Object Analysis

Messier 3 (M3) is a globular cluster of stars in the northern 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.

Located at a distance of about 33,900 light-years from Earth, M3 is unusual because it contains a remarkably high number of variable stars—stars that change in brightness over time. Specifically, it has 274 known variable stars, the highest number found in any globular cluster.

M3 is located in the galactic halo, far above the plane of the Milky Way. It is estimated to be 8 billion years old. While distinct, it is drifting through the halo on a chaotic orbit that takes it through the galactic plane every few hundred million years, stripping away its outer stars.