I first observed M15 last winter in my 4.5", and while it was OK - it didn't blow me away. Looking back at it, at the time it was starting to get low on the horizon and that 4.5" just doesn't have horsepower to do Globs right
I was revisiting many of the M's using my binoculars a month or two ago and when I came to M15, I was pleasantly supprised at how nice it was, compared to
MOST other globs in binculars. It has a very bright core, almost stellar like that tapers off to a dim circle - suprisingly bright in 10x50's. You'll never confuse it for M13 or M22, but after looking at ones like M9 - it is quite nice in binoculars!
After being so suprised by it in the binculars, I've gone back with the 10" scope. Its almost the "perfect" globular for a 10" - not the brightest or biggest, but its an amazing glob: The core is very bright, and almost resolvable - I get hints of graininess at the core and it feels like it "wants" to resolve to idividual stars, but its just to dang tight. Then it tapers off smothly to a disk of easily resolvable, but densly packed stars. That disk then tapers to a disk of scatter and fainter ring of stars. That disk finally resolves down to onsies and twosies that blend into the field.
I've run the power up and down, but anything between 125X and 200X gives me the most pleasing view!
Like I said - to date, it is my favorite Glob in my 10" F/5:
Not the biggest, not the brightest, not the gawdiest, but has all of the elements that are fun to study - it just keeps sucking you in: deeper and deeper
. I''l post my sketches and reports as soon as the clouds and the moon disappear.
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