What to image in December with the Celestron Origin Mark II
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.
39 targets transit near midnight in December. From a suburban sky the Origin Mark II gets a solid image of 28 of them in under an hour each; 11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M34Perseus | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs |
| M35Gemini | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs |
| M36Auriga | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs |
| M37Auriga | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs |
| M38Auriga | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs |
| M41Canis Major | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs |
| M46Puppis | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs |
| M47Puppis | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs |
| M50Monoceros | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs |
| M93Puppis | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs |
| Double ClusterPerseus | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs |
| Rosette ClusterMonoceros | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs |
| Eskimo NebulaGemini | Planetary nebula | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 11 min69 subs |
| NGC 1893Auriga | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs |
| M79Lepus | Globular cluster | 5 min30 subs | 6 min36 subs | 16 min94 subs |
| Orion NebulaOrion | Emission nebula | 5 min30 subs | 6 min38 subs | 17 min104 subs |
| M77Cetus | Galaxy | 6 min34 subs | 11 min67 subs | 30 min183 subs |
| Crab NebulaTaurus | Supernova remnant | 7 min42 subs | 14 min85 subs | 39 min234 subs |
| De Mairan's NebulaOrion | Emission nebula | 8 min46 subs | 17 min104 subs | 51 min304 subs |
| Flame NebulaOrion | Emission nebula | 8 min46 subs | 17 min104 subs | 51 min304 subs |
| Tarantula NebulaDorado | Emission nebula | 8 min46 subs | 17 min104 subs | 51 min304 subs |
| M78Orion | Reflection nebula | 10 min63 subs | 23 min138 subs | 1 h 06 min398 subs |
| Running Man NebulaOrion | Reflection nebula | 10 min63 subs | 24 min146 subs | 1 h 13 min436 subs |
| Rosette NebulaMonoceros | Emission nebula | 20 min120 subs | 49 min295 subs | 2 h 30 min900 subs |
| PleiadesTaurus | Reflection nebula | 23 min141 subs | 59 min352 subs | 3 h1,079 subs |
| Flaming Star NebulaAuriga | Emission nebula | 23 min141 subs | 59 min352 subs | 3 h1,079 subs |
| Monkey Head NebulaOrion | Emission nebula | 23 min141 subs | 59 min352 subs | 3 h1,079 subs |
| NGC 891Andromeda | Galaxy | 24 min144 subs | 59 min357 subs | 3 h 02 min1,093 subs |
| California NebulaPerseus | Emission nebula | 28 min167 subs | 1 h 10 min420 subs | 3 h 36 min1,294 subs |
| Horsehead NebulaOrion | Emission nebula | 28 min167 subs | 1 h 10 min420 subs | 3 h 36 min1,294 subs |
| NGC 2403Camelopardalis | Galaxy | 28 min167 subs | 1 h 10 min420 subs | 3 h 36 min1,294 subs |
| Tadpoles NebulaAuriga | Emission nebula | 33 min198 subs | 1 h 24 min502 subs | 4 h 19 min1,553 subs |
| Heart NebulaCassiopeia | Emission nebula | 39 min235 subs | 1 h 40 min600 subs | 5 h 11 min1,864 subs |
| Soul NebulaCassiopeia | Emission nebula | 46 min278 subs | 2 h718 subs | 6 h 13 min2,237 subs |
| NGC 1333Perseus | Reflection nebula | 53 min318 subs | 2 h 12 min791 subs | 6 h 44 min2,427 subs |
| Cone and Christmas TreeMonoceros | Emission nebula | 55 min330 subs | 2 h 23 min859 subs | 7 h 27 min2,685 subs |
| Jellyfish NebulaGemini | Supernova remnant | 55 min330 subs | 2 h 23 min859 subs | 7 h 27 min2,685 subs |
| Thor's HelmetCanis Major | Emission nebula | 1 h 27 min521 subs | 3 h 44 min1,345 subs | 12 h4,194 subs |
| Witch Head NebulaEridanus | Reflection nebula | 5 h 21 min1,924 subs | 15 h5,259 subs | 47 h16,783 subs |
Other telescopes in December: Seestar S50 · Seestar S50 Pro · Seestar S30 · Seestar S30 Pro · DWARF 3 · DWARF mini · Draco · DWARF II · Vespera II · Vespera Pro · Vespera 3 · Vespera Pro 2 · eQuinox 2 · Odyssey · Origin
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