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| | Messier Object 5 |
 | | Globular cluster M5 was first seen by Gottfried Kirch and his wife Maria Margarethe on May 5, 1702, when they observed a comet, and described as a "nebulous star". |
 | | M5 shows a distinct ellipticity, elongated at position angle 50 degrees (position angles give the orientation of a feature in the celestial sphere; they are measured between North and the direction considered, in counterclockwise sense); it is thought to be one of the oldest globular clusters, with a computed age of 13 billion years. |
 | | To the west of M5 and up to 110 Virginis is a collection of faint distant galaxies including NGCs 5806, 5811, 5813, 5814, 5831, 5838, 5839, 5845, 5846, 5846A, 5848, 5850, 5854, 5864, 5865, 5869 and 5887, of brightnesses between mag 10.0 and 13.9, mostly requiring larger telescopes. |
| www.seds.org /messier/m/m005.html (766 words) |
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