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Photo credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA
Messier 5 or M5 (also designated NGC 5904) is a globular cluster in the constellation Serpens. It was discovered by Gottfried Kirch in 1702. Spanning 165 light-years in diameter, M5 is one of the larger globular clusters known. M5 is, under extremely good conditions, just visible to the naked eye as a faint star.