#messier5

M5, NGC 5904 globular cluster.

Constellation Serpens

Distance: 24.500 ly

Messier 5 is a globular star cluster, 100,000 stars or more, bound by gravity and packed into a region around 165 light-years in diameter.

Messier 5

Messier 5 is a globular cluster located about 25,000 light years away towards the constellation Serpens, the Serpent. Though only about 165 light years across, the cluster contains some 100,000 stars or more, most more than 12 billion years old.

Messier 5 is one of the oldest globular clusters, already ancient satellites of galaxies. It orbits our own Milky Way. The stars of Messier 5 formed together from the same molecular cloud, and the most massive have already died in supernova explosions. Surprisingly, among the aging stars are younger looking blue stars, probably blue stragglers- the results of stellar collisions.

Messier 5

Messier 5 is a globular star cluster located about 25,000 light years away between the constellation Serpens (the Serpent) and Libra (the Balance). It is about 165 light years across and contains some 100 thousand stars or more.

The stars of Messier 5 are estimated at around 13 billion years old, making Messier 5 one of the oldest globular clusters. Globular clusters form early in the birth of a galaxy, and stick to the halo of their host galaxy.