Messier 5. Messier 5 or M5 (also designated NGC 5904) is a globular cluster in the constellation Serpens. It was discovered by Gottfried Kirch in 1702. It should not be confused with the much fainter and more distant globular cluster Palomar 5, which is situated nearby in the sky. Discovery and visibility[edit] M5 is, under extremely good conditions, just visible to the naked eye as a faint "star" near the star 5 Serpentis. Binoculars or small telescopes will identify the object as non-stellar while larger telescopes will show some individual stars, of which the brightest are of apparent magnitude 12.2. M5 was discovered by the German astronomer Gottfried Kirch in 1702 when he was observing a comet. Characteristics[edit] M5 photographed with a DSLR camera. Spanning 165 light-years in diameter, M5 is one of the larger globular clusters known. At 13 billion years old, M5 is also one of the older globulars associated with the Milky Way Galaxy.
Notable stars[edit] References[edit] External links[edit] Eagle Nebula. A view of the stellar spire within M16, the Eagle Nebula. The Eagle Nebula (catalogued as Messier 16 or M16, and as NGC 6611, and also known as the Star Queen Nebula) is a young open cluster of stars in the constellation Serpens, discovered by Jean-Philippe de Cheseaux in 1745-46. Its name derives from its shape that is thought to resemble an eagle. It contains several active star-forming gas and dust regions, including the famous "Pillars of Creation", photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope. Characteristics[edit] The Eagle Nebula is part of a diffuse emission nebula, or H II region, which is catalogued as IC 4703. This region of active current star formation is about 7000 light-years distant. The brightest star in the nebula (HD 168076) has an apparent magnitude of +8.24, easily visible with good binoculars.
The descriptive names reflect impressions of the shape of the central pillar rising from the southeast into the central luminous area. "Pillars of Creation" region[edit] Scutum, Serpens Cauda. Serpens. Serpens ("the Serpent", Greek Ὄφις) is a constellation of the northern hemisphere. It was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations defined by the International Astronomical Union. It is unique among the modern constellations in being split into two non-contiguous parts, Serpens Caput (Serpent's Head) to the west and Serpens Cauda (Serpent's Tail) to the east. Between these two halves lies the constellation of Ophiuchus, the "Serpent-Bearer". In figurative representations, the body of the serpent is represented as passing behind Ophiuchus between μ Ser in Serpens Caput and ν Ser in Serpens Cauda.
The brightest star in Serpens is Unukalhai or Cor Serpentis "Serpent's Heart", with an apparent magnitude of 2.63. Notable features[edit] The constellation Serpens (Caput) as it can be seen by the naked eye. The constellation Serpens (Cauda) as it can be seen by the naked eye. Stars[edit] Deep-sky objects[edit] Corona Borealis, Serpens Caput.