What to image in August with the Vaonis Vespera Pro
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 gets a solid image of 24 of them in under an hour each; 25 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 | 6 min34 subs | 12 min72 subs |
| M26Scutum | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs | 12 min72 subs |
| M39Cygnus | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs | 12 min72 subs |
| Caroline's RoseCassiopeia | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs | 12 min72 subs |
| Wild Duck ClusterScutum | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 6 min37 subs | 13 min77 subs |
| M21Sagittarius | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 7 min40 subs | 14 min83 subs |
| M52Cassiopeia | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 7 min40 subs | 14 min83 subs |
| M18Sagittarius | Open cluster | 6 min39 subs | 9 min57 subs | 20 min119 subs |
| M29Cygnus | Open cluster | 8 min50 subs | 12 min73 subs | 25 min153 subs |
| NGC 6939Cepheus | Open cluster | 8 min50 subs | 12 min73 subs | 25 min153 subs |
| M28Sagittarius | Globular cluster | 9 min53 subs | 14 min83 subs | 31 min187 subs |
| Ring NebulaLyra | Planetary nebula | 11 min68 subs | 17 min103 subs | 37 min225 subs |
| Sagittarius Star CloudSagittarius | Star cloud | 12 min71 subs | 20 min118 subs | 47 min281 subs |
| M15Pegasus | Globular cluster | 13 min76 subs | 21 min129 subs | 51 min309 subs |
| M2Aquarius | Globular cluster | 14 min82 subs | 23 min138 subs | 56 min334 subs |
| M30Capricornus | Globular cluster | 16 min94 subs | 26 min157 subs | 1 h 02 min374 subs |
| Blinking PlanetaryCygnus | Planetary nebula | 17 min103 subs | 27 min164 subs | 1 h 02 min375 subs |
| Saturn NebulaAquarius | Planetary nebula | 17 min103 subs | 27 min164 subs | 1 h 02 min375 subs |
| M22Sagittarius | Globular cluster | 16 min95 subs | 27 min164 subs | 1 h 07 min402 subs |
| M55Sagittarius | Globular cluster | 18 min106 subs | 31 min184 subs | 1 h 16 min454 subs |
| M70Sagittarius | Globular cluster | 22 min131 subs | 36 min218 subs | 1 h 27 min521 subs |
| M69Sagittarius | Globular cluster | 22 min131 subs | 37 min224 subs | 1 h 31 min544 subs |
| M75Sagittarius | Globular cluster | 25 min151 subs | 42 min252 subs | 1 h 40 min599 subs |
| M71Sagitta | Globular cluster | 25 min151 subs | 42 min253 subs | 1 h 41 min606 subs |
| Dumbbell NebulaVulpecula | Planetary nebula | 34 min206 subs | 1 h361 subs | 2 h 29 min893 subs |
| Lagoon NebulaSagittarius | Emission nebula | 34 min206 subs | 1 h 03 min378 subs | 2 h 42 min971 subs |
| M54Sagittarius | Globular cluster | 35 min211 subs | 1 h 03 min381 subs | 2 h 41 min969 subs |
| Omega NebulaSagittarius | Emission nebula | 40 min240 subs | 1 h 12 min434 subs | 3 h 04 min1,107 subs |
| M56Lyra | Globular cluster | 50 min300 subs | 1 h 31 min544 subs | 3 h 51 min1,386 subs |
| Trifid NebulaSagittarius | Emission nebula | 1 h 18 min467 subs | 2 h 30 min899 subs | 6 h 38 min2,388 subs |
| M72Aquarius | Globular cluster | 1 h 26 min518 subs | 2 h 39 min956 subs | 6 h 52 min2,472 subs |
| Eagle NebulaSerpens | Emission nebula | 1 h 49 min655 subs | 3 h 33 min1,278 subs | 9 h 32 min3,431 subs |
| Iris NebulaCepheus | Reflection nebula | 2 h 09 min776 subs | 4 h 14 min1,525 subs | 11 h4,114 subs |
| Eastern Veil NebulaCygnus | Supernova remnant | 2 h 21 min846 subs | 4 h 38 min1,667 subs | 13 h4,506 subs |
| NGC 7331Pegasus | Galaxy | 2 h 26 min877 subs | 4 h 44 min1,705 subs | 13 h4,563 subs |
| North America NebulaCygnus | Emission nebula | 2 h 33 min921 subs | 5 h 04 min1,822 subs | 14 h4,935 subs |
| Western Veil NebulaCygnus | Supernova remnant | 2 h 47 min1,004 subs | 5 h 32 min1,992 subs | 15 h5,405 subs |
| Pelican NebulaCygnus | Emission nebula | 3 h 37 min1,302 subs | 7 h 14 min2,604 subs | 20 h7,103 subs |
| Helix NebulaAquarius | Planetary nebula | 3 h 37 min1,302 subs | 7 h 14 min2,604 subs | 20 h7,103 subs |
| Elephant's Trunk NebulaCepheus | Emission nebula | 4 h 18 min1,549 subs | 8 h 39 min3,114 subs | 24 h8,524 subs |
| Wizard NebulaCepheus | Emission nebula | 4 h 18 min1,549 subs | 8 h 39 min3,114 subs | 24 h8,524 subs |
| Tulip NebulaCygnus | Emission nebula | 4 h 18 min1,549 subs | 8 h 39 min3,114 subs | 24 h8,524 subs |
| NGC 6781Aquila | Planetary nebula | 4 h 51 min1,746 subs | 9 h 32 min3,432 subs | 26 h9,257 subs |
| Crescent NebulaCygnus | Emission nebula | 5 h 07 min1,845 subs | 10 h3,727 subs | 28 h10,230 subs |
| Bubble NebulaCassiopeia | Emission nebula | 5 h 07 min1,845 subs | 10 h3,727 subs | 28 h10,230 subs |
| Cocoon NebulaCygnus | Emission nebula | 5 h 23 min1,936 subs | 11 h3,893 subs | 30 h10,654 subs |
| Fireworks GalaxyCygnus | Galaxy | 5 h 52 min2,112 subs | 12 h4,247 subs | 32 h11,623 subs |
| NGC 6914Cygnus | Reflection nebula | 6 h 50 min2,462 subs | 14 h4,899 subs | 37 h13,319 subs |
| Cave NebulaCepheus | Emission nebula | 7 h 17 min2,624 subs | 15 h5,344 subs | 41 h14,744 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 3 · Vespera Pro 2 · eQuinox 2 · Odyssey · Origin · Origin Mark II
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