What to image in January with the Vaonis Vespera 3
The long nights of midwinter belong to Orion. The Orion Nebula is up for hours, the emission regions around it (Flame, Horsehead, Rosette, the Christmas Tree cluster) respond to a dual-band filter even from town, and Andromeda and the Pleiades are still high in the west early in the evening. Cold, dry air is the best seeing of the year; dew and battery life are the enemies.
Moon in January 2027: new on 7 Jan, full on 22 Jan. Broadband targets (galaxies, clusters) want the week either side of new; emission nebulae behind a dual-band filter tolerate the rest.
37 targets transit near midnight in January. From a suburban sky the Vespera 3 gets a solid image of 23 of them in under an hour each; 14 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Beehive ClusterCancer | 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 |
| M48Hydra | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min32 subs |
| M50Monoceros | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min32 subs |
| M67Cancer | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min32 subs |
| M93Puppis | 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 |
| Cigar GalaxyUrsa Major | Galaxy | 17 min103 subs | 33 min199 subs | 1 h 28 min528 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 |
| Bode's GalaxyUrsa Major | Galaxy | 30 min179 subs | 1 h 01 min366 subs | 2 h 49 min1,012 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 |
| NGC 2903Leo | Galaxy | 1 h 04 min383 subs | 2 h 15 min809 subs | 6 h 20 min2,283 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 January: 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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