M5
NGC 5904 · Globular cluster in Serpens
- Magnitude
- 5.7
- Size
- 23′
- Effective surface brightness
- 20.9 mag/arcsec²
- Best months
- Apr, May, Jun
- Declination
- +2°
- Filter
- None (broadband target)
A bright, slightly elliptical globular in Serpens that rivals M13 and resolves into stars quickly.
Reachable from mid-northern latitudes (UK, northern US, central Europe) and from the south.
How long with each smart telescope
| Telescope | In frame | Bortle 3 (rural) | Bortle 5 (suburban) | Bortle 7 (urban edge) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZWO Seestar S5010 s subs | 53% | 5 min30 subs | 7 min43 subs | 16 min97 subs |
| ZWO Seestar S50 Pro10 s subs | 28% | 5 min33 subs | 8 min47 subs | 18 min106 subs |
| ZWO Seestar S3010 s subs | 32% | 5 min33 subs | 7 min45 subs | 17 min100 subs |
| ZWO Seestar S30 Pro10 s subs | 17% | 6 min35 subs | 8 min50 subs | 19 min112 subs |
| DwarfLab DWARF 315 s subs | 23% | 8 min30 subs | 10 min41 subs | 24 min97 subs |
| DwarfLab DWARF mini15 s subs | 32% | 8 min30 subs | 8 min30 subs | 16 min65 subs |
| DwarfLab Draco30 s subs | 31% | 15 min30 subs | 15 min30 subs | 15 min30 subs |
| DwarfLab DWARF II15 s subs | 21% | 19 min77 subs | 25 min101 subs | 50 min201 subs |
| Vaonis Vespera II10 s subs | 27% | 5 min30 subs | 7 min43 subs | 16 min97 subs |
| Vaonis Vespera Pro10 s subs | 24% | 12 min70 subs | 16 min96 subs | 35 min211 subs |
| Vaonis Vespera 310 s subs | 26% | 5 min30 subs | 7 min41 subs | 15 min93 subs |
| Vaonis Vespera Pro 210 s subs | 23% | 11 min66 subs | 15 min92 subs | 34 min202 subs |
| Unistellar eQuinox 24 s subs | 67% | 6 min83 subs | 7 min102 subs | 12 min187 subs |
| Unistellar Odyssey4 s subs | 68% | 28 min415 subs | 32 min485 subs | 53 min794 subs |
| Celestron Origin10 s subs | 45% | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs |
| Celestron Origin Mark II10 s subs | 51% | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min38 subs |
Imaging the globular cluster
Globular clusters are point sources packed tight, so they come quickly: the core resolves into stars within a handful of minutes on any smart scope. More time deepens the halo and pulls in the faint outer members. Use short subs so the core does not saturate into a white blob, and no filter.
Per-telescope pages
- How long to image the M5 with the ZWO Seestar S50
- How long to image the M5 with the ZWO Seestar S50 Pro
- How long to image the M5 with the ZWO Seestar S30
- How long to image the M5 with the ZWO Seestar S30 Pro
- How long to image the M5 with the DwarfLab DWARF 3
- How long to image the M5 with the DwarfLab DWARF mini
- How long to image the M5 with the DwarfLab Draco
- How long to image the M5 with the DwarfLab DWARF II
- How long to image the M5 with the Vaonis Vespera II
- How long to image the M5 with the Vaonis Vespera Pro
- How long to image the M5 with the Vaonis Vespera 3
- How long to image the M5 with the Vaonis Vespera Pro 2
- How long to image the M5 with the Unistellar eQuinox 2
- How long to image the M5 with the Unistellar Odyssey
- How long to image the M5 with the Celestron Origin
- How long to image the M5 with the Celestron Origin Mark II