How Many Subs

What to image in May with the DwarfLab DWARF II

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 DWARF II gets a solid image of 13 of them in under an hour each; 38 need longer, or a darker sky, or several nights. Times below use the recommended filter and 15 s subs.

Solid image with the DwarfLab DWARF II, sorted by the Bortle 6 figure. Each link opens the full Bortle 1 to 9 table with sub-length and filter comparisons.
TargetTypeBortle 4Bortle 6Bortle 8
Omega CentauriCentaurusGlobular cluster8 min30 subs8 min30 subs13 min53 subs
Butterfly ClusterScorpiusOpen cluster8 min30 subs8 min33 subs16 min66 subs
Ptolemy's ClusterScorpiusOpen cluster8 min30 subs8 min33 subs16 min66 subs
M23SagittariusOpen cluster8 min30 subs8 min33 subs16 min66 subs
M92HerculesGlobular cluster13 min52 subs19 min78 subs42 min169 subs
Hercules ClusterHerculesGlobular cluster16 min63 subs24 min97 subs53 min213 subs
M62OphiuchusGlobular cluster18 min71 subs27 min110 subs1 h 01 min243 subs
M3Canes VenaticiGlobular cluster20 min82 subs32 min128 subs1 h 12 min287 subs
M5SerpensGlobular cluster21 min86 subs34 min135 subs1 h 16 min304 subs
M80ScorpiusGlobular cluster23 min94 subs36 min144 subs1 h 19 min317 subs
Cat's Eye NebulaDracoPlanetary nebula27 min108 subs40 min162 subs1 h 27 min348 subs
Turtle NebulaHerculesPlanetary nebula27 min108 subs40 min162 subs1 h 27 min348 subs
M12OphiuchusGlobular cluster30 min120 subs48 min193 subs1 h 50 min442 subs
M19OphiuchusGlobular cluster44 min175 subs1 h 11 min285 subs2 h 47 min668 subs
M14OphiuchusGlobular cluster47 min188 subs1 h 16 min304 subs2 h 56 min703 subs
Spindle GalaxyDracoGalaxy50 min199 subs1 h 18 min313 subs2 h 56 min706 subs
M10OphiuchusGlobular cluster56 min224 subs1 h 33 min371 subs3 h 39 min878 subs
M94Canes VenaticiGalaxy58 min233 subs1 h 35 min380 subs3 h 42 min889 subs
M68HydraGlobular cluster1 h 05 min260 subs1 h 47 min427 subs4 h 11 min1,004 subs
M9OphiuchusGlobular cluster1 h 09 min276 subs1 h 54 min456 subs4 h 30 min1,079 subs
Black Eye GalaxyComa BerenicesGalaxy1 h 10 min282 subs1 h 55 min462 subs4 h 31 min1,086 subs
M53Coma BerenicesGlobular cluster1 h 12 min288 subs1 h 59 min478 subs4 h 44 min1,137 subs
Centaurus ACentaurusGalaxy1 h 23 min331 subs2 h 19 min557 subs5 h 35 min1,339 subs
Southern PinwheelHydraGalaxy1 h 34 min378 subs2 h 39 min635 subs6 h 21 min1,525 subs
Sombrero GalaxyVirgoGalaxy1 h 36 min384 subs2 h 39 min636 subs6 h 16 min1,506 subs
M59VirgoGalaxy1 h 39 min396 subs2 h 42 min647 subs6 h 19 min1,516 subs
Whale GalaxyCanes VenaticiGalaxy1 h 49 min437 subs3 h 06 min743 subs7 h 30 min1,800 subs
Whirlpool GalaxyCanes VenaticiGalaxy1 h 58 min472 subs3 h 19 min796 subs7 h 58 min1,914 subs
M60VirgoGalaxy2 h482 subs3 h 19 min798 subs7 h 52 min1,890 subs
M107OphiuchusGlobular cluster1 h 59 min476 subs3 h 22 min807 subs8 h 08 min1,952 subs
M87VirgoGalaxy2 h 07 min508 subs3 h 32 min848 subs8 h 26 min2,024 subs
M106Canes VenaticiGalaxy2 h 10 min519 subs3 h 42 min887 subs9 h2,159 subs
Needle GalaxyComa BerenicesGalaxy2 h 11 min526 subs3 h 45 min900 subs9 h 08 min2,191 subs
M49VirgoGalaxy2 h 19 min557 subs3 h 55 min941 subs9 h 27 min2,269 subs
M4ScorpiusGlobular cluster2 h 28 min592 subs4 h 14 min1,016 subs10 h2,482 subs
M84VirgoGalaxy2 h 41 min644 subs4 h 29 min1,077 subs11 h2,574 subs
M85Coma BerenicesGalaxy2 h 50 min679 subs4 h 45 min1,140 subs11 h2,735 subs
M89VirgoGalaxy2 h 55 min700 subs4 h 53 min1,174 subs12 h2,815 subs
M86VirgoGalaxy2 h 55 min700 subs4 h 57 min1,189 subs12 h2,877 subs
Sunflower GalaxyCanes VenaticiGalaxy3 h 16 min785 subs5 h 38 min1,352 subs14 h3,310 subs
M88Coma BerenicesGalaxy3 h 40 min880 subs6 h 13 min1,494 subs15 h3,612 subs
Antennae GalaxiesCorvusGalaxy4 h960 subs6 h 48 min1,631 subs16 h3,949 subs
M100Coma BerenicesGalaxy4 h 39 min1,118 subs7 h 58 min1,912 subs19 h4,655 subs
M90VirgoGalaxy5 h1,202 subs8 h 39 min2,078 subs21 h5,105 subs
M58VirgoGalaxy5 h 11 min1,246 subs8 h 53 min2,134 subs22 h5,205 subs
M99Coma BerenicesGalaxy5 h 34 min1,337 subs9 h 34 min2,296 subs23 h5,609 subs
M61VirgoGalaxy6 h 12 min1,488 subs11 h2,563 subs26 h6,279 subs
M98Coma BerenicesGalaxy7 h 28 min1,793 subs13 h3,131 subs32 h7,754 subs
M91Coma BerenicesGalaxy7 h 36 min1,826 subs13 h3,164 subs32 h7,784 subs
Pinwheel GalaxyUrsa MajorGalaxy9 h2,159 subs16 h3,817 subs40 h9,545 subs
Abell 39HerculesPlanetary nebula71 h17,029 subs130+ h30,570 subs320+ h77,364 subs

Other telescopes in May: Seestar S50 · Seestar S50 Pro · Seestar S30 · Seestar S30 Pro · DWARF 3 · DWARF mini · Draco · Vespera II · Vespera Pro · Vespera 3 · Vespera Pro 2 · eQuinox 2 · Odyssey · Origin · Origin Mark II

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