M3
NGC 5272 · Globular cluster in Canes Venatici
- Magnitude
- 6.2
- Size
- 18′
- Effective surface brightness
- 20.9 mag/arcsec²
- Best months
- Mar, Apr, May
- Declination
- +28°
- Filter
- None (broadband target)
One of the finest northern globulars, half a million stars in a tight ball. A spring showpiece that needs little time.
Reachable from mid-northern latitudes (UK, northern US, central Europe) and from the south.
How long with each smart telescope
| Telescope | In frame | Bortle 3 (rural) | Bortle 5 (suburban) | Bortle 7 (urban edge) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZWO Seestar S5010 s subs | 42% | 5 min30 subs | 7 min41 subs | 15 min92 subs |
| ZWO Seestar S50 Pro10 s subs | 22% | 5 min32 subs | 7 min45 subs | 17 min100 subs |
| ZWO Seestar S3010 s subs | 25% | 5 min31 subs | 7 min43 subs | 16 min94 subs |
| ZWO Seestar S30 Pro10 s subs | 13% | 6 min34 subs | 8 min47 subs | 18 min106 subs |
| DwarfLab DWARF 315 s subs | 18% | 8 min30 subs | 10 min39 subs | 23 min92 subs |
| DwarfLab DWARF mini15 s subs | 25% | 8 min30 subs | 8 min30 subs | 15 min61 subs |
| DwarfLab Draco30 s subs | 24% | 15 min30 subs | 15 min30 subs | 15 min30 subs |
| DwarfLab DWARF II15 s subs | 17% | 18 min74 subs | 24 min96 subs | 48 min191 subs |
| Vaonis Vespera II10 s subs | 21% | 5 min30 subs | 7 min41 subs | 15 min92 subs |
| Vaonis Vespera Pro10 s subs | 19% | 11 min67 subs | 15 min92 subs | 33 min200 subs |
| Vaonis Vespera 310 s subs | 20% | 5 min30 subs | 6 min39 subs | 15 min88 subs |
| Vaonis Vespera Pro 210 s subs | 18% | 10 min63 subs | 14 min87 subs | 32 min191 subs |
| Unistellar eQuinox 24 s subs | 53% | 5 min79 subs | 6 min97 subs | 12 min177 subs |
| Unistellar Odyssey4 s subs | 53% | 26 min393 subs | 31 min460 subs | 50 min751 subs |
| Celestron Origin10 s subs | 35% | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs |
| Celestron Origin Mark II10 s subs | 40% | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min36 subs |
Imaging the globular cluster
Globular clusters are point sources packed tight, so they come quickly: the core resolves into stars within a handful of minutes on any smart scope. More time deepens the halo and pulls in the faint outer members. Use short subs so the core does not saturate into a white blob, and no filter.
Per-telescope pages
- How long to image the M3 with the ZWO Seestar S50
- How long to image the M3 with the ZWO Seestar S50 Pro
- How long to image the M3 with the ZWO Seestar S30
- How long to image the M3 with the ZWO Seestar S30 Pro
- How long to image the M3 with the DwarfLab DWARF 3
- How long to image the M3 with the DwarfLab DWARF mini
- How long to image the M3 with the DwarfLab Draco
- How long to image the M3 with the DwarfLab DWARF II
- How long to image the M3 with the Vaonis Vespera II
- How long to image the M3 with the Vaonis Vespera Pro
- How long to image the M3 with the Vaonis Vespera 3
- How long to image the M3 with the Vaonis Vespera Pro 2
- How long to image the M3 with the Unistellar eQuinox 2
- How long to image the M3 with the Unistellar Odyssey
- How long to image the M3 with the Celestron Origin
- How long to image the M3 with the Celestron Origin Mark II