Hi Rob,
I continue to be very impressed by how far you are pushing your little Tasco. I tip's me lid to ya!
Just a couple of notes. The bright yellow/orange star next to the GC NGC 5286 is "M Centauri" (G8 III) and it is a condsiderable annoyance in observing the GC. Epsilon Centauri is quite nearby only 2.3 degrees southwest of the cluster and is a B1 III star with a B-V of -0.173 that should look cold white tending bluish but is not in the same field as the cluster.
The PNe you mention near NGC 5286 is NGC 5307 which I think will prove too much of a stretch for 10cm -- but have a go, you never know! It is 45 arc-mins in PA 77 (ie ENE of the globular). Mag 12.1 and 22" dia.
NGC 5102 probably holds the distinction of being the closest "lenticular" type (So) galaxy to the Milky Way -- though in some places it is classifiied as an Sa. It is a certain member of the nearby M83/Cen A* cluster of galaxies and as you note, Lambda Centauri is a real pain in observing (or imaging) it. I remember reading somewhere that it seems to be remarkably quiet in X-rays, strangely blue for its type, and has an unusually small number of G.Cs for a galaxy of its size/mass -- it is a small galaxy. From memory, in mass is in the same ball-park as the LMC, but only has 4 GCs (??) -- probably due to tidal stripping during close encounters with its really big neighbours.
Similarly, NGC 5068 is a possible member of the M83 group -- it has long been regarded as such because it has a very similar R/V, but it is a long, long way from the cluster's centre of mass and may instead be an isolated "field galaxy" that is not gravitationally bound to the cluster. Its overall structure is remarkably similar to the Milky Way (though a lot less massive). Look at an image of NGC 5068:
http://www.capella-observatory.com/I...es/NGC5068.htm
and then look at a diagram of the "barred" model of the Milky Way.
http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/milky_way_bar.jpg
The bar and some spiral structure in NGC 5068 can be seen in 40cm. There is a faint but really lovely edge-on spiral close-by (50 arc-mins) to the south -- NGC 5084.
Enjoyed your report as ususal!
Best,
Les D