Monday 23rd to Sunday 29th August 2021
If you look towards the west at around 10pm, you should be able to see the constellation of Hercules. Two thirds of the way up the right hand side of the 4 stars that make up the "keystone" shape in the constellation is M13, the best globular cluster visible in the northern hemisphere.
The cluster is composed of hundreds of thousands of stars and is approximately 22,000 light years away from us. If you are in a very dark location, the cluster is just visible with the naked eye, but better to use binoculars or a telescope.
In 1974, a message containing information about the human race was beamed towards M13 from the radio telescope at Arecibo. Travelling at the speed of light, it's going to be quite a while before any aliens receive the message and then another 22,000 years before we hear a reply!
While your waiting, look above Hercules towards the constellation of Lyra and spot the bright star Vega. Just to the left of the bright star Vega in Lyra is the multiple star system Epsilon Lyrae often called the "Double-Double". With binoculars a binary star is seen, but when observed with a telescope, each of these two stars is revealed to be a double star - hence the name!
Screenshots courtesy of Stellarium
Copyright Adrian Dening and Radio Ninesprings 2021
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