Messier Index/M3

NGC 5272 250px J2000 VI Canes Venatici 13 42 11.23SIMBAD Astronomical Database Results for NGC 5272 http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/Simbad 2006-11-15 28 22 31.6 33.9 kly 10.4 kpc +6.2 18′.0 4.87 x 1035 kg 245 000 90 ly - 8 x 109 years -8.93 - NGC 5272 Messier 3 (also known as M3 or NGC 5272) is a globular cluster in the constellation Canes Venatici. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1764, and resolved into stars by William Herschel around 1784. This cluster is one of the largest and brightest, and is made up of around 500,000 stars. It is located at a distance of about 33,900 light-years away from Earth. M3 has an apparent magnitude of 6.2, making it visible to the naked eye under dark conditions. From a moderate-sized telescope, the cluster is fully defined. External links SEDS Messier pages on M3 M3, Galactic Globular Clusters Database page