  The twelve bright (Lx>10(36) erg/s) X-ray sources in the globular clusters
have lower luminosities than the brightest sources in the bulge of our galaxy.
The dim (Lx<10(35) erg/s) X-ray sources in globular clusters reach higher
luminosities than the cataclysmic variables in the disk of our galaxy. The
first difference is a statistical fluke, as comparison with M31 indicates. The
second difference is explained because the brightest of the dim sources are not
cataclysmic variables, but soft X-ray transients in quiescence. This article
describes the BeppoSAX, ROSAT and first Chandra observations leading to these
conclusions.

Astrophysics