How Many Subs

What to image in December with the ZWO Seestar S30

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 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.

Solid image with the ZWO Seestar S30, 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 cluster5 min30 subs5 min30 subs6 min34 subs
M35GeminiOpen cluster5 min30 subs5 min30 subs6 min34 subs
M36AurigaOpen cluster5 min30 subs5 min30 subs7 min43 subs
M37AurigaOpen cluster5 min30 subs5 min30 subs6 min34 subs
M38AurigaOpen cluster5 min30 subs5 min30 subs6 min34 subs
M41Canis MajorOpen cluster5 min30 subs5 min30 subs6 min34 subs
M46PuppisOpen cluster5 min30 subs5 min30 subs6 min34 subs
M47PuppisOpen cluster5 min30 subs5 min30 subs6 min34 subs
M50MonocerosOpen cluster5 min30 subs5 min30 subs6 min34 subs
M93PuppisOpen cluster5 min30 subs5 min30 subs6 min34 subs
Double ClusterPerseusOpen cluster5 min30 subs5 min30 subs6 min34 subs
Rosette ClusterMonocerosOpen cluster5 min30 subs5 min30 subs6 min34 subs
NGC 1893AurigaOpen cluster5 min30 subs5 min30 subs8 min47 subs
Eskimo NebulaGemini, dual-bandPlanetary nebula10 min59 subs11 min68 subs16 min99 subs
Orion NebulaOrion, dual-bandEmission nebula12 min70 subs14 min84 subs22 min134 subs
M79LepusGlobular cluster10 min59 subs17 min100 subs40 min242 subs
Crab NebulaTaurus, dual-bandSupernova remnant26 min157 subs31 min189 subs50 min301 subs
M77CetusGalaxy18 min108 subs32 min190 subs1 h 19 min472 subs
De Mairan's NebulaOrion, dual-bandEmission nebula29 min175 subs36 min219 subs1 h 01 min369 subs
Flame NebulaOrion, dual-bandEmission nebula29 min175 subs36 min219 subs1 h 01 min369 subs
Tarantula NebulaDorado, dual-bandEmission nebula29 min175 subs36 min219 subs1 h 01 min369 subs
M78OrionReflection nebula35 min211 subs1 h 06 min395 subs2 h 52 min1,031 subs
Running Man NebulaOrionReflection nebula36 min217 subs1 h 10 min422 subs3 h 08 min1,130 subs
Rosette NebulaMonoceros, dual-bandEmission nebula1 h 18 min466 subs1 h 39 min597 subs2 h 55 min1,050 subs
Flaming Star NebulaAuriga, dual-bandEmission nebula1 h 32 min551 subs1 h 58 min709 subs3 h 29 min1,254 subs
Monkey Head NebulaOrion, dual-bandEmission nebula1 h 32 min551 subs1 h 58 min709 subs3 h 29 min1,254 subs
California NebulaPerseus, dual-bandEmission nebula1 h 49 min653 subs2 h 20 min843 subs4 h 10 min1,498 subs
Horsehead NebulaOrion, dual-bandEmission nebula1 h 49 min653 subs2 h 20 min843 subs4 h 10 min1,498 subs
Tadpoles NebulaAuriga, dual-bandEmission nebula2 h 09 min775 subs2 h 47 min1,003 subs4 h 58 min1,790 subs
PleiadesTaurusReflection nebula1 h 24 min506 subs2 h 50 min1,022 subs7 h 47 min2,801 subs
NGC 891AndromedaGalaxy1 h 26 min516 subs2 h 53 min1,037 subs7 h 53 min2,838 subs
Heart NebulaCassiopeia, dual-bandEmission nebula2 h 33 min920 subs3 h 19 min1,194 subs5 h 57 min2,141 subs
NGC 2403CamelopardalisGalaxy1 h 40 min602 subs3 h 23 min1,221 subs9 h 20 min3,361 subs
Soul NebulaCassiopeia, dual-bandEmission nebula3 h 02 min1,093 subs3 h 57 min1,422 subs7 h 07 min2,561 subs
Cone and Christmas TreeMonoceros, dual-bandEmission nebula3 h 37 min1,300 subs4 h 43 min1,696 subs8 h 31 min3,064 subs
Jellyfish NebulaGemini, dual-bandSupernova remnant3 h 37 min1,300 subs4 h 43 min1,696 subs8 h 31 min3,064 subs
NGC 1333PerseusReflection nebula3 h 10 min1,139 subs6 h 23 min2,298 subs18 h6,303 subs
Thor's HelmetCanis Major, dual-bandEmission nebula5 h 41 min2,049 subs7 h 24 min2,666 subs13 h4,801 subs
Witch Head NebulaEridanusReflection nebula20 h7,259 subs43 h15,423 subs120+ h43,632 subs

Other telescopes in December: Seestar S50 · Seestar S50 Pro · Seestar S30 Pro · 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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