M5, M13, M7, and the Quincunx of Serpens

Yeah, look that one up in your Funk and Wagnalls!  We got back from a visit with the kids in Columbia about 10:30 tonight and it was clear, cool, and dark.  I've been trying to find the Quincunx of Serpens the last couple of nights and tonight it was clear and dark enough to see it.  It's just a nice pattern forming the head of the Serpent that looks nice in binoculars.  I could easily make out 4 of the 5 stars and, knowing where the 5th one is located, convinced myself I could see it too.  The whole pattern fits in the field of my 7x50's and looks nice.  It is also a good starting point to find one of the globulars in Serpens: M5.  The trapezium of Hercules is nearby and obvious and has a really nice globular that is super easy to find: M13.  The open cluster M7 is another favorite of mine as it is near the stinger of my 'sign' which was up pretty high tonight.  M7 is still pretty low and down in the murk so it wasn't as spectacular as it can be but still visible unaided and nice in binoculars.  We're getting up early tomorrow to head to St. Louis for a Romney T dance this weekend so I decided to call it quits early.