What to image in December with the Vaonis Vespera 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 Vespera Pro 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 | 6 min34 subs | 12 min72 subs |
| M35Gemini | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs | 12 min72 subs |
| M37Auriga | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs | 12 min72 subs |
| M38Auriga | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs | 12 min72 subs |
| M41Canis Major | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs | 12 min72 subs |
| M46Puppis | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs | 12 min72 subs |
| M47Puppis | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs | 12 min72 subs |
| M50Monoceros | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs | 12 min72 subs |
| M93Puppis | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs | 12 min72 subs |
| Double ClusterPerseus | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs | 12 min72 subs |
| Rosette ClusterMonoceros | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs | 12 min72 subs |
| M36Auriga | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 7 min43 subs | 15 min90 subs |
| NGC 1893Auriga | Open cluster | 5 min32 subs | 8 min47 subs | 16 min98 subs |
| Eskimo NebulaGemini | Planetary nebula | 17 min103 subs | 27 min164 subs | 1 h 02 min375 subs |
| M79Lepus | Globular cluster | 21 min126 subs | 35 min212 subs | 1 h 25 min511 subs |
| Orion NebulaOrion | Emission nebula | 21 min129 subs | 38 min227 subs | 1 h 35 min569 subs |
| M77Cetus | Galaxy | 38 min231 subs | 1 h 07 min403 subs | 2 h 46 min996 subs |
| Crab NebulaTaurus | Supernova remnant | 48 min289 subs | 1 h 25 min511 subs | 3 h 33 min1,279 subs |
| De Mairan's NebulaOrion | Emission nebula | 56 min335 subs | 1 h 46 min634 subs | 4 h 37 min1,664 subs |
| Flame NebulaOrion | Emission nebula | 56 min335 subs | 1 h 46 min634 subs | 4 h 37 min1,664 subs |
| Tarantula NebulaDorado | Emission nebula | 56 min335 subs | 1 h 46 min634 subs | 4 h 37 min1,664 subs |
| M78Orion | Reflection nebula | 1 h 15 min453 subs | 2 h 20 min840 subs | 6 h 03 min2,177 subs |
| Running Man NebulaOrion | Reflection nebula | 1 h 18 min467 subs | 2 h 30 min899 subs | 6 h 38 min2,388 subs |
| Rosette NebulaMonoceros | Emission nebula | 2 h 33 min921 subs | 5 h 04 min1,822 subs | 14 h4,935 subs |
| PleiadesTaurus | Reflection nebula | 3 h 02 min1,094 subs | 6 h 03 min2,177 subs | 16 h5,920 subs |
| Flaming Star NebulaAuriga | Emission nebula | 3 h 02 min1,094 subs | 6 h 03 min2,177 subs | 16 h5,920 subs |
| Monkey Head NebulaOrion | Emission nebula | 3 h 02 min1,094 subs | 6 h 03 min2,177 subs | 16 h5,920 subs |
| NGC 891Andromeda | Galaxy | 3 h 06 min1,114 subs | 6 h 08 min2,210 subs | 17 h5,996 subs |
| California NebulaPerseus | Emission nebula | 3 h 37 min1,302 subs | 7 h 14 min2,604 subs | 20 h7,103 subs |
| Horsehead NebulaOrion | Emission nebula | 3 h 37 min1,302 subs | 7 h 14 min2,604 subs | 20 h7,103 subs |
| NGC 2403Camelopardalis | Galaxy | 3 h 37 min1,302 subs | 7 h 14 min2,604 subs | 20 h7,103 subs |
| Tadpoles NebulaAuriga | Emission nebula | 4 h 18 min1,549 subs | 8 h 39 min3,114 subs | 24 h8,524 subs |
| Heart NebulaCassiopeia | Emission nebula | 5 h 07 min1,845 subs | 10 h3,727 subs | 28 h10,230 subs |
| Soul NebulaCassiopeia | Emission nebula | 6 h 06 min2,199 subs | 12 h4,462 subs | 34 h12,281 subs |
| NGC 1333Perseus | Reflection nebula | 6 h 50 min2,462 subs | 14 h4,899 subs | 37 h13,319 subs |
| Cone and Christmas TreeMonoceros | Emission nebula | 7 h 17 min2,624 subs | 15 h5,344 subs | 41 h14,744 subs |
| Jellyfish NebulaGemini | Supernova remnant | 7 h 17 min2,624 subs | 15 h5,344 subs | 41 h14,744 subs |
| Thor's HelmetCanis Major | Emission nebula | 11 h4,124 subs | 23 h8,366 subs | 64 h23,026 subs |
| Witch Head NebulaEridanus | Reflection nebula | 44 h15,741 subs | 91 h32,904 subs | 260+ h92,215 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 3 · Vespera Pro 2 · eQuinox 2 · Odyssey · Origin · Origin Mark II
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