What to image in December with the Vaonis Vespera Pro 2
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 Pro 2 gets a solid image of 16 of them in under an hour each; 23 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 min33 subs | 11 min69 subs |
| M35Gemini | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min33 subs | 11 min69 subs |
| M37Auriga | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min33 subs | 11 min69 subs |
| M38Auriga | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min33 subs | 11 min69 subs |
| M41Canis Major | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min33 subs | 11 min69 subs |
| M46Puppis | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min33 subs | 11 min69 subs |
| M47Puppis | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min33 subs | 11 min69 subs |
| M50Monoceros | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min33 subs | 11 min69 subs |
| M93Puppis | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min33 subs | 11 min69 subs |
| Double ClusterPerseus | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min33 subs | 11 min69 subs |
| Rosette ClusterMonoceros | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min33 subs | 11 min69 subs |
| M36Auriga | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 7 min41 subs | 14 min86 subs |
| NGC 1893Auriga | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 7 min45 subs | 16 min94 subs |
| Eskimo NebulaGemini | Planetary nebula | 16 min98 subs | 26 min157 subs | 1 h360 subs |
| M79Lepus | Globular cluster | 20 min120 subs | 34 min203 subs | 1 h 21 min489 subs |
| Orion NebulaOrion | Emission nebula | 20 min122 subs | 36 min217 subs | 1 h 31 min545 subs |
| M77Cetus | Galaxy | 36 min219 subs | 1 h 04 min384 subs | 2 h 39 min954 subs |
| Crab NebulaTaurus | Supernova remnant | 46 min274 subs | 1 h 21 min488 subs | 3 h 24 min1,225 subs |
| De Mairan's NebulaOrion | Emission nebula | 53 min318 subs | 1 h 41 min604 subs | 4 h 26 min1,594 subs |
| Flame NebulaOrion | Emission nebula | 53 min318 subs | 1 h 41 min604 subs | 4 h 26 min1,594 subs |
| Tarantula NebulaDorado | Emission nebula | 53 min318 subs | 1 h 41 min604 subs | 4 h 26 min1,594 subs |
| M78Orion | Reflection nebula | 1 h 12 min430 subs | 2 h 13 min801 subs | 5 h 47 min2,085 subs |
| Running Man NebulaOrion | Reflection nebula | 1 h 14 min442 subs | 2 h 23 min857 subs | 6 h 21 min2,287 subs |
| Rosette NebulaMonoceros | Emission nebula | 2 h 25 min871 subs | 4 h 49 min1,736 subs | 13 h4,726 subs |
| PleiadesTaurus | Reflection nebula | 2 h 52 min1,035 subs | 5 h 46 min2,075 subs | 16 h5,669 subs |
| Flaming Star NebulaAuriga | Emission nebula | 2 h 52 min1,035 subs | 5 h 46 min2,075 subs | 16 h5,669 subs |
| Monkey Head NebulaOrion | Emission nebula | 2 h 52 min1,035 subs | 5 h 46 min2,075 subs | 16 h5,669 subs |
| NGC 891Andromeda | Galaxy | 2 h 56 min1,054 subs | 5 h 51 min2,106 subs | 16 h5,742 subs |
| California NebulaPerseus | Emission nebula | 3 h 25 min1,231 subs | 6 h 53 min2,481 subs | 19 h6,802 subs |
| Horsehead NebulaOrion | Emission nebula | 3 h 25 min1,231 subs | 6 h 53 min2,481 subs | 19 h6,802 subs |
| NGC 2403Camelopardalis | Galaxy | 3 h 25 min1,231 subs | 6 h 53 min2,481 subs | 19 h6,802 subs |
| Tadpoles NebulaAuriga | Emission nebula | 4 h 04 min1,464 subs | 8 h 15 min2,968 subs | 23 h8,163 subs |
| Heart NebulaCassiopeia | Emission nebula | 4 h 51 min1,744 subs | 9 h 52 min3,552 subs | 27 h9,797 subs |
| Soul NebulaCassiopeia | Emission nebula | 5 h 46 min2,079 subs | 12 h4,252 subs | 33 h11,761 subs |
| NGC 1333Perseus | Reflection nebula | 6 h 28 min2,328 subs | 13 h4,668 subs | 35 h12,755 subs |
| Cone and Christmas TreeMonoceros | Emission nebula | 6 h 53 min2,479 subs | 14 h5,092 subs | 39 h14,120 subs |
| Jellyfish NebulaGemini | Supernova remnant | 6 h 53 min2,479 subs | 14 h5,092 subs | 39 h14,120 subs |
| Thor's HelmetCanis Major | Emission nebula | 11 h3,897 subs | 22 h7,972 subs | 61 h22,051 subs |
| Witch Head NebulaEridanus | Reflection nebula | 41 h14,862 subs | 87 h31,346 subs | 250+ h88,308 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 3 · eQuinox 2 · Odyssey · Origin · Origin Mark II
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