What is a globular cluster and what will I see?
A globular cluster is a huge ball of millions of stars all held together by gravity. In binoculars, the largest and brightest of these are quite a sight! You will see an area about the size of a dime held at arm’s length that is a glowing ball that you just can’t quite resolve. It is possible to see many smaller and fainter ones as well. In a small telescope, the visual area decreases and if the aperture of your telescope exceeds binocular size, you will begin to resolve individual stellar members out from some of the oldest things in our galaxy. A reflector as small as 4.5″ will begin resolution and reveal the cores of dozens of them. You will also be able to pick up many distant ones too small for binoculars. They will appear similar to a “gone to seed” dandelion. A large telescope will almost completely resolve globular clusters—making them appear like ball-shaped fireworks. It is possible to see far too many stars to count!
