M5

This is one of the larger globular clusters that’s visible and high enough above the horizon to photograph here in the northeast. It’s slightly larger than the Hercules Cluster I recently photographed. It’s 25,000 light years away, but it spans 160 light years in diameter, which is why despite its lengthy distance, it appears as almost as large as the Moon from Earth. Containing over 100,000 stars, it’s one of the oldest structures in the universe at 13 billion years old. That’s twice as old as our solar system. Remember–the photograph taken above shows us what it looked like 25,000 years ago as its 25,000 light years away! I guarantee in 25,000 years from now it will not change much.

I love shooting globular clusters because they are bright, colorful, and bursting with stars. I take only 1 night to gather all the data that I need.

Below is the data I acquired for this photo, which was a record low of 2h 43m. I’m amazed at how good it came out with so little time.