What to image in May with the Celestron Origin
The last of the galaxies with the first of the summer globulars: Hercules, M3 and M5 are bright, small and forgiving of a bright sky. Darkness is short north of about 50°, so short, bright targets suit the month.
Moon in May 2027: new on 6 May, full on 20 May. Broadband targets (galaxies, clusters) want the week either side of new; emission nebulae behind a dual-band filter tolerate the rest.
51 targets transit near midnight in May. From a suburban sky the Origin gets a solid image of 47 of them in under an hour each; 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M3Canes Venatici | Globular cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 7 min40 subs |
| M5Serpens | Globular cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 7 min43 subs |
| Butterfly ClusterScorpius | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs |
| Ptolemy's ClusterScorpius | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs |
| M12Ophiuchus | Globular cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 10 min62 subs |
| Hercules ClusterHercules | Globular cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs |
| M23Sagittarius | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs |
| M62Ophiuchus | Globular cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs |
| M80Scorpius | Globular cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 7 min44 subs |
| M92Hercules | Globular cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs |
| Omega CentauriCentaurus | Globular cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs |
| Cat's Eye NebulaDraco | Planetary nebula | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 8 min49 subs |
| Turtle NebulaHercules | Planetary nebula | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 8 min49 subs |
| M19Ophiuchus | Globular cluster | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs | 15 min93 subs |
| M14Ophiuchus | Globular cluster | 5 min30 subs | 6 min37 subs | 16 min98 subs |
| Spindle GalaxyDraco | Galaxy | 5 min30 subs | 6 min38 subs | 16 min99 subs |
| M10Ophiuchus | Globular cluster | 5 min30 subs | 7 min44 subs | 20 min122 subs |
| M94Canes Venatici | Galaxy | 5 min30 subs | 8 min46 subs | 21 min124 subs |
| M68Hydra | Globular cluster | 5 min30 subs | 8 min51 subs | 23 min139 subs |
| M9Ophiuchus | Globular cluster | 5 min30 subs | 9 min54 subs | 25 min150 subs |
| Black Eye GalaxyComa Berenices | Galaxy | 5 min30 subs | 9 min55 subs | 25 min151 subs |
| M53Coma Berenices | Globular cluster | 5 min30 subs | 9 min57 subs | 26 min158 subs |
| Centaurus ACentaurus | Galaxy | 5 min31 subs | 11 min66 subs | 31 min186 subs |
| Southern PinwheelHydra | Galaxy | 6 min36 subs | 12 min75 subs | 35 min211 subs |
| Sombrero GalaxyVirgo | Galaxy | 6 min37 subs | 12 min75 subs | 35 min209 subs |
| M59Virgo | Galaxy | 6 min39 subs | 13 min77 subs | 35 min210 subs |
| Whale GalaxyCanes Venatici | Galaxy | 7 min40 subs | 14 min87 subs | 41 min249 subs |
| Whirlpool GalaxyCanes Venatici | Galaxy | 7 min44 subs | 16 min94 subs | 44 min265 subs |
| M107Ophiuchus | Globular cluster | 7 min44 subs | 16 min95 subs | 45 min270 subs |
| M60Virgo | Galaxy | 8 min46 subs | 16 min95 subs | 44 min262 subs |
| M87Virgo | Galaxy | 8 min48 subs | 17 min100 subs | 47 min280 subs |
| M106Canes Venatici | Galaxy | 8 min47 subs | 17 min104 subs | 50 min299 subs |
| Needle GalaxyComa Berenices | Galaxy | 8 min48 subs | 17 min105 subs | 50 min303 subs |
| M49Virgo | Galaxy | 9 min52 subs | 18 min111 subs | 52 min314 subs |
| M4Scorpius | Globular cluster | 9 min54 subs | 20 min119 subs | 57 min343 subs |
| M84Virgo | Galaxy | 10 min61 subs | 21 min127 subs | 59 min356 subs |
| M85Coma Berenices | Galaxy | 11 min64 subs | 22 min134 subs | 1 h 03 min379 subs |
| M89Virgo | Galaxy | 11 min66 subs | 23 min138 subs | 1 h 05 min390 subs |
| M86Virgo | Galaxy | 11 min64 subs | 23 min139 subs | 1 h 06 min398 subs |
| Sunflower GalaxyCanes Venatici | Galaxy | 12 min71 subs | 26 min157 subs | 1 h 16 min457 subs |
| M88Coma Berenices | Galaxy | 13 min81 subs | 29 min175 subs | 1 h 23 min500 subs |
| Antennae GalaxiesCorvus | Galaxy | 15 min88 subs | 32 min191 subs | 1 h 31 min546 subs |
| M100Coma Berenices | Galaxy | 17 min101 subs | 37 min223 subs | 1 h 47 min643 subs |
| M90Virgo | Galaxy | 18 min107 subs | 40 min241 subs | 1 h 57 min705 subs |
| M58Virgo | Galaxy | 19 min113 subs | 41 min249 subs | 2 h719 subs |
| M99Coma Berenices | Galaxy | 20 min120 subs | 44 min267 subs | 2 h 09 min775 subs |
| M61Virgo | Galaxy | 22 min133 subs | 50 min298 subs | 2 h 24 min867 subs |
| M98Coma Berenices | Galaxy | 26 min157 subs | 1 h362 subs | 2 h 58 min1,070 subs |
| M91Coma Berenices | Galaxy | 27 min162 subs | 1 h 01 min367 subs | 2 h 59 min1,075 subs |
| Pinwheel GalaxyUrsa Major | Galaxy | 31 min185 subs | 1 h 13 min439 subs | 3 h 39 min1,316 subs |
| Abell 39Hercules | Planetary nebula | 3 h 55 min1,411 subs | 9 h 41 min3,486 subs | 30 h10,654 subs |
Other telescopes in May: Seestar S50 · Seestar S50 Pro · Seestar S30 · Seestar S30 Pro · DWARF 3 · DWARF mini · Draco · DWARF II · Vespera II · Vespera Pro · Vespera 3 · Vespera Pro 2 · eQuinox 2 · Odyssey · Origin Mark II
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