What to image in December
Orion is back in the evening sky with the Pleiades above it and the Rosette rising. Andromeda is still high early on. Christmas Moon permitting, the longest nights of the year give the most integration per night you will get.
Moon in December 2026: new on 9 Dec, full on 24 Dec. Broadband targets (galaxies, clusters) want the week either side of new; emission nebulae behind a dual-band filter tolerate the rest.
By telescope
- December with the ZWO Seestar S50
- December with the ZWO Seestar S50 Pro
- December with the ZWO Seestar S30
- December with the ZWO Seestar S30 Pro
- December with the DwarfLab DWARF 3
- December with the DwarfLab DWARF mini
- December with the DwarfLab Draco
- December with the DwarfLab DWARF II
- December with the Vaonis Vespera II
- December with the Vaonis Vespera Pro
- December with the Vaonis Vespera 3
- December with the Vaonis Vespera Pro 2
- December with the Unistellar eQuinox 2
- December with the Unistellar Odyssey
- December with the Celestron Origin
- December with the Celestron Origin Mark II
December's targets, Seestar S50 baseline
| Target | Type | Bortle 4 | Bortle 6 | Bortle 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M34Perseus | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs |
| M35Gemini | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs |
| M36Auriga | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 7 min42 subs |
| M37Auriga | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs |
| M38Auriga | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs |
| M41Canis Major | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs |
| M46Puppis | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs |
| M47Puppis | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs |
| M50Monoceros | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs |
| M93Puppis | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs |
| Double ClusterPerseus | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs |
| Rosette ClusterMonoceros | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs |
| NGC 1893Auriga | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 8 min46 subs |
| Eskimo NebulaGemini | Planetary nebula | 9 min53 subs | 10 min62 subs | 15 min93 subs |
| Orion NebulaOrion | Emission nebula | 10 min61 subs | 12 min75 subs | 21 min125 subs |
| M79Lepus | Globular cluster | 9 min55 subs | 16 min96 subs | 40 min238 subs |
| Crab NebulaTaurus | Supernova remnant | 23 min136 subs | 28 min168 subs | 47 min280 subs |
| M77Cetus | Galaxy | 17 min100 subs | 30 min182 subs | 1 h 17 min464 subs |
| De Mairan's NebulaOrion | Emission nebula | 24 min147 subs | 32 min190 subs | 57 min340 subs |
| Flame NebulaOrion | Emission nebula | 24 min147 subs | 32 min190 subs | 57 min340 subs |
| Tarantula NebulaDorado | Emission nebula | 24 min147 subs | 32 min190 subs | 57 min340 subs |
| M78Orion | Reflection nebula | 32 min193 subs | 1 h 03 min377 subs | 2 h 49 min1,013 subs |
| Running Man NebulaOrion | Reflection nebula | 33 min197 subs | 1 h 07 min402 subs | 3 h 05 min1,111 subs |
| Rosette NebulaMonoceros | Emission nebula | 1 h 03 min381 subs | 1 h 25 min512 subs | 2 h 41 min965 subs |
| Flaming Star NebulaAuriga | Emission nebula | 1 h 15 min449 subs | 1 h 41 min607 subs | 3 h 12 min1,152 subs |
| Monkey Head NebulaOrion | Emission nebula | 1 h 15 min449 subs | 1 h 41 min607 subs | 3 h 12 min1,152 subs |
| California NebulaPerseus | Emission nebula | 1 h 28 min530 subs | 2 h720 subs | 3 h 49 min1,375 subs |
| Horsehead NebulaOrion | Emission nebula | 1 h 28 min530 subs | 2 h720 subs | 3 h 49 min1,375 subs |
| Tadpoles NebulaAuriga | Emission nebula | 1 h 44 min627 subs | 2 h 22 min855 subs | 4 h 34 min1,642 subs |
| PleiadesTaurus | Reflection nebula | 1 h 16 min456 subs | 2 h 42 min971 subs | 7 h 38 min2,751 subs |
| NGC 891Andromeda | Galaxy | 1 h 17 min465 subs | 2 h 44 min986 subs | 7 h 44 min2,787 subs |
| Heart NebulaCassiopeia | Emission nebula | 2 h 04 min742 subs | 2 h 49 min1,016 subs | 5 h 27 min1,963 subs |
| NGC 2403Camelopardalis | Galaxy | 1 h 30 min542 subs | 3 h 13 min1,161 subs | 9 h 10 min3,301 subs |
| Soul NebulaCassiopeia | Emission nebula | 2 h 26 min879 subs | 3 h 21 min1,208 subs | 6 h 31 min2,347 subs |
| Cone and Christmas TreeMonoceros | Emission nebula | 2 h 54 min1,043 subs | 4 h1,439 subs | 7 h 48 min2,807 subs |
| Jellyfish NebulaGemini | Supernova remnant | 2 h 54 min1,043 subs | 4 h1,439 subs | 7 h 48 min2,807 subs |
| NGC 1333Perseus | Reflection nebula | 2 h 51 min1,026 subs | 6 h 04 min2,185 subs | 17 h6,190 subs |
| Thor's HelmetCanis Major | Emission nebula | 4 h 35 min1,648 subs | 6 h 17 min2,265 subs | 12 h4,400 subs |
| Witch Head NebulaEridanus | Reflection nebula | 18 h6,464 subs | 41 h14,628 subs | 120+ h42,837 subs |
Previous: November · Next: January · Tonight, for your location and Moon