What to image in December with the Vaonis Vespera II
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 II 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 min34 subs |
| M35Gemini | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs |
| M36Auriga | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 7 min42 subs |
| M37Auriga | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs |
| M38Auriga | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs |
| M41Canis Major | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs |
| M46Puppis | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs |
| M47Puppis | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs |
| M50Monoceros | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs |
| M93Puppis | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs |
| Double ClusterPerseus | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs |
| Rosette ClusterMonoceros | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs |
| NGC 1893Auriga | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 8 min46 subs |
| Eskimo NebulaGemini | Planetary nebula | 7 min45 subs | 12 min75 subs | 29 min175 subs |
| M79Lepus | Globular cluster | 9 min55 subs | 16 min96 subs | 40 min238 subs |
| Orion NebulaOrion | Emission nebula | 9 min56 subs | 17 min103 subs | 44 min265 subs |
| M77Cetus | Galaxy | 17 min100 subs | 30 min182 subs | 1 h 17 min464 subs |
| Crab NebulaTaurus | Supernova remnant | 21 min124 subs | 38 min230 subs | 1 h 39 min595 subs |
| De Mairan's NebulaOrion | Emission nebula | 24 min142 subs | 47 min284 subs | 2 h 09 min774 subs |
| Flame NebulaOrion | Emission nebula | 24 min142 subs | 47 min284 subs | 2 h 09 min774 subs |
| Tarantula NebulaDorado | Emission nebula | 24 min142 subs | 47 min284 subs | 2 h 09 min774 subs |
| M78Orion | Reflection nebula | 32 min193 subs | 1 h 03 min377 subs | 2 h 49 min1,013 subs |
| Running Man NebulaOrion | Reflection nebula | 33 min197 subs | 1 h 07 min402 subs | 3 h 05 min1,111 subs |
| Rosette NebulaMonoceros | Emission nebula | 1 h 04 min385 subs | 2 h 15 min813 subs | 6 h 22 min2,294 subs |
| PleiadesTaurus | Reflection nebula | 1 h 16 min456 subs | 2 h 42 min971 subs | 7 h 38 min2,751 subs |
| Flaming Star NebulaAuriga | Emission nebula | 1 h 16 min456 subs | 2 h 42 min971 subs | 7 h 38 min2,751 subs |
| Monkey Head NebulaOrion | Emission nebula | 1 h 16 min456 subs | 2 h 42 min971 subs | 7 h 38 min2,751 subs |
| NGC 891Andromeda | Galaxy | 1 h 17 min465 subs | 2 h 44 min986 subs | 7 h 44 min2,787 subs |
| California NebulaPerseus | Emission nebula | 1 h 30 min542 subs | 3 h 13 min1,161 subs | 9 h 10 min3,301 subs |
| Horsehead NebulaOrion | Emission nebula | 1 h 30 min542 subs | 3 h 13 min1,161 subs | 9 h 10 min3,301 subs |
| NGC 2403Camelopardalis | Galaxy | 1 h 30 min542 subs | 3 h 13 min1,161 subs | 9 h 10 min3,301 subs |
| Tadpoles NebulaAuriga | Emission nebula | 1 h 47 min644 subs | 3 h 51 min1,388 subs | 11 h3,961 subs |
| Heart NebulaCassiopeia | Emission nebula | 2 h 08 min766 subs | 4 h 37 min1,661 subs | 13 h4,754 subs |
| Soul NebulaCassiopeia | Emission nebula | 2 h 32 min912 subs | 5 h 31 min1,988 subs | 16 h5,706 subs |
| NGC 1333Perseus | Reflection nebula | 2 h 51 min1,026 subs | 6 h 04 min2,185 subs | 17 h6,190 subs |
| Cone and Christmas TreeMonoceros | Emission nebula | 3 h 01 min1,086 subs | 6 h 37 min2,380 subs | 19 h6,851 subs |
| Jellyfish NebulaGemini | Supernova remnant | 3 h 01 min1,086 subs | 6 h 37 min2,380 subs | 19 h6,851 subs |
| Thor's HelmetCanis Major | Emission nebula | 4 h 45 min1,709 subs | 10 h3,727 subs | 30 h10,699 subs |
| Witch Head NebulaEridanus | Reflection nebula | 18 h6,464 subs | 41 h14,628 subs | 120+ h42,837 subs |
Other telescopes in December: Seestar S50 · Seestar S50 Pro · Seestar S30 · Seestar S30 Pro · DWARF 3 · DWARF mini · Draco · DWARF II · Vespera Pro · Vespera 3 · Vespera Pro 2 · eQuinox 2 · Odyssey · Origin · Origin Mark II
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