How Many Subs

What to image in December with the DwarfLab DWARF 3

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 DWARF 3 gets a solid image of 21 of them in under an hour each; 18 need longer, or a darker sky, or several nights. Times below use the recommended filter and 15 s subs.

Solid image with the DwarfLab DWARF 3, sorted by the Bortle 6 figure. Each link opens the full Bortle 1 to 9 table with sub-length and filter comparisons.
TargetTypeBortle 4Bortle 6Bortle 8
M34PerseusOpen cluster8 min30 subs8 min30 subs8 min34 subs
M35GeminiOpen cluster8 min30 subs8 min30 subs8 min34 subs
M36AurigaOpen cluster8 min30 subs8 min30 subs11 min43 subs
M37AurigaOpen cluster8 min30 subs8 min30 subs8 min34 subs
M38AurigaOpen cluster8 min30 subs8 min30 subs8 min34 subs
M41Canis MajorOpen cluster8 min30 subs8 min30 subs8 min34 subs
M46PuppisOpen cluster8 min30 subs8 min30 subs8 min34 subs
M47PuppisOpen cluster8 min30 subs8 min30 subs8 min34 subs
M50MonocerosOpen cluster8 min30 subs8 min30 subs8 min34 subs
M93PuppisOpen cluster8 min30 subs8 min30 subs8 min34 subs
Double ClusterPerseusOpen cluster8 min30 subs8 min30 subs8 min34 subs
Rosette ClusterMonocerosOpen cluster8 min30 subs8 min30 subs8 min34 subs
NGC 1893AurigaOpen cluster8 min30 subs8 min30 subs11 min46 subs
Eskimo NebulaGemini, dual-bandPlanetary nebula12 min48 subs14 min57 subs22 min89 subs
Orion NebulaOrion, dual-bandEmission nebula13 min51 subs16 min66 subs29 min117 subs
M79LepusGlobular cluster13 min52 subs23 min94 subs1 h240 subs
Crab NebulaTaurus, dual-bandSupernova remnant28 min114 subs37 min148 subs1 h 06 min263 subs
De Mairan's NebulaOrion, dual-bandEmission nebula29 min117 subs40 min162 subs1 h 19 min316 subs
Flame NebulaOrion, dual-bandEmission nebula29 min117 subs40 min162 subs1 h 19 min316 subs
Tarantula NebulaDorado, dual-bandEmission nebula29 min117 subs40 min162 subs1 h 19 min316 subs
M77CetusGalaxy23 min93 subs44 min177 subs1 h 57 min468 subs
M78OrionReflection nebula44 min177 subs1 h 31 min366 subs4 h 15 min1,021 subs
Running Man NebulaOrionReflection nebula44 min178 subs1 h 37 min390 subs4 h 40 min1,119 subs
Rosette NebulaMonoceros, dual-bandEmission nebula1 h 12 min289 subs1 h 46 min424 subs3 h 42 min890 subs
Flaming Star NebulaAuriga, dual-bandEmission nebula1 h 24 min338 subs2 h 05 min500 subs4 h 25 min1,061 subs
Monkey Head NebulaOrion, dual-bandEmission nebula1 h 24 min338 subs2 h 05 min500 subs4 h 25 min1,061 subs
California NebulaPerseus, dual-bandEmission nebula1 h 39 min396 subs2 h 28 min591 subs5 h 16 min1,266 subs
Horsehead NebulaOrion, dual-bandEmission nebula1 h 39 min396 subs2 h 28 min591 subs5 h 16 min1,266 subs
Tadpoles NebulaAuriga, dual-bandEmission nebula1 h 56 min465 subs2 h 55 min700 subs6 h 18 min1,511 subs
Heart NebulaCassiopeia, dual-bandEmission nebula2 h 17 min547 subs3 h 27 min829 subs7 h 31 min1,805 subs
PleiadesTaurusReflection nebula1 h 42 min409 subs3 h 55 min939 subs12 h2,772 subs
NGC 891AndromedaGalaxy1 h 44 min417 subs3 h 58 min954 subs12 h2,808 subs
Soul NebulaCassiopeia, dual-bandEmission nebula2 h 41 min645 subs4 h 06 min984 subs8 h 59 min2,156 subs
NGC 2403CamelopardalisGalaxy2 h 01 min484 subs4 h 40 min1,122 subs14 h3,326 subs
Cone and Christmas TreeMonoceros, dual-bandEmission nebula3 h 10 min761 subs4 h 52 min1,169 subs11 h2,578 subs
Jellyfish NebulaGemini, dual-bandSupernova remnant3 h 10 min761 subs4 h 52 min1,169 subs11 h2,578 subs
Thor's HelmetCanis Major, dual-bandEmission nebula5 h 02 min1,208 subs7 h 41 min1,845 subs17 h4,043 subs
NGC 1333PerseusReflection nebula3 h 50 min919 subs8 h 48 min2,113 subs26 h6,237 subs
Witch Head NebulaEridanusReflection nebula24 h5,689 subs59 h14,096 subs180+ h43,146 subs

Other telescopes in December: Seestar S50 · Seestar S50 Pro · Seestar S30 · Seestar S30 Pro · DWARF mini · Draco · DWARF II · Vespera II · Vespera Pro · Vespera 3 · Vespera Pro 2 · eQuinox 2 · Odyssey · Origin · Origin Mark II

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