What to image in December with the Celestron Origin
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 gets a solid image of 31 of them in under an hour each; 8 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 |
| Orion NebulaOrion | Emission nebula | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 12 min74 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 |
| M79Lepus | Globular cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 11 min66 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 | 8 min49 subs |
| NGC 1893Auriga | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs |
| M77Cetus | Galaxy | 5 min30 subs | 8 min49 subs | 21 min129 subs |
| Crab NebulaTaurus | Supernova remnant | 5 min32 subs | 10 min62 subs | 27 min165 subs |
| De Mairan's NebulaOrion | Emission nebula | 6 min35 subs | 13 min76 subs | 36 min215 subs |
| Flame NebulaOrion | Emission nebula | 6 min35 subs | 13 min76 subs | 36 min215 subs |
| Tarantula NebulaDorado | Emission nebula | 6 min35 subs | 13 min76 subs | 36 min215 subs |
| M78Orion | Reflection nebula | 8 min48 subs | 17 min100 subs | 47 min281 subs |
| Running Man NebulaOrion | Reflection nebula | 8 min49 subs | 18 min107 subs | 51 min308 subs |
| Rosette NebulaMonoceros | Emission nebula | 16 min94 subs | 36 min215 subs | 1 h 46 min635 subs |
| PleiadesTaurus | Reflection nebula | 18 min111 subs | 43 min257 subs | 2 h 07 min762 subs |
| Flaming Star NebulaAuriga | Emission nebula | 18 min111 subs | 43 min257 subs | 2 h 07 min762 subs |
| Monkey Head NebulaOrion | Emission nebula | 18 min111 subs | 43 min257 subs | 2 h 07 min762 subs |
| NGC 891Andromeda | Galaxy | 19 min113 subs | 43 min261 subs | 2 h 09 min772 subs |
| California NebulaPerseus | Emission nebula | 22 min131 subs | 51 min307 subs | 2 h 32 min914 subs |
| Horsehead NebulaOrion | Emission nebula | 22 min131 subs | 51 min307 subs | 2 h 32 min914 subs |
| NGC 2403Camelopardalis | Galaxy | 22 min131 subs | 51 min307 subs | 2 h 32 min914 subs |
| Tadpoles NebulaAuriga | Emission nebula | 26 min156 subs | 1 h 01 min367 subs | 3 h 03 min1,097 subs |
| Heart NebulaCassiopeia | Emission nebula | 31 min185 subs | 1 h 13 min439 subs | 3 h 39 min1,316 subs |
| Soul NebulaCassiopeia | Emission nebula | 36 min219 subs | 1 h 27 min525 subs | 4 h 23 min1,580 subs |
| NGC 1333Perseus | Reflection nebula | 41 min249 subs | 1 h 36 min577 subs | 4 h 46 min1,714 subs |
| Cone and Christmas TreeMonoceros | Emission nebula | 43 min261 subs | 1 h 45 min628 subs | 5 h 16 min1,896 subs |
| Jellyfish NebulaGemini | Supernova remnant | 43 min261 subs | 1 h 45 min628 subs | 5 h 16 min1,896 subs |
| Thor's HelmetCanis Major | Emission nebula | 1 h 08 min411 subs | 2 h 44 min983 subs | 8 h 13 min2,961 subs |
| Witch Head NebulaEridanus | Reflection nebula | 4 h 15 min1,533 subs | 11 h3,849 subs | 33 h11,852 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 Mark II
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