First Glob!

[Jimbob]

So it was a very clear night on Sunday and I decided to have a look out my window with my Binos. Got some cracking views of the stars that are invisible to the naked eye. I decided to look on Stellarium and see if I could see some Globular Clusters. Firstly I was looking at Hercules trying to find M13 but that was not a success due to the issue of comfort haha, although it must have looked pretty funny from outside seeing someone bending over backwards out a window with a pair of binoculars looking straight up!

Anyway, after seeing which ones were the brightest (in the direction that my bedroom window faces) I tried to look for M5. I found the general area of where it was, got it star for star on Stellarium and I saw a faint fog in the area it was meant to be!

Not anything great but I know it was definately there! I need to get some binos with bigger objective lenses as these were only 10X25 But I'm happy anyways haha!

[Andrew*]

Well done for seeing it in such small binos Jim,

Wait till you get it in the scope - individual stars will start popping out of the "faint fog" - it's quite awesome!

Andrew

[Paxo]

Well done JimBob, it's such a good feeling when something appears where it's supposed to be. Try and see if you can get M13, it's a much brighter object for your binos.

Steve.

[Andrew*]

Emm, Steve. M5 is magnitude 5.65 and M13 is mag 5.75 according to my sources. Not a lot between them, but I believe M13 is more impressive telescopically.

Andrew

[Paxo]

I've got very sensitive eyes, though my data, and practical experience, states an apparent magnitude of 6.65 and for M5 and 5.8 for M13 respectively which is why the later is naked eye visible under good skies (eye limit 6.0ish) and M5 is't. Either way, IMHO M13 is a much more impressive sight. Hope this hasn't confused you JimBob, just go out and enjoy what nature has to offer.

Steve

[Andrew*]

Interesting, Steve, I wonder why the discrepancy. I read that info off SN pro 4. I didn't mean to undermine you of course. Did you see M13 naked eye at Kielder? That was quite a cool moment for me!

Just checked SN again. If I hover over the object, NGC5905 comes up with mag 5.65, but if I hang over a different spot, (the same thing :scratch:) it gives it as M5 and mag 7.0.

Weird.

Andrew

[Paxo]

Andrew,

It was a wonderful naked eye sight at Kielder, and managed to image as well. I

t's amazing though, the brightest star contained in M13 is the variable star V11 at apparent mag 11.95, its just the close proximity to several hundred thousand other stars that gives the overall apparent magnitude. The brightest individual stars in M5 are 12.2, theres just less of them (estimates from 100,000 to 500,000), but does contain many variable stars.

M5 is approx 80ly in diameter, M13 84ly, but their relative distance from earth 24.5 to 25.1 kly respectively renders them the same size to us.

As you may have guessed, I'm a bit of a glob fan....

Steve

[zhgutas]

What I found observing even with my small 102 frac (when I still had it ) That it is not really the matter of size, brightness or something like it that gives you pleasure, but the very finding itself. It is nice to know that you're not just looking at some "blob" but at a, lets say, M5, a huge snowball spanning more than 150 ly and composed of nearly half a million of stars, shining for over 10 billion years!! That's something, I'd say, not a "blob" Good luck with your further hunts!! keep informing us

Marius

marius

[Paxo]

Sorry Marius, it wasn't my intention to take any enjoyment of JimBob's experience, quite the opposite in fact, and concur with all of your remarks. I personally get a lot of enjoyment out of understanding the evolution and structure of globular clusters which goes back 15 years or more now, so I was just trying to add to the experience not detract from it.

Steve

[Jimbob]

Thanks for the replies and I think you are all correct with what you're saying. I know it was just a "faint fog" but as Marius said, it's just knowing that it's there and that I can see it

Been really interesting reading what you all have to say! Keep 'em coming!!!

It's nice to see that people aren't getting bored by my threads about my first sights of things haha.

Jamie

[zhgutas]

Sorry Marius, it wasn't my intention to take any enjoyment of JimBob's experience, quite the opposite in fact, and concur with all of your remarks. I personally get a lot of enjoyment out of understanding the evolution and structure of globular clusters which goes back 15 years or more now, so I was just trying to add to the experience not detract from it.

Steve

Oh, I am really sorry Steve, but that was nothing but a pure coincidence and misunderstanding! I actually did NOT read the other posts, my reply was directly to Jamies one, so I had No intention on offending you! sorry if I did, as I said, that's a pure coincidence

Marius

[Paxo]

Marius, No offence taken, no need to apologise, and,

Jamie, keep the reports coming.

Steve

[Jimbob]

will do really enjoying this new hobby!