NGC 5897

{{Short description|Globular cluster in the constellation Libra}}

{{Infobox globular cluster

| name = NGC 5897

| class = XI

| image = 300px

| caption = The globular cluster NGC 5897 imaged with an amateur telescope.

| credit =

| epoch = J2000

| constellation = Libra

| ra = {{RA|15|17|24.40}}{{cite simbad|title=NGC 5897|access-date=8 January 2017}}

| dec = {{DEC|-21|00|36.4}}

| dist_ly = 24.1 kly
(7.4 kpc)

| appmag_v = 8.52

| size_v =

| mass_msol =

| radius_arcminsec = 6.3' x 6.3'{{cite web|title=NGC 5897|url=http://spider.seds.org/spider/MWGC/n5897.html|access-date=7 January 2016}}

| v_hb =

| metal_fe = −2.04{{±|0.15}}{{citation|arxiv=1403.1262|year=2014|title=The chemical composition of a regular halo globular cluster: NGC 5897|doi=10.1051/0004-6361/201323119 |last1=Koch |first1=Andreas |last2=McWilliam |first2=Andrew |journal=Astronomy & Astrophysics |volume=565 |pages=A23 |s2cid=53958921 }}

| metal_z =

| age =

| notes =

| names = GCl 33, C 1514-208

}}

NGC 5897 is a globular cluster in the constellation Libra. This satellite of the Milky Way, which is quite remote (located about 41,000 light years away), has a diameter of over 170 light years. With its Shapley–Sawyer Concentration Class of XI, it has very low star density even in its center.

The stars of the cluster have only 0.91% of the Sun's metallicity,{{cite web|title=A Galactic Globular Clusters Database: NGC 5897|url=http://gclusters.altervista.org/cluster_4.php?ggc=NGC+5897|access-date=8 January 2017}} while the abundance of elements produced by the alpha process is roughly 5 times larger. This means that the cluster formed in a time before the galaxy formed a disk and spiral arms. However, some of the stars are apparently younger, indicating multiple star-forming epochs.

NGC 5897 has a diameter of 12.6 arcminutes and an apparent magnitude of 8.5.