M3 Info
This pretty globular cluster is about 12-15' in diameter and handles magnification rather well. There are many stars arranged in curving chains resolved at its edges. The center is very dense, and was not resolved in my scope, which showed a granulated center.
M3 is one of the most outstanding globular clusters, containing an estimated half million stars! It is extremely rich in variable stars. According to B. Madore, 212 variables have been found, 186 periods determined, more than in every other globular cluster in our Milky Way galaxy (and thus the most ever observed); at least 170 RR Lyrae variables were discovered.