What to image in December with the DwarfLab Draco
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 Draco gets a solid image of 23 of them in under an hour each; 16 need longer, or a darker sky, or several nights. Times below use the recommended filter and 30 s subs.
| Target | Type | Bortle 4 | Bortle 6 | Bortle 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M34Perseus | Open cluster | 15 min30 subs | 15 min30 subs | 15 min30 subs |
| M35Gemini | Open cluster | 15 min30 subs | 15 min30 subs | 15 min30 subs |
| M36Auriga | Open cluster | 15 min30 subs | 15 min30 subs | 15 min30 subs |
| M37Auriga | Open cluster | 15 min30 subs | 15 min30 subs | 15 min30 subs |
| M38Auriga | Open cluster | 15 min30 subs | 15 min30 subs | 15 min30 subs |
| M41Canis Major | Open cluster | 15 min30 subs | 15 min30 subs | 15 min30 subs |
| Orion NebulaOrion, dual-band | Emission nebula | 15 min30 subs | 15 min30 subs | 17 min34 subs |
| M46Puppis | Open cluster | 15 min30 subs | 15 min30 subs | 15 min30 subs |
| M47Puppis | Open cluster | 15 min30 subs | 15 min30 subs | 15 min30 subs |
| M50Monoceros | Open cluster | 15 min30 subs | 15 min30 subs | 15 min30 subs |
| M79Lepus | Globular cluster | 15 min30 subs | 15 min30 subs | 33 min66 subs |
| M93Puppis | Open cluster | 15 min30 subs | 15 min30 subs | 15 min30 subs |
| Double ClusterPerseus | Open cluster | 15 min30 subs | 15 min30 subs | 15 min30 subs |
| Rosette ClusterMonoceros | Open cluster | 15 min30 subs | 15 min30 subs | 15 min30 subs |
| Eskimo NebulaGemini, dual-band | Planetary nebula | 15 min30 subs | 15 min30 subs | 15 min30 subs |
| NGC 1893Auriga | Open cluster | 15 min30 subs | 15 min30 subs | 15 min30 subs |
| Crab NebulaTaurus, dual-band | Supernova remnant | 18 min36 subs | 22 min45 subs | 38 min76 subs |
| M77Cetus | Galaxy | 15 min30 subs | 25 min50 subs | 1 h 04 min129 subs |
| De Mairan's NebulaOrion, dual-band | Emission nebula | 19 min39 subs | 25 min51 subs | 46 min93 subs |
| Flame NebulaOrion, dual-band | Emission nebula | 19 min39 subs | 25 min51 subs | 46 min93 subs |
| Tarantula NebulaDorado, dual-band | Emission nebula | 19 min39 subs | 25 min51 subs | 46 min93 subs |
| M78Orion | Reflection nebula | 26 min52 subs | 52 min104 subs | 2 h 20 min280 subs |
| Running Man NebulaOrion | Reflection nebula | 26 min53 subs | 55 min110 subs | 2 h 33 min307 subs |
| Rosette NebulaMonoceros, dual-band | Emission nebula | 49 min99 subs | 1 h 08 min136 subs | 2 h 10 min261 subs |
| Flaming Star NebulaAuriga, dual-band | Emission nebula | 58 min117 subs | 1 h 20 min160 subs | 2 h 36 min312 subs |
| Monkey Head NebulaOrion, dual-band | Emission nebula | 58 min117 subs | 1 h 20 min160 subs | 2 h 36 min312 subs |
| California NebulaPerseus, dual-band | Emission nebula | 1 h 08 min137 subs | 1 h 35 min190 subs | 3 h 06 min372 subs |
| Horsehead NebulaOrion, dual-band | Emission nebula | 1 h 08 min137 subs | 1 h 35 min190 subs | 3 h 06 min372 subs |
| Tadpoles NebulaAuriga, dual-band | Emission nebula | 1 h 21 min162 subs | 1 h 52 min225 subs | 3 h 42 min444 subs |
| PleiadesTaurus | Reflection nebula | 1 h 01 min123 subs | 2 h 13 min266 subs | 6 h 20 min761 subs |
| Heart NebulaCassiopeia, dual-band | Emission nebula | 1 h 36 min192 subs | 2 h 14 min268 subs | 4 h 25 min531 subs |
| NGC 891Andromeda | Galaxy | 1 h 02 min125 subs | 2 h 15 min270 subs | 6 h 25 min770 subs |
| NGC 2403Camelopardalis | Galaxy | 1 h 13 min146 subs | 2 h 39 min318 subs | 7 h 36 min912 subs |
| Soul NebulaCassiopeia, dual-band | Emission nebula | 1 h 53 min227 subs | 2 h 39 min318 subs | 5 h 17 min634 subs |
| Cone and Christmas TreeMonoceros, dual-band | Emission nebula | 2 h 14 min268 subs | 3 h 09 min378 subs | 6 h 19 min759 subs |
| Jellyfish NebulaGemini, dual-band | Supernova remnant | 2 h 14 min268 subs | 3 h 09 min378 subs | 6 h 19 min759 subs |
| Thor's HelmetCanis Major, dual-band | Emission nebula | 3 h 32 min424 subs | 4 h 58 min596 subs | 9 h 54 min1,189 subs |
| NGC 1333Perseus | Reflection nebula | 2 h 18 min276 subs | 4 h 59 min598 subs | 14 h1,711 subs |
| Witch Head NebulaEridanus | Reflection nebula | 14 h1,730 subs | 33 h3,998 subs | 99 h11,835 subs |
Other telescopes in December: Seestar S50 · Seestar S50 Pro · Seestar S30 · Seestar S30 Pro · DWARF 3 · DWARF mini · DWARF II · Vespera II · Vespera Pro · Vespera 3 · Vespera Pro 2 · eQuinox 2 · Odyssey · Origin · Origin Mark II
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