M-19 (NGC-6273) A bright globular star cluster in the constellation Ophiuchus. Discovered by Charles Messier in 1764. This cluster is 28,000 light years from Earth and is 140 light years in diameter. It is one of the most oblate of all the globular clusters in our galaxy. The elongated shape is mainly caused by the extinction of light on the eastern edge of the cluster by intervening dust and gas.
This image, acquired on July 31, 2014, is a 30 minute integration of 3 minute exposures through the Celestron C-11 at f/2, using the HyperStar III imaging system and the Starlight Express SXVR-H694C color CCD camera, operating at -10 degrees below ambient temperature and binned 1 X 1. Guided, captured and combined using Maxim DL5 Pro. Post processed using PhotoShop CS2, Gradient XTerminator, StarShrink, Carboni's Astro Tools and NoiseWare.