naked eye under halfway decent conditions, but under humid Bortle 9, I need the binoculars. Well from that top/inside/brightest star of that little distinctive grouping of 3, I swing around with the binoculars and locate the rest of the keystone stars, in particular the one I’ve circled in yellow, which I see is called Eta Herculis (η Herculis), which is up the second shortest side of the Keystone trapezoid. Then I locate where the far star from that is, at the other end of the longest side, Zeta Herculis (broken yellow circle). M13 is about 1/3 of the way from Eta (yellow circle) to Zeta (broken yellow circle). On a clear dark night, you can even see the gray smudge of M13 in binoculars or a finder scope. If you don’t see the smudge of M13 in the finder, then just point your telescope at Eta and move a third of the way towards Zeta from there. Once you know where Eta is with binoculars, you’ll probably be able to make out the Eta star at least very faintly naked eye.

image1 2.jpeg

 

If conditions are poor or optics are small or both, for further guidance I look for the two stars to which I’ve drawn the little green arrows pointing to in the closeup screenshot of the Keystone below; M13 forms the apex of a little flattish triangle with those two stars, on the Eta side.

image0 2.jpeg

 

If conditions are good though, M13 will just be obvious enough on its own. After you find it, hit it with some magnification and try using averted vision to bring it more to life.

 

As has been mentioned in a previous post, if viewing in the early morning (or later in the year), Hercules will appear upside down compared to this(!), which can be disorientating, but that little distinctive grouping of 3 stars at the one corner of the Keystone will always get you oriented once you find it


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#17 rgk901

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Posted 05 June 2023 - 08:05 AM

as per pervious post it's a fairly easy hop but... you'll have to be on a look out for a fuzzball and with a 30mm and a full moon it will be faint

use a smaller exit pupil eyepiece like a 20 ish, it will help darken the ski and bring out the glob...

than once in view, you can increase the magnification. Make sure to dark adapt as much as possible.. I dark 'adapt' with something over my head and keep my eye at the eyepiece for extended time which will start revealing all them little diamonds....

have fun

Edited by rgk901, 05 June 2023 - 08:52 AM.

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#18 edsmx5

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Posted 05 June 2023 - 08:09 AM

Most nights lately, all i see is Vega and Arcturus, maybe the handle of the Dipper. Bootes is only a suggestion, and, try as I may, I STILL can't bring Hercules to "life", if you know what I meanundecided.gif . I'll give it a go this weekend, after the moon dims a bit.


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#19 rgk901

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Posted 05 June 2023 - 08:12 AM

the smoke is really not helping things as well...

#20 EsaT

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Posted 06 June 2023 - 10:43 AM

Actually i was able to find and see the C/2022 E3 comet with a 127mm scope. It was very very dim and difficult to view. I suppose m13 is a bit easier to see

Had easier time in seeing M13 in 50mm finder of new Dobson month or two ago than seeing C/2022 E3 in 110mm TAL-1 at winter from weirdly hazy sky.


 

the smoke is really not helping things as well...

Think positively:
At least that smoke can clear up fast...
I have sun setting at 22:35.
 
Well, only couple weeks more and things start getting slowly less bright...


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#21 Researcher

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Posted 06 June 2023 - 09:56 PM

Also you may try a pair of binoculars, you may not see it but look for star patterns and check your chart and/or app.  It takes time and a lot of work to find it, but when you do no one can ever take that away from you.  You have start your adventure and came to the right place to get answers.

 

That is something  i like very much about atronomy, that feeling of reward when you finally find what you are looking for after several attempts. I really appreciate the advices i get evey time i post something on this forum, lots of very supportive and knowledged members

 

 

Hercules is pretty high up in the sky at points during the night it is up around 80º or so off the horizon. I have found that it can be challenging to maneuver a dob on directly overhead targets as the normally intuitive dob movement becomes a little counterintuitive when the scope is upright. You can definitely see it once you get it in your eyepiece. As others have said already it will just be a fuzzy blob with those sky conditions

 

Yea, before i got the dob i used (still sometimes) an eq mount, still need to get accustomed to use the dob when trying to see something near the zenith

 

 

As others have said, it’ll definitely be easier to find M13 when the Moon is not lighting up the sky, and overall it’ll be more visible the darker the sky is (though it’ll hold up reasonably well to light pollution). And after you find it the first time, it’ll be easier the next, and after you find it a few times, it’ll become much easier, and eventually it’ll become "old hat" (and someday an old friend). I can find it even under deep Bortle 9 skies, and the following is how I do it.

 

First, I can only see a few stars under Bortle 9, especially with summer humidity, but one I can see for sure is the star Vega in the constellation Lyra, which these days is rising in the East in the evenings. Another is Arcturus in Boötes, which is currently high overhead (again, in the late evening to midnightish or so). Fortunately, as can be seen in the screenshot, the "Keystone of Hercules" (the trapezoid shape that makes up the middle of the constellation) is in between Arcturus and Vega, the two brightest stars in the sky at this time of year. Now if those are truly the only stars you can make out at all, it’s not really going to be the best conditions for viewing M13. In particular, if I can at least make out a little bit the two "eyes" (which I’ve circled in blue) of Draco the dragon, I’ll know I’m in decent shape. You might remember that Hercules fought and defeated the dragon in the course of completing one of his 12 Labors. The dragon’s eyes are looking right at the Keystone of its nemesis, Hercules.

