What to image in December with the Vaonis Vespera 3
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 Vespera 3 gets a solid image of 22 of them in under an hour each; 17 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 | 5 min32 subs |
| M35Gemini | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min32 subs |
| M36Auriga | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 7 min40 subs |
| M37Auriga | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min32 subs |
| M38Auriga | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min32 subs |
| M41Canis Major | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min32 subs |
| M46Puppis | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min32 subs |
| M47Puppis | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min32 subs |
| M50Monoceros | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min32 subs |
| M93Puppis | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min32 subs |
| Double ClusterPerseus | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min32 subs |
| Rosette ClusterMonoceros | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min32 subs |
| NGC 1893Auriga | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 7 min44 subs |
| Eskimo NebulaGemini | Planetary nebula | 7 min43 subs | 12 min71 subs | 28 min168 subs |
| M79Lepus | Globular cluster | 9 min53 subs | 15 min92 subs | 38 min228 subs |
| Orion NebulaOrion | Emission nebula | 9 min53 subs | 16 min98 subs | 42 min254 subs |
| M77Cetus | Galaxy | 16 min95 subs | 29 min174 subs | 1 h 14 min445 subs |
| Crab NebulaTaurus | Supernova remnant | 20 min118 subs | 37 min220 subs | 1 h 35 min571 subs |
| De Mairan's NebulaOrion | Emission nebula | 22 min135 subs | 45 min271 subs | 2 h 04 min742 subs |
| Flame NebulaOrion | Emission nebula | 22 min135 subs | 45 min271 subs | 2 h 04 min742 subs |
| Tarantula NebulaDorado | Emission nebula | 22 min135 subs | 45 min271 subs | 2 h 04 min742 subs |
| M78Orion | Reflection nebula | 30 min183 subs | 1 h360 subs | 2 h 42 min971 subs |
| Running Man NebulaOrion | Reflection nebula | 31 min187 subs | 1 h 04 min384 subs | 2 h 57 min1,064 subs |
| Rosette NebulaMonoceros | Emission nebula | 1 h 01 min365 subs | 2 h 09 min777 subs | 6 h 06 min2,199 subs |
| PleiadesTaurus | Reflection nebula | 1 h 12 min433 subs | 2 h 35 min928 subs | 7 h 19 min2,637 subs |
| Flaming Star NebulaAuriga | Emission nebula | 1 h 12 min433 subs | 2 h 35 min928 subs | 7 h 19 min2,637 subs |
| Monkey Head NebulaOrion | Emission nebula | 1 h 12 min433 subs | 2 h 35 min928 subs | 7 h 19 min2,637 subs |
| NGC 891Andromeda | Galaxy | 1 h 13 min441 subs | 2 h 37 min942 subs | 7 h 25 min2,671 subs |
| California NebulaPerseus | Emission nebula | 1 h 26 min514 subs | 3 h 05 min1,109 subs | 8 h 47 min3,164 subs |
| Horsehead NebulaOrion | Emission nebula | 1 h 26 min514 subs | 3 h 05 min1,109 subs | 8 h 47 min3,164 subs |
| NGC 2403Camelopardalis | Galaxy | 1 h 26 min514 subs | 3 h 05 min1,109 subs | 8 h 47 min3,164 subs |
| Tadpoles NebulaAuriga | Emission nebula | 1 h 42 min611 subs | 3 h 41 min1,326 subs | 11 h3,797 subs |
| Heart NebulaCassiopeia | Emission nebula | 2 h 01 min726 subs | 4 h 24 min1,586 subs | 13 h4,557 subs |
| Soul NebulaCassiopeia | Emission nebula | 2 h 24 min865 subs | 5 h 16 min1,898 subs | 15 h5,470 subs |
| NGC 1333Perseus | Reflection nebula | 2 h 42 min974 subs | 5 h 48 min2,087 subs | 16 h5,933 subs |
| Cone and Christmas TreeMonoceros | Emission nebula | 2 h 52 min1,030 subs | 6 h 19 min2,273 subs | 18 h6,566 subs |
| Jellyfish NebulaGemini | Supernova remnant | 2 h 52 min1,030 subs | 6 h 19 min2,273 subs | 18 h6,566 subs |
| Thor's HelmetCanis Major | Emission nebula | 4 h 30 min1,621 subs | 9 h 53 min3,559 subs | 28 h10,255 subs |
| Witch Head NebulaEridanus | Reflection nebula | 17 h6,126 subs | 39 h13,966 subs | 110+ h41,059 subs |
Other telescopes in December: Seestar S50 · Seestar S50 Pro · Seestar S30 · Seestar S30 Pro · DWARF 3 · DWARF mini · Draco · DWARF II · Vespera II · Vespera Pro · Vespera Pro 2 · eQuinox 2 · Odyssey · Origin · Origin Mark II
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