So what's a globular cluster doing in the "Galaxy" section? Well, it's beginning to look like some globular clusters are the remnant cores of miniature galaxies. When our galaxy was forming, a lot of peripheral areas condensed on their own, and contracted into various forms of nearby miniature galaxies. (see the Andromeda galaxy) However the accumulating mass and size of the main area meant that these smaller galaxies got grabbed, absorbed, and stripped of their peripheries. What remains are their ancient cores. This example, the Hercules cluster, has at least a half million stars. It's about 10,000 light years from us and is one of the closest clusters to us. All globular clusters tend to be found near the middle and central area of our Milky Way. This cluster is actually visible with the unaided eye, but that does require a dark area and a clear night. With binoculars, it is clearly visible as a fuzzy star. It's located in the central area of the Hercules constellation, high in the sky to the west of the Milky way.

10" F6.3 Schmidt Cassegrain Telescope, Canon 300D camera at Prime Focus
5 photos, each of 100 sec exposure at ISO 800
Averaged together, then brightness and contrast enhanced