What to image in December with the ZWO Seestar S30 Pro
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 Seestar S30 Pro 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 10 s subs.
| Target | Type | Bortle 4 | Bortle 6 | Bortle 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M34Perseus | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min39 subs |
| M35Gemini | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min39 subs |
| M36Auriga | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 8 min48 subs |
| M37Auriga | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min39 subs |
| M38Auriga | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min39 subs |
| M41Canis Major | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min39 subs |
| M46Puppis | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min39 subs |
| M47Puppis | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min39 subs |
| M50Monoceros | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min39 subs |
| M93Puppis | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min39 subs |
| Double ClusterPerseus | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min39 subs |
| Rosette ClusterMonoceros | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min39 subs |
| NGC 1893Auriga | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 9 min52 subs |
| Eskimo NebulaGemini, dual-band | Planetary nebula | 10 min63 subs | 12 min73 subs | 18 min108 subs |
| Orion NebulaOrion, dual-band | Emission nebula | 12 min73 subs | 15 min89 subs | 24 min146 subs |
| M79Lepus | Globular cluster | 11 min64 subs | 18 min111 subs | 45 min272 subs |
| Crab NebulaTaurus, dual-band | Supernova remnant | 27 min164 subs | 33 min200 subs | 55 min328 subs |
| M77Cetus | Galaxy | 19 min117 subs | 35 min210 subs | 1 h 28 min531 subs |
| De Mairan's NebulaOrion, dual-band | Emission nebula | 30 min179 subs | 38 min229 subs | 1 h 06 min399 subs |
| Flame NebulaOrion, dual-band | Emission nebula | 30 min179 subs | 38 min229 subs | 1 h 06 min399 subs |
| Tarantula NebulaDorado, dual-band | Emission nebula | 30 min179 subs | 38 min229 subs | 1 h 06 min399 subs |
| M78Orion | Reflection nebula | 38 min227 subs | 1 h 13 min436 subs | 3 h 13 min1,160 subs |
| Running Man NebulaOrion | Reflection nebula | 39 min232 subs | 1 h 18 min466 subs | 3 h 32 min1,272 subs |
| Rosette NebulaMonoceros, dual-band | Emission nebula | 1 h 18 min470 subs | 1 h 43 min619 subs | 3 h 09 min1,135 subs |
| Flaming Star NebulaAuriga, dual-band | Emission nebula | 1 h 32 min555 subs | 2 h 02 min734 subs | 3 h 46 min1,354 subs |
| Monkey Head NebulaOrion, dual-band | Emission nebula | 1 h 32 min555 subs | 2 h 02 min734 subs | 3 h 46 min1,354 subs |
| California NebulaPerseus, dual-band | Emission nebula | 1 h 49 min656 subs | 2 h 25 min872 subs | 4 h 29 min1,617 subs |
| Horsehead NebulaOrion, dual-band | Emission nebula | 1 h 49 min656 subs | 2 h 25 min872 subs | 4 h 29 min1,617 subs |
| Tadpoles NebulaAuriga, dual-band | Emission nebula | 2 h 09 min776 subs | 2 h 53 min1,036 subs | 5 h 22 min1,932 subs |
| PleiadesTaurus | Reflection nebula | 1 h 30 min541 subs | 3 h 08 min1,127 subs | 8 h 45 min3,152 subs |
| NGC 891Andromeda | Galaxy | 1 h 32 min550 subs | 3 h 10 min1,143 subs | 8 h 52 min3,192 subs |
| Heart NebulaCassiopeia, dual-band | Emission nebula | 2 h 33 min920 subs | 3 h 25 min1,232 subs | 6 h 25 min2,309 subs |
| NGC 2403Camelopardalis | Galaxy | 1 h 47 min642 subs | 3 h 44 min1,347 subs | 11 h3,781 subs |
| Soul NebulaCassiopeia, dual-band | Emission nebula | 3 h 02 min1,091 subs | 4 h 04 min1,466 subs | 7 h 40 min2,761 subs |
| Cone and Christmas TreeMonoceros, dual-band | Emission nebula | 3 h 36 min1,296 subs | 4 h 51 min1,747 subs | 9 h 11 min3,304 subs |
| Jellyfish NebulaGemini, dual-band | Supernova remnant | 3 h 36 min1,296 subs | 4 h 51 min1,747 subs | 9 h 11 min3,304 subs |
| NGC 1333Perseus | Reflection nebula | 3 h 23 min1,216 subs | 7 h 02 min2,534 subs | 20 h7,091 subs |
| Thor's HelmetCanis Major, dual-band | Emission nebula | 5 h 41 min2,046 subs | 7 h 38 min2,749 subs | 14 h5,177 subs |
| Witch Head NebulaEridanus | Reflection nebula | 21 h7,695 subs | 47 h16,983 subs | 140+ h49,079 subs |
Other telescopes in December: Seestar S50 · Seestar S50 Pro · Seestar S30 · DWARF 3 · 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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