M5 Globular Cluster (MountainAir)

Celestial hemisphere: Northern · Constellation: Serpens (Ser) · Contains: M 5 · NGC 5904

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M5 Globular Cluster

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M5 Globular Cluster

Discovered in 1702, M5 is a fascinating globular cluster (as many are). It is 165 light years in diameter and only about 25,000 light years distant from Earth, making it one of the largest, closest and brightest globular clusters in the night sky. While it can just barely be perceived as a star with the naked eye, in binoculars it can appear like a circular nebula (which is now Messier included it in his catalog, until Herschel came along with a larger telescope and was able to resolve individual stars) and in larger telescopes it can be breath-taking.

M5 boasts a number of interesting features, but one that fascinates me is its collection of 105 variable stars. Cepheid variables, or in this case RR Lyrae variables, can be used to measure the distance of the object from the observer. The brightest variable in M5 can change from m10.6 to 12.1 in just 26.5 days!

This was the first time I imaged this giant, and I underestimated how bright it was (magnitude 5.6). I probably should have reduced my sub-exposure duration even at f/10.8, but I still think it turned out nicely. I sometimes feel other images of M5 over-use HDR techniques to be able to resolve stars closer to the core; this is an interesting and enjoyable approach, but it is not how this amazing object appears in the eyepiece.

Stacking in AstroPixelProcessor. DynamicCrop and DBE of each individual RGB panel in PixInsight, followed by Background Neutralization, image solving, SPCC, BlurXterminator (a very light run), GeneralizedHyperbolicStretch, CurvesTransformation, ColorSaturation, and NoiseXterminator.

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	Distinct awarded users	Total awarded images
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Distribution of subject types

This table shows the distribution of awards per subject type, compared to the popularity of images of that subject type.
	Image of the day	Top pick	Top pick nominations	Total submitted
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Distribution of data sources

This table shows the distribution of awards per data source, compared to the popularity of images acquired from that data source.
	Image of the day	Top pick	Top pick nominations	Total submitted
Backyard
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The “AstroBin Image of the Day and Top Picks”, or IOTD/TP, is a long-running system to promote beautiful, interesting, peculiar, or otherwise amazing astrophotographs, with a focus on technical excellence. Learn more.

Submitted The date and time when you submitted this image for IOTD/TP consideration.	...
Views by Submitters (available since September 19th, 2023) Every image is assigned to 50% of available Submitters. In the event that at least 80% of them don't view the image before its time in the IOTD/TP process expires, it's assigned to the other 50% of Submitters and the process begins anew.
Promotions by Submitters When 3 distinct Submitters promote the image, it moves on to the next stage of the process: evaluation for Top Pick status. This requirement, in addition to anonymization of images and distribution to only a subset of them, prevents biases and ensures that the best images are selected.
Promotions by Reviewers When 3 distinct Reviewers promote the image, it moves on to the next stage of the process: evaluation for IOTD status.
Early dismissal Staff members have a lot of images to inspect on a daily basis, and they can dismiss images if they believe they don't meet the requirements for IOTD/TP selection. If an image is dismissed 5 times, it's removed from the process. This streamlines the process and ensures that any bias present in promotions could be overruled by other staff members.

Status	Advanced failed
Started	...
Astrometry.net job	8043968
PixInsight job	2MMP6TH6GNKM4M18TGV855CGB0CAAUY8
PixInsight queue size	n/a
PixInsight stage	PLATE_SOLVING_IMAGE

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M5 Globular Cluster

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