Discovered 1702 by Gottfried Kirch.
M5 is a bright Globular Cluster in the constellation Serpens. It is considered one of the oldest globular clusters in our galaxy with an estimated age of 13 billion years. It is located approximately 24,500 light years from the Earth and is receding from our position at a speed of about 52 kilometers per second. (32.3 miles per second) The diameter of the cluster, including its faint outer stars, is about 165 light years; however, visually it appears somewhat smaller. The cluster is slightly elliptical in shape. In the image above, the major axis of the ellipse is from the 10:00 to 4:00 o’clock position. M5 can be seen with the aid of good binoculars under dark skies as a faint “fuzzy” spot. In moderately sized amateur telescopes, M5 is a spectacular object to view.
1http://www.seds.org/messier/m/m005.html