The bright globular cluster Messier 5 (NGC 5904) in Serpens, shown from a 15-second yellow-light (V-band) exposure (in twilight) with a Tektronix 2048x2048 CCD at the prime focus of the 4-meter Mayall telescope of Kitt Peak National Observatory. North is at the top and east to the left, for direct comparison with a chart or eyepiece view. The image has been block-averaged to 512x512 for this presentation, which uses a logarithmic intensity transformation to preserve information across a wide dynamic range. The field is 14.3 arcminutes square.
For comparison, here is a BVR 3-color composite image from the 1-meter SARA telescope at Kitt Peak.
This is one of the brighter globular clusters visible from the northern hemisphere, with a listed magnitude of 5.8 (not to be more specific, that's from the Sky Publishing Messier Card).
Last changes: 9/2018 © 2001,2018