 

Okay, so just those few stars naked eye will be plenty to go with the assistance of a sky chart and small hand-held binoculars (I use 8x32s or 12x25s, so pretty small). With the binoculars I look up and find that distinctive grouping of three stars at the one corner of the Keystone, the actual outline star being the brightest of them (Pi, I see now that I have a chart in front of me, but when outside, honestly I am not thinking about the names, I’m just going by the shape). You can see this little group naked eye under halfway decent conditions, but under humid Bortle 9, I need the binoculars. Well from that top/inside/brightest star of that little distinctive grouping of 3, I swing around with the binoculars and locate the rest of the keystone stars, in particular the one I’ve circled in yellow, which I see is called Eta Herculis (η Herculis), which is up the second shortest side of the Keystone trapezoid. Then I locate where the far star from that is, at the other end of the longest side, Zeta Herculis (broken yellow circle). M13 is about 1/3 of the way from Eta (yellow circle) to Zeta (broken yellow circle). On a clear dark night, you can even see the gray smudge of M13 in binoculars or a finder scope. If you don’t see the smudge of M13 in the finder, then just point your telescope at Eta and move a third of the way towards Zeta from there. Once you know where Eta is with binoculars, you’ll probably be able to make out the Eta star at least very faintly naked eye.

attachicon.gif image1 2.jpeg

 

If conditions are poor or optics are small or both, for further guidance I look for the two stars to which I’ve drawn the little green arrows pointing to in the screenshot of the Keystone below; M13 forms the apex of a little flattish triangle with those two stars, on the Eta side.

attachicon.gif image0 2.jpeg

 

If conditions are good though, M13 will just be obvious enough on its own. After you find it, hit it with some magnification and try using averted vision to bring it more to life.

 

As has been mentioned in a previous post, if viewing in the early morning (or later in the year), Hercules will appear upside down compared to this(!), which can be disorientating, but that little distinctive grouping of 3 stars at the one corner of the Keystone will always get you oriented once you find it

 

Thank you for the helpful tips. Next weekend im gonna try again, moon wont appear until very late in the night,  i hope the sky let it happen

 

 

as per pervious post it's a fairly easy hop but... you'll have to be on a look out for a fuzzball and with a 30mm and a full moon it will be faint

use a smaller exit pupil eyepiece like a 20 ish, it will help darken the ski and bring out the glob...

than once in view, you can increase the magnification. Make sure to dark adapt as much as possible.. I dark 'adapt' with something over my head and keep my eye at the eyepiece for extended time which will start revealing all them little diamonds....

have fun

 

Thanks for the advice, usually i search for double stars or just nice asterisms at the beginning of my observations until im well dark adapted


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#22 CowTipton

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Posted 09 June 2023 - 10:06 AM

With your 8" dob in bright bortle8 skies, M13 will look like a large fuzzy blob.

Kind of like this but likely less defined:

 

BE712302 7ED8 4E79 B5FF 18E5E317E09F

 

 
It's easy to miss, even without the moon nearby so try to have your eyes dark adapted as well as you can.
It really helps.

Edited by CowTipton, 09 June 2023 - 10:08 AM.

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#23 Sebastian_Sajaroff

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Posted 09 June 2023 - 10:24 AM

HI everyone

 

Last night i was searching for m13 but i couldnt find it. Is it a hard target to find? Im in a bortle 8 sky and the full moon was up there.

My telescope is a 8" dobsonian.and was scanning the area with a 30mm plossl

It's perfectly visible on 10x50 binoculars, even during the Full Moon, as long as you know exactly where to look.

It looks like a grey round smudge, like a ghostly lint ball.

 

I recommend you to observe it first in binoculars, so you get familiar with the stellar field around.


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#24 WillR

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Posted 09 June 2023 - 12:26 PM

 

M13 is relatively easy to locate. Eta, zeta, epsilon and pi Herculis are known as the Keystone and M13 is about 2.5° from eta Herculis nearly on a line to Zeta Herculis. It should appear as a fuzzy star in binos, a finder or low power evepiece.

 

attachicon.gif Screenshot_20230604-122559.png

 

Jon

M13 is relatively easy to find if you can see the Keystone.

 

I'm sure the OP can't see the Keystone with a full moon in Bortle 8. I doubt he can see it in Bortle 8 even without a moon. I recommend waiting until there is no moon. It will look a lot better anyway.

 

If you can see Vega and Arcturus, draw an imaginary line between them and them ain at a point 1/3 of the way from Vega to Arcturus and a few degrees north of that. Pan around with your lowest power eyepiece ( sounds like you are doing that), looking for a fuzzy blob. When you find it, put as much power on it as conditions allow to resolve stars

 

If you have binoculars, I recommend finding it in binoculars first. That will help you find it in a telescope.


Edited by WillR, 09 June 2023 - 12:27 PM.

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#25 edsmx5

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Posted 09 June 2023 - 02:42 PM

M13 is relatively easy to find if you can see the Keystone.

 

I'm sure the OP can't see the Keystone with a full moon in Bortle 8. I doubt he can see it in Bortle 8 even without a moon. I recommend waiting until there is no moon. It will look a lot better anyway.

 

If you can see Vega and Arcturus, draw an imaginary line between them and them ain at a point 1/3 of the way from Vega to Arcturus and a few degrees north of that. Pan around with your lowest power eyepiece ( sounds like you are doing that), looking for a fuzzy blob. When you find it, put as much power on it as conditions allow to resolve stars

 

If you have binoculars, I recommend finding it in binoculars first. That will help you find it in a telescope.

Will,

(As someone closer to the West Coast can painfully attest to), I've been chasing Hercules most of the Spring, to no avail. It took a long time to connect the dots to Bootes, even now that I know where it is, most nights its still just a tease. I've got Arcturus, Vega (and the Triangle- -with Cygnus), but for the life of me I can't make out the rectangle, let alone the rest of it. Hopefully, it clears a bit this weekend. ( I just got a "cheat sheet" package shipped to me today, I'll find it now  - stay tunedwink.gif )


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