NGC 5617 is a small, compact open cluster of moderately faint stars in Centaurus, close to alpha centauri which is the bright star in the lower left of the photograph. It is situated in a fine field and is an excellent object in a telescope.
There are several other scattered open clusters in the photograph. Two of the more promient are Cor 283, situated just below NGC 5617, and Lynga 2, which is visible as a group of bright bluish stars near the right-hand edge.