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| M70, A Globular Cluster, - this image cropped and reduced from the original photo, Click on photo above for a full frame full rez image. |
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Appearing almost as bright and big as its neighbor
M69,
globular star cluster M70 is almost at the same distance, 29,300 light
years. Both are quite close to the galactic center, so they are both subject
to quite strong tidal gravitational forces. Spatially, they may be only 1800
light years from one another. At -32 degrees declination, it is a difficult object to see or
photograph from mid northern latitudes. M70 appears to be about is 8.0 arc
minutes in visual diameter, corresponding to roughly 68 light years in
actual diameter. Its bright visual core is about 4 arc minutes across, and
is of extreme density. It has undergone a core collapse somewhere in its
history, similar to maybe 25-30 of the better known Milky Way globulars,
including the Messier globulars
M15,
M30,
and possibly
M62. It can be located just about exactly
between the two stars of the bottom of the Teapot. Globular cluster M70 come to amateur astronomer and the public's attention in 1995 when the great comet Hale-Bopp was discovered near it by Alan Hale and Thomas Bopp as they were observing this globular. |
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10"
F6.3 Schmidt Cassegrain Telescope, (1600mm F.L.) Modified Canon
300D camera with a Baader IR-UV filter and coma corrector, placed at the scopes prime focus |