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Left: amateur image, right: Hubble image of Messier 53. Both images reveal a sphere of stars. However, the Hubble image resolves individual stars in the bright core of the cluster.

Messier 53: Amateur Image vs. Hubble Image

Messier 53 (M53) is a globular star cluster some 59,700 light-years in the constellation Coma Berenices. The left image was taken with an 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope using a 0.63x focal reducer and a DSLR Camera. The right image was taken by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope.

Image Credit: Amateur Image: Photographed by and used with permission of K. Hartnett; Hubble Image: ESA/Hubble & NASA
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