"Messier 3 (M3, NGC 5272) is one of the most outstanding globular clusters, containing an estimated half million stars. It is famous for the large number of variable stars discovered in it. Situated in the Galactic halo, out about 40,000 light-years from the Galactic Center, M3 is moving on a box-type orbit of approximate excentricity 0.55, which takes it out up to 66,000 light-years apogalactic distance and up to 49,000 light-years above and below the Galactic plane (currently it is about 33,000 light-years above - i.e., north of - that plane). On the other hand, its perigalactic distance is only 22,000 light-years - at that distance, the tidal radius of M3 will go down to below 200 light-years, so that the outermost stars may easily escape from this globular cluster."-SEDS.ORG

Takahashi TOA130S, NJP Temma 2 mount and PWT Pinnacle pier
SBIG ST2000XM CCD camera with Astrodon i-series LRGB filters. Guided by an E-finder and STL remote guidehead.
Exposure: Luminance:10 mins, RGB: 10:10:10mins with 2 mins subexposure.
Image capture: MaxIm DL. Image processing with CCD Stack and PS CS2
Taken last May 2008 in Jackson, Ohio