Going into Friday, May 20, 2017 I required four more observations of deep-sky objects on the Explore the Universe list. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to find three. The first one I found was a globular cluster in a constellation known as Serpens. Serpens is a strange constellation as it is split up into two non-contiguous sections bisected by Ophiuchus Serpens contains Serpens Caput (head) and Serpens Cauda (tail) where the body of Serpens is represented going behind Ophiuchus. This was just when I thought the constellations started to make sense.
For more information about globular clusters please see my blog post from January 18, 2017 linked below.
What is a Globular Cluster?
Messier 5 is an amazing globular cluster. It spans 160 light years across and may contain up to half a million stars. It is also one of the oldest globular clusters at an age of roughly 13 billion years. An image I took of this cluster is shown below.
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| Messier 5 |
Its arclength in the sky is 23' and it spanned about a third of my field of view with my 25mm eyepiece. After spending the Spring viewing open clusters it was a rewarding experience to come back to the Summer globulars. The observation record is shown below.
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| M5 Observation Record |
Messier objects are fun to find and the hunt is just as exciting. It is like the thrill of finding Waldo in a difficult scene. I am slowly working on the Messier certification however, it will be difficult and the work will likely span several years. Also, I would like to get back into observing the Moon. There is a new lunar observing program that is not as exhaustive as the Isabel Williamson Lunar Observing Program. It might be a good place to start.
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