That ‘patch’ of light is M13, the Great Globular Cluster

That ‘patch’ of light is M13, the Great Globular Cluster

In 1716, English astronomer Edmond Halley noted, “This is but a little Patch, but it shews itself to the naked Eye, when the Sky is serene and the Moon absent.” Of course, M13 is now modestly recognized as the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules, one of the brightest globular star clusters in the northern sky. […]