Pegasus Cluster
About this image
aptured with my Sky-Watcher 127mm Maksutov at 1500mm, 30 × 60-second exposures.
M15 is a globular cluster: hundreds of thousands of ancient stars held together by gravity, around 35,000 light-years away and roughly 12 billion years old.
What fascinates me isn't simply its age or scale, but the question it represents.
These stars weren't individually placed into this extraordinary structure. Gravity, time and the initial conditions of the Universe were enough to bring matter together and keep this vast stellar community bound for billions of years.
Science gives us an increasingly detailed explanation of how structures such as M15 can form. But perhaps the more philosophical question is why the Universe possesses laws capable of creating such order from comparatively simple beginnings in the first place.
M15 has existed through most of cosmic history. The photons captured here travelled for around 35,000 years, only to end their journey on the sensor of a 5 inch telescope.
Sometimes looking into space provides answers. Sometimes it leaves you with better questions.
Image details
| Object type | globular star cluster |
|---|---|
| Catalogue | M15, NGC 7078, M 15 – NGC 7078 – MEL 234 |
| Constellation | Pegasus (Peg) |
| Observed | 2026 Sep 19 – 22:22 UTC |
| Location | Portsmouth, UK |
| Moon | First Quarter – 57% illuminated – age 8.1 days |
| WordPress categories | Star Clusters |
Equipment
| Telescope | Skywatcher 127 Mak |
|---|---|
| Camera | ZWO ASI2600MC Pro |
| Mount | Juwei 17 |
| Filter | None |
| Focal length | 1500mm |
| F-ratio | f/11 |
| Pixel scale | 0.52 arcsec/pixel |
Acquisition
| Exposure | 30 x 60s |
|---|---|
| Gain | Not recorded |
| Guiding RMS | 1-1.5 |
Posted from CityAstroLog.