How Many Subs

What to image in December with the ZWO Seestar S50 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 S50 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.

Solid image with the ZWO Seestar S50 Pro, 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 min37 subs
M35GeminiOpen cluster5 min30 subs5 min30 subs6 min37 subs
M36AurigaOpen cluster5 min30 subs5 min30 subs8 min46 subs
M37AurigaOpen cluster5 min30 subs5 min30 subs6 min37 subs
M38AurigaOpen cluster5 min30 subs5 min30 subs6 min37 subs
M41Canis MajorOpen cluster5 min30 subs5 min30 subs6 min37 subs
M46PuppisOpen cluster5 min30 subs5 min30 subs6 min37 subs
M47PuppisOpen cluster5 min30 subs5 min30 subs6 min37 subs
M50MonocerosOpen cluster5 min30 subs5 min30 subs6 min37 subs
M93PuppisOpen cluster5 min30 subs5 min30 subs6 min37 subs
Double ClusterPerseusOpen cluster5 min30 subs5 min30 subs6 min37 subs
Rosette ClusterMonocerosOpen cluster5 min30 subs5 min30 subs6 min37 subs
NGC 1893AurigaOpen cluster5 min30 subs5 min30 subs8 min50 subs
Eskimo NebulaGemini, dual-bandPlanetary nebula10 min59 subs11 min69 subs17 min102 subs
Orion NebulaOrion, dual-bandEmission nebula11 min68 subs14 min83 subs23 min137 subs
M79LepusGlobular cluster10 min60 subs17 min105 subs43 min258 subs
Crab NebulaTaurus, dual-bandSupernova remnant25 min152 subs31 min187 subs51 min308 subs
M77CetusGalaxy18 min110 subs33 min198 subs1 h 24 min504 subs
De Mairan's NebulaOrion, dual-bandEmission nebula28 min166 subs35 min213 subs1 h 02 min375 subs
Flame NebulaOrion, dual-bandEmission nebula28 min166 subs35 min213 subs1 h 02 min375 subs
Tarantula NebulaDorado, dual-bandEmission nebula28 min166 subs35 min213 subs1 h 02 min375 subs
M78OrionReflection nebula35 min213 subs1 h 09 min412 subs3 h 03 min1,100 subs
Running Man NebulaOrionReflection nebula36 min218 subs1 h 13 min439 subs3 h 21 min1,206 subs
Rosette NebulaMonoceros, dual-bandEmission nebula1 h 12 min433 subs1 h 36 min574 subs2 h 57 min1,065 subs
Flaming Star NebulaAuriga, dual-bandEmission nebula1 h 25 min510 subs1 h 53 min681 subs3 h 32 min1,270 subs
Monkey Head NebulaOrion, dual-bandEmission nebula1 h 25 min510 subs1 h 53 min681 subs3 h 32 min1,270 subs
California NebulaPerseus, dual-bandEmission nebula1 h 40 min603 subs2 h 15 min808 subs4 h 13 min1,517 subs
Horsehead NebulaOrion, dual-bandEmission nebula1 h 40 min603 subs2 h 15 min808 subs4 h 13 min1,517 subs
Tadpoles NebulaAuriga, dual-bandEmission nebula1 h 59 min713 subs2 h 40 min960 subs5 h 02 min1,812 subs
PleiadesTaurusReflection nebula1 h 24 min506 subs2 h 57 min1,063 subs8 h 18 min2,988 subs
NGC 891AndromedaGalaxy1 h 26 min515 subs3 h1,079 subs8 h 24 min3,026 subs
Heart NebulaCassiopeia, dual-bandEmission nebula2 h 21 min845 subs3 h 10 min1,141 subs6 h 01 min2,166 subs
NGC 2403CamelopardalisGalaxy1 h 40 min600 subs3 h 32 min1,270 subs9 h 57 min3,585 subs
Soul NebulaCassiopeia, dual-bandEmission nebula2 h 47 min1,002 subs3 h 46 min1,358 subs7 h 12 min2,590 subs
Cone and Christmas TreeMonoceros, dual-bandEmission nebula3 h 18 min1,190 subs4 h 30 min1,618 subs8 h 36 min3,098 subs
Jellyfish NebulaGemini, dual-bandSupernova remnant3 h 18 min1,190 subs4 h 30 min1,618 subs8 h 36 min3,098 subs
NGC 1333PerseusReflection nebula3 h 09 min1,137 subs6 h 38 min2,390 subs19 h6,722 subs
Thor's HelmetCanis Major, dual-bandEmission nebula5 h 13 min1,879 subs7 h 04 min2,547 subs13 h4,855 subs
Witch Head NebulaEridanusReflection nebula20 h7,183 subs44 h16,013 subs130+ h46,524 subs

Other telescopes in December: Seestar S50 · Seestar S30 · 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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