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MESSIER OBJECT 3 - A globular cluster in Canes Venatici. It is approximately 34,000 light years distant contains nearly a half million stars and is around 200 light years in diameter. A notable feature is the large number of 'blue stragglers' seen in this cluster. These stars appear to stay on the main sequence (the hydrogen burning phase or mid-point in a star's evolution) longer than astronomers would expect. The theory behind this odd characteristic is that an interaction occurs with another star in the cluster which results in their outer layers being stripped off uncovering the hot stellar core within. Before this interaction the "blue stragglers "display the normal appearance of stars nearing the end of their lifetimes - burning at cooler temperatures and showing the expected red spectrum of older stars. This process disguises the old stars giving them the blue color associated with younger stars.
ST-8XE/CFW-8a with Tru-Balance color filter set on my Celestron 11" SCT working at f/6.3 with unguided sub-exposures of 30 seconds each. L15/R15/G15/B15 color frames binned 2x2 Imaged at Tres Placitas Observatory Santa Fe, NM February 17th, 2007
An Earlier Attempt
ST-7ME/CFW-8a with Tru-Balance color filter set on my Takahashi FS 102 working at f/8 with unguided sub-exposures of 30 seconds each. L30/R20/G20/B20 no binning Imaged at Tres Placitas Observatory Santa Fe, NM March 13th and 18th 2004
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