A beautiful object for the binocular observer is the globular cluster M5. It is sometimes called the brightest globular of the northern hemisphere. To find M5, you can start with locating Alpha Serpentis. From there, slew your view 8° to the southwest until 5 Serpentis comes into view. M5 can then be found less than ½° to the northwest of 5 Ser. It is an interesting exercise to compare M5 with M13. From my latitude (51°N), I estimate M13 a little brighter. While some observers report that M5 shows a larger halo, I could not support that statement. I find M5’s halo a little smaller and fainter, and its core sharper, almost star like. Maybe the latitude of the observer and the type of binocular used, play a major role in the appearance of these mighty springtime globulars. One of the challenges for the sketcher is to render these globulars with their correct brightness. I have compared this sketch with the one of M13. Then I noticed that M5 was rendered too bright in relation with the rendering of M13. I‘ve dimmed M5 accordingly. I believe that the sketches now come closer to the ‘live’ observations.

Site : Bischofshofen, Austria
Date : May 3, 2008
Time : around 23.30UT
Binoculars : Bresser 8x56
FOV: 5.9°
Filter : none
Mount : Trico Machine Sky Window
Seeing : 3/5
Transp. : 4/5
Nelm : 6.0
Sketch Orientation : N up, W right.
Digital sketch made with Photo Paint, based on a raw pencil sketch.