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M13

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#76 Mike Q

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Posted 17 June 2023 - 05:55 AM

Im planning to go to a borte 4 site, i guess it is easier to find faint objects compared to borte 8-9 where i live

It is easier, but its still a bit tough these days with all the smoke coming out of Canada and the normal haze we get this time of year 


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#77 Sebastian_Sajaroff

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Posted 17 June 2023 - 03:32 PM

Globular clusters are affected by light pollution, but not as much as galaxies and nebulae.
M13 is visible from Montreal suburbs (Bortle 8) even with 8x42 binoculars (on a clear new Moon night).
By the way, Bortle scale is quite subjective, your visual training (or lack of it) makes a big difference in what you see on the eyepiece.
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#78 Researcher

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Posted 18 June 2023 - 03:22 PM

It is easier, but its still a bit tough these days with all the smoke coming out of Canada and the normal haze we get this time of year 

I live in Mexico City so no problem with smoke, its just night skies have been kinda cloudy



#79 Mike Q

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Posted 18 June 2023 - 05:14 PM

I live in Mexico City so no problem with smoke, its just night skies have been kinda cloudy

Ohio is the 8th cloudiest State..... I deal with clouds and crappy skies routinely. 



#80 25585

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Posted 25 June 2023 - 09:06 AM

"Turn Left At Orion" is a great book to help find easy and not-quite-so in the night sky. I'm on my second.


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#81 edsmx5

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Posted 25 June 2023 - 10:47 AM

"Turn Left At Orion" is a great book to help find easy and not-quite-so in the night sky. I'm on my second.

Now, I will admit, I haven't used TLaO at the telescope, but it is my least favorite of the recommended beginner's books. This isn't meant to discourage anyone from getting or using it, because I'm certainly in the Minority on this topic. I do like the drawings of the scope views, but I didn't care much for the rest of the book. I'm sure that using it at the EP will change that opinion. Speaking of change, nice new Avatar I see !



#82 Roger Corbett

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Posted 26 June 2023 - 02:38 PM

1.  On finding M13… when starting out, It's all too easy for many to mistake other collections of stars for the Keystone.  I remember, when first trying to track down M13, looking and not finding it many times — it turned out to be because I didn’t recognize or mis-recognized what the Keystone was!

 

So, a good planisphere or star chart — and lots of naked-eye practice at picking out the constellations is crucial.  The finder helps get in the ballpark (under good transparent dark skies, you can pick it out in finder).  Then, once with the telescope, a low power wide field of view eyepiece is essential for sweeping it up.  Ramp up the power after you find it!

 

Also, in smaller scopes, M13 is not as fetching or impressive as other globulars are, such as M22, M5, and M3. Or, even M4 with its string of stars.

 

2.  A big shoutout for Turn Left at Orion! It revolutionized my star hopping and astronomy pursuits.  It's a gem.  The combination of constellation, finder, and telescope views is well designed, a joy to use, and makes finding things a piece of cake.  The sprinkling of good scientific information makes the entire journey even more enjoyable and helps you appreciate what you're seeing.  Highly recommended book!


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#83 Oldfracguy

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Posted 26 June 2023 - 09:37 PM

I live under light-polluted skies, and rarely can even make out the four stars of the Keystone in Hercules.  Two nights ago, though, I nabbed M13 in my 52-year-old 60mm f/11.67 achromat, only by carefully scanning the region I knew it to be.

 

I find the best way to locate M13 is to first locate the bright stars Vega and Arcturus.  They will be easily visible by about 10:30 PM now.  Draw an imaginary line between those two bright stars.  M13 is just under 1/2 of the way, about 40%, from Vega to Arcturus.  Using a good finder scope, like a 6x30, 8x50 or 9x50, try to find a fairly bright star in that general area along the line between Vega and Arcturus.  When you find it, look about 2.5 degrees South of the star.  If you see a small "blob", then you have found M13.  If you don't see that "blob", then you are on the wrong star.  The correct star to look from is just a very small amount to the North of the line between Vega and Arcturus.  It's actually one of the two dimmer stars that make up the corners of the Keystone, and is at the Northernmost corner of the Keystone.

 

With some practice you will be able to find M13.  ! Muy buena suerte !


Edited by Oldfracguy, 27 June 2023 - 11:14 AM.

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