These are my five. The first four are celestial jewels, all four being naked eye objects. All are very distinct in their appearance, having their own signature quirks and stellar chains:
Omega Centauri
47 Tuc
NGC 6752 in Pavo
NGC 2808 in Carina
The fifth is the complete opposite to the others. It is small, faint, very distant and a bugger to make out from the massive star field that is M7 that it happens to be in the same line of sight with. I love chasing this one down as I also use it as a gauge on current seeing conditions. It resists resolution to all but larger apertures visually, and then it demands good conditions to make out just a handful of stars. This tiny GC is one of my all time favourite objects, mainly due to where it sits and the half dozen other objects that are also in the same line of sight at M7:
NGC 6453
I'm managed to sketch the first three noted. I'm hoping to sketch the other two next year.
NGC 5139 (Omega Centauri)
NGC 104 (47 Tuc)
NGC 6656 (M22)
NGC 6752
NGC 2808.
Cheers
It seems I have to install Picasa on my machine to view that file .
I don't want to bias things, but I will include mine when I do a summary of OC, GC, nebula, PN and galaxies.
Can't do that till Judith adds her favourites!
NGC 5139 (Omega Centauri)
NGC 104 (47 Tuc)
NGC 6656 (M22)
NGC 6752
NGC 2808.
Cheers
It seems I have to install Picasa on my machine to view that file .
I would probably agree with the exact 5 Ron has selected.
One that I really like which has not been mentioned by anyone is NGC 6397 in Ara. I could easily include it in my top five. If I was to do so I would probably drop out NGC 2808. They are very different, but both excellent globulars. On top of that, NGC 6397 has quite a bit of scientific significance. It is the 2nd closest globular to us (M4 being the closest), it has also undergone a core collapse and contains some of the hottest and most luminous stars of any globular cluster. Because of this and its close proximity, NGC 6397 contains the individual brightest stars of any globular cluster.
I would probably agree with the exact 5 Ron has selected.
One that I really like which has not been mentioned by anyone is NGC 6397 in Ara. I could easily include it in my top five. If I was to do so I would probably drop out NGC 2808. They are very different, but both excellent globulars. On top of that, NGC 6397 has quite a bit of scientific significance. It is the 2nd closest globular to us (M4 being the closest), it has also undergone a core collapse and contains some of the hottest and most luminous stars of any globular cluster. Because of this and its close proximity, NGC 6397 contains the individual brightest stars of any globular cluster.
Cheers,
John B
John, I did have thoughts of NGC 6397 as it is as you say a beautiful cluster, but NGC 2808 won out as it was the first GC that I saw in my 60mm refactor way back in 1986,and I thought I had spotted a comet,
I was so excited,till I found out what it was.
Still a must observation when it is in my observing range.
Cheers
