Messier 53 - Kugelsternhaufen
Messier 53 is a beautiful globular cluster in the constellation "Coma Berenices", which was discovered by J.E. Bode in February 1775 and is best
observed in spring. With an apparent brightness of 7.7mag and a diameter of 12.6', it can be seen even in a small telescope.
At a distance of 60,000 light-years, it is one of the more distant globular clusters, but is still gravitationally bound to our Milky Way. When examining
the stars for their metal content, it was discovered that the stars in Messier 53 are very metal-poor, meaning that the majority belong to Population I
stars. This means that the globular cluster has a high age of around 13.3 billion years. The diameter of the dense core is only 14 light-years, while
individual stars are still gravitationally bound to the cluster up to a distance of almost 800 light-years.
A light bridge of stars to the globular cluster NGC 5053 has been found in long-exposure photos, which could mean that the two form a double cluster
and have interacted in the past. This would be unique in the Milky Way.
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The view of Messier 53 on a dark night in my 20" f/3 Dobsonian is simply stunning. Since the globular cluster is rather small, a high magnification is
recommended.
At 380x, the globular is resolved into hundreds of faint stars - both in the core and in the outer regions. The core itself is relatively dense, although not
as dense as in Messier 15, for example. A brighter star can be seen in the halo, although I'm not sure whether it belongs to the cluster or if it is just a
foreground star. The outer areas of the cluster are loosely scattered and wide.
The surrounding region is relatively poor in stars, with a double star to the north of the cluster and two brighter stars to the south.
