click the image above for 50% size
| Catalogue and alternative designations | M5,
NGC 5904
|
| Type | Globular Cluster |
| Position | 15 18 33, 02 04 52 |
| Constellation | Serpens |
| Camera and Telescope | STXL16200 and 36.8 cm Ritchey Chretien |
| Focal Ratio | F9 |
| Exposure Details | A LRGB image with Luminance unbinned and colours binned 2x2. The exposure times were Luminance = 110 minutes, Red = 70 minutes, Green = Blue = 60 minutes. |
| Description | M5 was discovered by Kirch in 1702 and noted by Messier in 1764. The first person to identify it as a star cluster was Herschel in 1791. At magnitude 5.95 it is theoretically just visible to the unaided eye. It's one of the largest globulars known with an apparent diameter of 23' and an actual diameter of 165 light years. The distance is about 24,500 light years. |