M2: A globular cluster in Aquarius

Image taken: Oct. 1, 2010

Students: Patrick Mooney, Zhao Xi

Telescope: Meade 12 in with f/5.9

Camera: SBIG ST-10 CCD

Exposures: 2x300 sec (red), 2x300 sec (green), 2x300 sec (blue), a total of 15 minutes.

Image processing: CCDoops + CCDsharp + Photoshop CS.

Image taken: Nov. 8, 2004

Students: Blythe Keenum, Grace Blessey

Telescope: Meade 12 in with f/4.66 focal reducer (f=56in).

Camera: SBIG ST-7 CCD

Exposures: 12x10 sec (red), 12x10 sec (green), 20x10 sec (blue), a total of 7 minutes.

Image processing: CCDoops + CCDsharp + Photoshop 7.

Images taken: Oct. 2, 2003

Students: Christian Snider

Telescope: Meade 12 in with f/4 focal reducer (f=48in).

Size of the images: 15'x20'

Camera: SBIG ST-7 CCD

Exposures: 10x12 sec (red), 10x12 sec (green), 20x12 sec (blue) at medium resolution (2x2 binning).

Image processing: CCDoops + Photoshop Elements.

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M2 is one of the 110 globular clusters in our Galaxy, a fairly bright (6.4 mg) collection of a hundred thousand stars.