How Many Subs

What to image in December with the ZWO Seestar S50

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 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, 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 min42 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 min46 subs
Eskimo NebulaGemini, dual-bandPlanetary nebula9 min53 subs10 min62 subs15 min93 subs
Orion NebulaOrion, dual-bandEmission nebula10 min61 subs12 min75 subs21 min125 subs
M79LepusGlobular cluster9 min55 subs16 min96 subs40 min238 subs
Crab NebulaTaurus, dual-bandSupernova remnant23 min136 subs28 min168 subs47 min280 subs
M77CetusGalaxy17 min100 subs30 min182 subs1 h 17 min464 subs
De Mairan's NebulaOrion, dual-bandEmission nebula24 min147 subs32 min190 subs57 min340 subs
Flame NebulaOrion, dual-bandEmission nebula24 min147 subs32 min190 subs57 min340 subs
Tarantula NebulaDorado, dual-bandEmission nebula24 min147 subs32 min190 subs57 min340 subs
M78OrionReflection nebula32 min193 subs1 h 03 min377 subs2 h 49 min1,013 subs
Running Man NebulaOrionReflection nebula33 min197 subs1 h 07 min402 subs3 h 05 min1,111 subs
Rosette NebulaMonoceros, dual-bandEmission nebula1 h 03 min381 subs1 h 25 min512 subs2 h 41 min965 subs
Flaming Star NebulaAuriga, dual-bandEmission nebula1 h 15 min449 subs1 h 41 min607 subs3 h 12 min1,152 subs
Monkey Head NebulaOrion, dual-bandEmission nebula1 h 15 min449 subs1 h 41 min607 subs3 h 12 min1,152 subs
California NebulaPerseus, dual-bandEmission nebula1 h 28 min530 subs2 h720 subs3 h 49 min1,375 subs
Horsehead NebulaOrion, dual-bandEmission nebula1 h 28 min530 subs2 h720 subs3 h 49 min1,375 subs
Tadpoles NebulaAuriga, dual-bandEmission nebula1 h 44 min627 subs2 h 22 min855 subs4 h 34 min1,642 subs
PleiadesTaurusReflection nebula1 h 16 min456 subs2 h 42 min971 subs7 h 38 min2,751 subs
NGC 891AndromedaGalaxy1 h 17 min465 subs2 h 44 min986 subs7 h 44 min2,787 subs
Heart NebulaCassiopeia, dual-bandEmission nebula2 h 04 min742 subs2 h 49 min1,016 subs5 h 27 min1,963 subs
NGC 2403CamelopardalisGalaxy1 h 30 min542 subs3 h 13 min1,161 subs9 h 10 min3,301 subs
Soul NebulaCassiopeia, dual-bandEmission nebula2 h 26 min879 subs3 h 21 min1,208 subs6 h 31 min2,347 subs
Cone and Christmas TreeMonoceros, dual-bandEmission nebula2 h 54 min1,043 subs4 h1,439 subs7 h 48 min2,807 subs
Jellyfish NebulaGemini, dual-bandSupernova remnant2 h 54 min1,043 subs4 h1,439 subs7 h 48 min2,807 subs
NGC 1333PerseusReflection nebula2 h 51 min1,026 subs6 h 04 min2,185 subs17 h6,190 subs
Thor's HelmetCanis Major, dual-bandEmission nebula4 h 35 min1,648 subs6 h 17 min2,265 subs12 h4,400 subs
Witch Head NebulaEridanusReflection nebula18 h6,464 subs41 h14,628 subs120+ h42,837 subs

Other telescopes in December: Seestar S50 Pro · 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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