A Masterpiece of the Northern Sky
Often overshadowed by M13, many observers consider M5 to be the finest globular cluster in the northern celestial hemisphere. It is remarkably elliptical and contains an unusually high number of variable stars—over 100 known RR Lyrae stars—which have helped astronomers measure the distance to the cluster with high precision.
Imaging Challenges
- • Capturing the vast, faint outer halo without clipping the bright core.
- • Maintaining star color in the diverse population of aging red giants and blue stragglers.
- • Fine-tuning deconvolution to sharpen the exceptionally dense center.
M5 is one of the largest globular clusters known, spanning a physical diameter of roughly 165 light-years.