M 5
A bright globular cluster in Serpens, easy in binoculars as a fuzzy star.
Tonight from
Rise, highest point and set are worked out on your device for the place above.
What it is
- Kind of object
- Globular star cluster
- Distance
- 24,500 light years
- Brightness
- Magnitude 5.6, a sight for binoculars
- Size in the sky
- About half the width of the full Moon
- Constellation
- Serpens
- Catalogue
- M 5, NGC 5904
Figures from OpenNGC, CC BY-SA 4.0; the SEDS Messier catalogue, via Wikipedia’s table of Messier objects, CC BY-SA 4.0. All sources
Near it in the sky
- ArcturusAn orange giant in Boötes, about a hand span away.
- SpicaA blue-white main-sequence star in Virgo, about two hand spans away.
- M 4A globular cluster in Scorpius, about two hand spans away.
- AntaresA red supergiant in Scorpius, about two hand spans away.
- M 3A globular cluster in Canes Venatici, about two hand spans away.