M4 Easy target for small telescopes

New telescope users often ask "what is there to look at?"  I usually answer this question by saying "look at the moon" or "over there is the planet....."  But after a while you want to look at something much further away.  Globular Clusters certainly fill this bill.

A very easy Globular Cluster to locate is M4 in the constellation Scorpius (see the image below).  M4 is not as famous as M13 in Hercules, but M4 has the advantage of being very close to a bright, easy to see star, namely Antares.

To locate M4, point your telescope (or binoculars if you happen to be under very dark skies) and begin tracking toward the west.  M4 is only about 1 1/2 degrees to the west of Antares.  Remember though, some telescopes invert the image so it may LOOK like you're going to the East.  When in doubt start moving the scope and trust your hands instead of your eyes.

I saw M4 first at a big star party not far from Laramie Wyoming.  It was actually visible to the naked eye (faint and fuzzy but still there) which made pointing the telescope easy.

Anyone else out there like hunting globulars?  Which is your favorite globular cluster in a telescope?

Image created by the author using Stellarium