Globular cluster · Coma Berenices
M53
Also known as: NGC 5024
mag 7.713′ across
About
M53 is a globular cluster of magnitude 7.7 in Coma Berenices, about 13′ across.
How to find it
- M53 is in the constellation Coma Berenices.
- Best evenings: around late May it is highest at about 9 pm (10 pm in summer time); a month earlier, two hours later.
- Where on Earth: it is seen well, at least 10° up, from north of 62° S.
When it rises and sets tonight, how high it climbs and how much the Moon gets in the way are worked out in your browser for your place.
What you will see
- EyesNot visible to the naked eye.
- Binoculars (10×50)A small fuzzy star.
- Telescope (6–8 inch)A bright round glow; its edges break into stars at high power.
For a dark country sky with no Moon. From a city, faint galaxies and nebulae can disappear completely.
Facts
| Designations | M53, NGC 5024 |
|---|---|
| Type | Globular cluster |
| Magnitude | 7.7The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Apparent size | 13′the full Moon is 31′ across |
| Surface brightness | ≈ 21.9 mag/arcsec²Estimate from the magnitude and size, per square arcsecond. |
| Constellation | Coma Berenices |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 12m 55.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +18° 10′ 09″ |
More in Coma Berenices
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Sources and credits
Catalog data: OpenNGC by Mattia Verga, CC BY-SA 4.0, and d3-celestial by Olaf Frohn, BSD 3-Clause. All data sources →