What to image in August with the Vaonis Vespera Pro 2
The summer nebulae at their best in the evening: the North America and Pelican, the Veil, the Crescent and the Eagle. Dark from about 22:00 at British latitudes again. The Perseids give a night to skip imaging and just look up.
Moon in August 2027: new on 2 Aug and 31 Aug, full on 17 Aug. Broadband targets (galaxies, clusters) want the week either side of new; emission nebulae behind a dual-band filter tolerate the rest.
49 targets transit near midnight in August. From a suburban sky the Vespera Pro 2 gets a solid image of 26 of them in under an hour each; 23 need longer, or a darker sky, or several nights. Times below use the recommended filter and 10 s subs.
| Target | Type | Bortle 4 | Bortle 6 | Bortle 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M25Sagittarius | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min33 subs | 11 min69 subs |
| M26Scutum | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min33 subs | 11 min69 subs |
| M39Cygnus | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min33 subs | 11 min69 subs |
| Caroline's RoseCassiopeia | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min33 subs | 11 min69 subs |
| Wild Duck ClusterScutum | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 6 min35 subs | 12 min74 subs |
| M21Sagittarius | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 6 min38 subs | 13 min79 subs |
| M52Cassiopeia | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 6 min38 subs | 13 min79 subs |
| M18Sagittarius | Open cluster | 6 min37 subs | 9 min54 subs | 19 min114 subs |
| M29Cygnus | Open cluster | 8 min48 subs | 12 min70 subs | 24 min147 subs |
| NGC 6939Cepheus | Open cluster | 8 min48 subs | 12 min70 subs | 24 min147 subs |
| M28Sagittarius | Globular cluster | 8 min51 subs | 13 min80 subs | 30 min179 subs |
| Ring NebulaLyra | Planetary nebula | 11 min65 subs | 16 min99 subs | 36 min216 subs |
| Sagittarius Star CloudSagittarius | Star cloud | 11 min67 subs | 19 min112 subs | 45 min269 subs |
| M15Pegasus | Globular cluster | 12 min73 subs | 20 min123 subs | 49 min296 subs |
| M2Aquarius | Globular cluster | 13 min78 subs | 22 min132 subs | 53 min320 subs |
| M30Capricornus | Globular cluster | 15 min89 subs | 25 min150 subs | 1 h358 subs |
| Blinking PlanetaryCygnus | Planetary nebula | 16 min98 subs | 26 min157 subs | 1 h360 subs |
| Saturn NebulaAquarius | Planetary nebula | 16 min98 subs | 26 min157 subs | 1 h360 subs |
| M22Sagittarius | Globular cluster | 15 min91 subs | 26 min157 subs | 1 h 04 min385 subs |
| M55Sagittarius | Globular cluster | 17 min100 subs | 29 min175 subs | 1 h 12 min434 subs |
| M70Sagittarius | Globular cluster | 21 min124 subs | 35 min208 subs | 1 h 23 min499 subs |
| M69Sagittarius | Globular cluster | 21 min125 subs | 36 min214 subs | 1 h 27 min522 subs |
| M75Sagittarius | Globular cluster | 24 min144 subs | 40 min240 subs | 1 h 36 min574 subs |
| M71Sagitta | Globular cluster | 24 min144 subs | 40 min242 subs | 1 h 37 min581 subs |
| Dumbbell NebulaVulpecula | Planetary nebula | 33 min196 subs | 57 min344 subs | 2 h 22 min855 subs |
| Lagoon NebulaSagittarius | Emission nebula | 32 min195 subs | 1 h360 subs | 2 h 35 min930 subs |
| M54Sagittarius | Globular cluster | 33 min200 subs | 1 h 01 min364 subs | 2 h 35 min929 subs |
| Omega NebulaSagittarius | Emission nebula | 38 min227 subs | 1 h 09 min414 subs | 2 h 57 min1,060 subs |
| M56Lyra | Globular cluster | 47 min284 subs | 1 h 26 min518 subs | 3 h 41 min1,327 subs |
| Trifid NebulaSagittarius | Emission nebula | 1 h 14 min442 subs | 2 h 23 min857 subs | 6 h 21 min2,287 subs |
| M72Aquarius | Globular cluster | 1 h 22 min491 subs | 2 h 32 min912 subs | 6 h 35 min2,368 subs |
| Eagle NebulaSerpens | Emission nebula | 1 h 43 min620 subs | 3 h 23 min1,218 subs | 9 h 08 min3,286 subs |
| Iris NebulaCepheus | Reflection nebula | 2 h 02 min734 subs | 4 h 02 min1,454 subs | 11 h3,940 subs |
| Eastern Veil NebulaCygnus | Supernova remnant | 2 h 13 min800 subs | 4 h 25 min1,589 subs | 12 h4,315 subs |
| NGC 7331Pegasus | Galaxy | 2 h 18 min830 subs | 4 h 31 min1,625 subs | 12 h4,370 subs |
| North America NebulaCygnus | Emission nebula | 2 h 25 min871 subs | 4 h 49 min1,736 subs | 13 h4,726 subs |
| Western Veil NebulaCygnus | Supernova remnant | 2 h 38 min950 subs | 5 h 16 min1,898 subs | 14 h5,176 subs |
| Pelican NebulaCygnus | Emission nebula | 3 h 25 min1,231 subs | 6 h 53 min2,481 subs | 19 h6,802 subs |
| Helix NebulaAquarius | Planetary nebula | 3 h 25 min1,231 subs | 6 h 53 min2,481 subs | 19 h6,802 subs |
| Elephant's Trunk NebulaCepheus | Emission nebula | 4 h 04 min1,464 subs | 8 h 15 min2,968 subs | 23 h8,163 subs |
| Wizard NebulaCepheus | Emission nebula | 4 h 04 min1,464 subs | 8 h 15 min2,968 subs | 23 h8,163 subs |
| Tulip NebulaCygnus | Emission nebula | 4 h 04 min1,464 subs | 8 h 15 min2,968 subs | 23 h8,163 subs |
| NGC 6781Aquila | Planetary nebula | 4 h 35 min1,652 subs | 9 h 05 min3,271 subs | 25 h8,865 subs |
| Crescent NebulaCygnus | Emission nebula | 4 h 51 min1,744 subs | 9 h 52 min3,552 subs | 27 h9,797 subs |
| Bubble NebulaCassiopeia | Emission nebula | 4 h 51 min1,744 subs | 9 h 52 min3,552 subs | 27 h9,797 subs |
| Cocoon NebulaCygnus | Emission nebula | 5 h 05 min1,830 subs | 10 h3,710 subs | 28 h10,203 subs |
| Fireworks GalaxyCygnus | Galaxy | 5 h 33 min1,997 subs | 11 h4,047 subs | 31 h11,131 subs |
| NGC 6914Cygnus | Reflection nebula | 6 h 28 min2,328 subs | 13 h4,668 subs | 35 h12,755 subs |
| Cave NebulaCepheus | Emission nebula | 6 h 53 min2,479 subs | 14 h5,092 subs | 39 h14,120 subs |
Other telescopes in August: Seestar S50 · Seestar S50 Pro · Seestar S30 · Seestar S30 Pro · DWARF 3 · DWARF mini · Draco · DWARF II · Vespera II · Vespera Pro · Vespera 3 · eQuinox 2 · Odyssey · Origin · Origin Mark II
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