Go / no go for deep skyGo / no go for deep sky imaging
M14
globular cluster in Ophiuchus
M14 is a fairly large but faint globular cluster in Ophiuchus. It is a long way off, so its stars look dimmer than those in the brighter globulars nearby, and it needs a bit more exposure to bring out the halo.
Save your telescope or lens on the planner to lay your camera frame over this diagram.
// Key facts
- Catalog
- M14
- Type
- globular cluster
- Constellation
- Ophiuchus
- Size
- 11′ across
- Brightness
- Magnitude 7.6
- Distance
- about 30,000 light-years
- Peak month (any location)
- Jun
- Typical prime months
- Apr to Aug
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Filter
- No filter (broadband)
Pick a saved location or share your device location. Your coordinates are used only to calculate tonight and are not stored. To save locations, use the planner.
How to image M14
- Plan for longer total exposure than for M10 or M12 to bring up the fainter outer stars.
- At 11 arcminutes it benefits from 1,000 mm or more.
- Dark skies help more here than for the bright globulars, because the halo is faint.
Framing: what focal length?
M14 is small, so a "60% of the frame" focal length would be impractical. Here is how much of an APS-C frame it covers at common long focal lengths; expect to crop.
| Focal length | Share of the frame width |
|---|---|
| 1,000 mm | about 14% |
| 2,000 mm | about 27% |
| 3,000 mm | about 41% |
How high does it climb from your latitude?
The highest point M14 reaches in the sky. Above about 60° is excellent, 30° to 60° is workable, and under 30° you are looking through a lot of air.
| Latitude | Highest point | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 55°N (Scotland, Alaska) | 32° | Workable |
| 45°N (Minneapolis, Milan) | 42° | Workable |
| 35°N (Los Angeles, Tokyo) | 52° | Workable |
| 25°N (Miami, Cairo) | 62° | High in the sky |
| 35°S (Sydney, Santiago) | 58° | Workable |
Also worth imaging
Want a GO / NO-GO verdict for tonight, with clouds, moon, seeing and a full dark-window timeline?
Open the planner