How Many Subs

What to image in December with the DwarfLab DWARF mini

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 mini 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 mini, 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 min30 subs
M35GeminiOpen cluster8 min30 subs8 min30 subs8 min30 subs
M36AurigaOpen cluster8 min30 subs8 min30 subs8 min30 subs
M37AurigaOpen cluster8 min30 subs8 min30 subs8 min30 subs
M38AurigaOpen cluster8 min30 subs8 min30 subs8 min30 subs
M41Canis MajorOpen cluster8 min30 subs8 min30 subs8 min30 subs
M46PuppisOpen cluster8 min30 subs8 min30 subs8 min30 subs
M47PuppisOpen cluster8 min30 subs8 min30 subs8 min30 subs
M50MonocerosOpen cluster8 min30 subs8 min30 subs8 min30 subs
M93PuppisOpen cluster8 min30 subs8 min30 subs8 min30 subs
Double ClusterPerseusOpen cluster8 min30 subs8 min30 subs8 min30 subs
Rosette ClusterMonocerosOpen cluster8 min30 subs8 min30 subs8 min30 subs
NGC 1893AurigaOpen cluster8 min30 subs8 min30 subs8 min31 subs
Eskimo NebulaGemini, dual-bandPlanetary nebula9 min35 subs10 min41 subs15 min62 subs
Orion NebulaOrion, dual-bandEmission nebula10 min40 subs12 min50 subs21 min83 subs
M79LepusGlobular cluster9 min37 subs16 min64 subs40 min159 subs
Crab NebulaTaurus, dual-bandSupernova remnant22 min90 subs28 min111 subs46 min186 subs
M77CetusGalaxy16 min66 subs30 min121 subs1 h 17 min309 subs
De Mairan's NebulaOrion, dual-bandEmission nebula24 min96 subs31 min125 subs56 min225 subs
Flame NebulaOrion, dual-bandEmission nebula24 min96 subs31 min125 subs56 min225 subs
Tarantula NebulaDorado, dual-bandEmission nebula24 min96 subs31 min125 subs56 min225 subs
M78OrionReflection nebula32 min128 subs1 h 02 min250 subs2 h 48 min674 subs
Running Man NebulaOrionReflection nebula32 min130 subs1 h 07 min267 subs3 h 05 min739 subs
Rosette NebulaMonoceros, dual-bandEmission nebula1 h 02 min249 subs1 h 24 min336 subs2 h 40 min639 subs
Flaming Star NebulaAuriga, dual-bandEmission nebula1 h 13 min293 subs1 h 40 min399 subs3 h 10 min762 subs
Monkey Head NebulaOrion, dual-bandEmission nebula1 h 13 min293 subs1 h 40 min399 subs3 h 10 min762 subs
California NebulaPerseus, dual-bandEmission nebula1 h 26 min346 subs1 h 58 min473 subs3 h 47 min909 subs
Horsehead NebulaOrion, dual-bandEmission nebula1 h 26 min346 subs1 h 58 min473 subs3 h 47 min909 subs
Tadpoles NebulaAuriga, dual-bandEmission nebula1 h 42 min409 subs2 h 20 min561 subs4 h 31 min1,086 subs
PleiadesTaurusReflection nebula1 h 15 min301 subs2 h 41 min645 subs7 h 38 min1,831 subs
NGC 891AndromedaGalaxy1 h 17 min307 subs2 h 43 min654 subs7 h 44 min1,855 subs
Heart NebulaCassiopeia, dual-bandEmission nebula2 h 01 min484 subs2 h 47 min667 subs5 h 24 min1,298 subs
NGC 2403CamelopardalisGalaxy1 h 29 min358 subs3 h 13 min771 subs9 h 09 min2,197 subs
Soul NebulaCassiopeia, dual-bandEmission nebula2 h 23 min573 subs3 h 18 min793 subs6 h 28 min1,552 subs
Cone and Christmas TreeMonoceros, dual-bandEmission nebula2 h 50 min680 subs3 h 56 min944 subs7 h 44 min1,856 subs
Jellyfish NebulaGemini, dual-bandSupernova remnant2 h 50 min680 subs3 h 56 min944 subs7 h 44 min1,856 subs
NGC 1333PerseusReflection nebula2 h 49 min677 subs6 h 02 min1,450 subs17 h4,120 subs
Thor's HelmetCanis Major, dual-bandEmission nebula4 h 28 min1,074 subs6 h 11 min1,486 subs12 h2,909 subs
Witch Head NebulaEridanusReflection nebula18 h4,262 subs40 h9,704 subs120+ h28,510 subs

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

Previous: November · Next: January · Tonight with the DWARF mini

Where to buy the DWARF miniDwarfLab store UKDwarfLab store USAmazon product UKAmazon product USThe DwarfLab store link is a plain link; the others are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no cost to you. Search links may include other models; check the exact variant and package.