GLOBULAR STAR CLUSTERS

The distance to M5 (NGC 5904) is about 24,500 light years distant. The cluster contains more than 100,000 stars and may contain as many as 500,000. It is 165 light years across and is one of the larger globular clusters known. It was discovered by Gottfried Kirch and his wife Maria in 1702. Charles Messier found it independently in 1764 and described it as a round “nebula.” William Herschel was able to resolve individual stars in the cluster in 1791 and counted 200 stars with his 40-foot long reflector. At magnitude 5.6, M5 can just barely be seen with the naked eye on a clear night if you have nice, dark skies. Technical/capture data here.