Globular cluster · Canes Venatici
M3
Also known as: NGC 5272
mag 6.416′ across
About
M3 is a globular cluster of magnitude 6.4 in Canes Venatici, about 16′ across.
How to find it
- M3 is in the constellation Canes Venatici.
- Best evenings: around early June it is highest at about 9 pm (10 pm in summer time); a month earlier, two hours later.
- Where on Earth: it is seen well, at least 10° up, from north of 52° S.
When it rises and sets tonight, how high it climbs and how much the Moon gets in the way are worked out in your browser for your place.
What you will see
- EyesNot visible to the naked eye.
- Binoculars (10×50)A fuzzy ball, brighter towards the middle.
- Telescope (6–8 inch)Resolves into a swarm of stars at medium power, with a dense core.
For a dark country sky with no Moon. From a city, faint galaxies and nebulae can disappear completely.
Facts
| Designations | M3, NGC 5272 |
|---|---|
| Type | Globular cluster |
| Magnitude | 6.4The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Apparent size | 16′the full Moon is 31′ across |
| Surface brightness | ≈ 21.0 mag/arcsec²Estimate from the magnitude and size, per square arcsecond. |
| Constellation | Canes Venatici |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 42m 11.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +28° 22′ 31″ |
More in Canes Venatici
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Sources and credits
Catalog data: OpenNGC by Mattia Verga, CC BY-SA 4.0, and d3-celestial by Olaf Frohn, BSD 3-Clause. All data sources →