How to Find M13 & M92: Hercules Globular Cluster Guide

In this article I am going to explain how to find the globular clusters contained within the Hercules constellation the globular clusters are of course M13 the Great Globular Cluster and M92.

But what are globular clusters? If you imagine that the galaxy as a disk then globular clusters are like bees around in a galaxy, so still within the galaxies sphere of influence.

How to find M92

Click to enlarge M92 star chart

M92 is in fact one of the oldest globular clusters we know about. It is also closest to our reference star Vega. So to find the M92, look for Vega. Vega is the brightest star in the summer sky, from here you want to go east towards the base of the constellation Hercules. The stars that form the cornerstone are all around magnitude three stars. Then find the northeast star in the cornerstone of Pi Hercules, and if you head north at this point, I would recommend using a low-power eyepiece to scan the sky until you see a small sphere that is a little blurry this should be M92. A higher magnification will show you that the M92 contains more stars in a telescope with an aperture of six inches or more. M92 is actually made by many stars about 330,000 mass of the sun.

How to find the Great Globular Cluster (M13)

Click to enlarge M13 star chart

To find M13 the Great Globular Cluster again start with the reference star Vega move across until you find the keystone of Hercules just like for M92 then find the two stars on the western side of the box and go about halfway between them and slightly north here you should find the M13. I recommend again using a low powered eyepiece and scanning around a bit in case you have any issues then once you have found it go on to a higher power as you can see M13 is much more impressive than M92 in a small telescope and will show you a grainy texture while a telescope of six inches or more will show you the many stars M13 is composed of.

It is the most impressive globular cluster in the Northern Hemisphere, however it does in fact affect pale in comparison to Omega Centauri in the southern hemisphere there is approximately 10 million stars.

Bonus Target: Spotting NGC 6207 (The Galaxy Near M13)

Once you have centered the Great Hercules Cluster in your field of view, don't pack up just yet. Sitting just 28 arcminutes northeast of M13 is a hidden background target: NGC 6207, a faint spiral galaxy that offers an incredible sense of cosmic perspective.

At magnitude 11.6, NGC 6207 requires dark skies and an 8-inch or larger telescope for visual observers, although with a camera smaller aptures should be able to capture it. Through the eyepiece, it appears as a small, elongated streak of light drifting near the outer edge of the cluster.

Sitting less than half a degree away, NGC 6207 easily fits inside the same wide-field eyepiece or camera frame as M13. What makes this pairing so striking in long-exposure images is the sheer contrast in scale and distance. While M13 sits roughly 22,000 light-years away in our Milky Way's halo, NGC 6207 is an independent island universe residing over 30 million light-years in the deep background.

To see what these clusters look like through the eyepiece as well as star charts on where to find M13 and M92 please watch the episode below. If you would like to see more globular clusters M10 and M12 also make a great sight.

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