M 5
M 5
M5 shows a distinct ellipticity, elongated at PA 50; it is thought to be one of the oldest globular clusters, with a computed age of 13 billion years. Its diameter is about 130 light years, making it one of the larger globular clusters. At its distance of 23,000 light years, this diameter is about 17 minutes of arc. M5 is receding from us at about 50 km/sec.
M5 contains the considerably large number of 105 known variable stars, one of them is a dwarf nova, according to Cecilia Payne-Gaposhkin.
Further informations and interesting details on M5 can be found Leos Ondra's article `Messier 5 and its Variables'. Thanks to Leos for allowing to include his article in this page ! It includes, among other interesting stuff, a Color-Magnitude Diagram of M5.
| Right ascension | 15 : 16.0 (hours : minutes) |
|---|---|
| Declination | +02 : 16 (degrees : minutes) |
| Distance | 30.0 (light-years*10^3) |
| Visual magnitude | 6.2 |
