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M15
Globular Star Cluster
| Right Ascension | 21h 29m 58s | Best Seen | 8/15-12/15 |
| Declination | 12° 10' 00" | Magnitude | 6.2 |
| Constellation | Pegasus | ||
Actual |
Compared to Sun |
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| Distance | ~33,600 ly | -- |
| Diameter | 120 ly | -- |
| Number of Stars | ~100,000 | -- |
| Actual Brightness | -- | 360,000 |
| Age | greater than 12 billion years | ~2.5 |
| Integrated Spectral Type | F3 | G2 V |
What To Look For Through The Telescope
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Recommended eyepiece: 40mm or 80 mm.
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When people look through the telescope the cluster will appear similar to a pile of sugar or salt on a table.
M15 Information
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This cluster has a slightly elliptical shape.
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Although it cannot be seen through the telescope, the northwestern portion of the cluster still has a portion of diffuse nebula.
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This cluster is approaching us at about 112 km/sec (70 mi/sec).
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The core of M15 is very dense. It is not certain whether or not there is a black hole at the center of the cluster.
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The first planetary nebula discovered in a globular cluster was found in M15. (Only three more planetary nebulae have been found in other clusters.)
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There are several pulsars in M15.
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References
| Item | Updated | Notes |
| Coordinates | 2002-08-14 | just “tweaked” a bit |
| Distance | 2002-08-14 | http://messier.seds.org/m/m015.html |
| Actual Brightness | 2002-08-14 | http://messier.seds.org/m/m015.html |
| Number of Stars | -- | |
| Diameter | 2002-08-14 | http://messier.seds.org/m/m015.html |
| Age | -- | |
| Integrated Spectral Type | 2002-11-22 | SIMBAD |
| Other | 2003-01-13 | http://messier.seds.org/m/m015.html http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap011210.html http://hubblesite.org/news_release/news/2002-18/year/2002 Uncertainty in black hole existence http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/01/030110192346.htm |