Messier 5, and V42, its brightest variable star.

[Xilman]

 

 

There are quite a few variable stars in Messier 5, though few people seem to go looking for them. This image shows V42, a RV Tauri type of pulsating variable. It was close to maximum brightness when the image was taken on 2021-07-02.

Those of you who like imaging M5 may wish to monitor how the VS changes the appearance of the cluster over time. Even if you prefer to use a Mark-1 eyeball the star's varying brightness is fairly easy to follow as it is around 11th magnitude.

 

35 seconds on an unfiltered SX 814 camera attached to a 0.4m Dilworth reflector.