This image shows globular cluster Messier 80, located 32,600 light years distant in the constellation of Scorpius. This cluster has undergone a core collapse and is among the densest of all globular clusters. It also features a very high number of blue stragglers due to the high capture and collision rate in its center. The cluster's diameter is about 95 light years and it contains several hundred thousand stars.

OPTICS 10" Newtonian f/5.2
MOUNT Losmandy G11 equatorial
CAMERA Philips ToUCam Pro SC1 webcam
FILTERS None
EXPOSURE 377 x 8.5s
DATE/TIME 04/06/2010
LOCATION My backyard observatory in west Auckland, New Zealand