What to image in May with the DwarfLab DWARF mini
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 mini gets a solid image of 30 of them in under an hour each; 21 need longer, or a darker sky, or several nights. Times below use the recommended filter and 15 s subs.
| Target | Type | Bortle 4 | Bortle 6 | Bortle 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butterfly ClusterScorpius | Open cluster | 8 min30 subs | 8 min30 subs | 8 min30 subs |
| Ptolemy's ClusterScorpius | Open cluster | 8 min30 subs | 8 min30 subs | 8 min30 subs |
| Hercules ClusterHercules | Globular cluster | 8 min30 subs | 8 min30 subs | 18 min72 subs |
| M23Sagittarius | Open cluster | 8 min30 subs | 8 min30 subs | 8 min30 subs |
| M92Hercules | Globular cluster | 8 min30 subs | 8 min30 subs | 14 min57 subs |
| Omega CentauriCentaurus | Globular cluster | 8 min30 subs | 8 min30 subs | 8 min30 subs |
| M62Ophiuchus | Globular cluster | 8 min30 subs | 8 min33 subs | 20 min81 subs |
| M3Canes Venatici | Globular cluster | 8 min30 subs | 10 min39 subs | 24 min96 subs |
| M5Serpens | Globular cluster | 8 min30 subs | 10 min41 subs | 25 min102 subs |
| Cat's Eye NebulaDraco, dual-band | Planetary nebula | 9 min35 subs | 10 min41 subs | 15 min62 subs |
| Turtle NebulaHercules, dual-band | Planetary nebula | 9 min35 subs | 10 min41 subs | 15 min62 subs |
| M80Scorpius | Globular cluster | 8 min30 subs | 11 min44 subs | 26 min106 subs |
| M12Ophiuchus | Globular cluster | 8 min32 subs | 14 min58 subs | 37 min148 subs |
| M19Ophiuchus | Globular cluster | 11 min45 subs | 21 min85 subs | 56 min223 subs |
| M14Ophiuchus | Globular cluster | 12 min49 subs | 23 min91 subs | 58 min234 subs |
| Spindle GalaxyDraco | Galaxy | 13 min53 subs | 23 min94 subs | 59 min236 subs |
| M10Ophiuchus | Globular cluster | 14 min57 subs | 27 min110 subs | 1 h 13 min292 subs |
| M94Canes Venatici | Galaxy | 15 min60 subs | 28 min113 subs | 1 h 14 min296 subs |
| M68Hydra | Globular cluster | 17 min67 subs | 32 min127 subs | 1 h 23 min334 subs |
| M9Ophiuchus | Globular cluster | 17 min70 subs | 34 min135 subs | 1 h 30 min359 subs |
| Black Eye GalaxyComa Berenices | Galaxy | 18 min72 subs | 34 min137 subs | 1 h 30 min361 subs |
| M53Coma Berenices | Globular cluster | 18 min73 subs | 35 min141 subs | 1 h 34 min378 subs |
| Centaurus ACentaurus | Galaxy | 20 min82 subs | 41 min164 subs | 1 h 51 min445 subs |
| Southern PinwheelHydra | Galaxy | 23 min94 subs | 47 min187 subs | 2 h 07 min507 subs |
| Sombrero GalaxyVirgo | Galaxy | 24 min97 subs | 47 min188 subs | 2 h 05 min501 subs |
| M59Virgo | Galaxy | 25 min101 subs | 48 min192 subs | 2 h 06 min505 subs |
| Whale GalaxyCanes Venatici | Galaxy | 27 min107 subs | 54 min218 subs | 2 h 29 min598 subs |
| Whirlpool GalaxyCanes Venatici | Galaxy | 29 min117 subs | 58 min234 subs | 2 h 39 min636 subs |
| M60Virgo | Galaxy | 30 min122 subs | 59 min236 subs | 2 h 37 min629 subs |
| M107Ophiuchus | Globular cluster | 29 min117 subs | 59 min236 subs | 2 h 42 min649 subs |
| M87Virgo | Galaxy | 32 min127 subs | 1 h 02 min250 subs | 2 h 48 min673 subs |
| M106Canes Venatici | Galaxy | 32 min127 subs | 1 h 05 min259 subs | 2 h 59 min717 subs |
| Needle GalaxyComa Berenices | Galaxy | 32 min128 subs | 1 h 06 min263 subs | 3 h 02 min728 subs |
| M49Virgo | Galaxy | 34 min138 subs | 1 h 09 min276 subs | 3 h 08 min754 subs |
| M4Scorpius | Globular cluster | 36 min144 subs | 1 h 14 min296 subs | 3 h 26 min824 subs |
| M84Virgo | Galaxy | 40 min161 subs | 1 h 19 min317 subs | 3 h 34 min856 subs |
| M85Coma Berenices | Galaxy | 42 min169 subs | 1 h 24 min335 subs | 3 h 47 min909 subs |
| M89Virgo | Galaxy | 43 min174 subs | 1 h 26 min345 subs | 3 h 54 min936 subs |
| M86Virgo | Galaxy | 43 min172 subs | 1 h 27 min348 subs | 3 h 59 min956 subs |
| Sunflower GalaxyCanes Venatici | Galaxy | 47 min190 subs | 1 h 38 min394 subs | 4 h 35 min1,099 subs |
| M88Coma Berenices | Galaxy | 54 min217 subs | 1 h 49 min437 subs | 5 h1,200 subs |
| Antennae GalaxiesCorvus | Galaxy | 59 min236 subs | 1 h 59 min477 subs | 5 h 28 min1,312 subs |
| M100Coma Berenices | Galaxy | 1 h 08 min272 subs | 2 h 19 min558 subs | 6 h 26 min1,546 subs |
| M90Virgo | Galaxy | 1 h 12 min289 subs | 2 h 31 min604 subs | 7 h 03 min1,694 subs |
| M58Virgo | Galaxy | 1 h 16 min303 subs | 2 h 36 min623 subs | 7 h 12 min1,728 subs |
| M99Coma Berenices | Galaxy | 1 h 21 min324 subs | 2 h 47 min669 subs | 7 h 45 min1,862 subs |
| M61Virgo | Galaxy | 1 h 30 min359 subs | 3 h 07 min747 subs | 8 h 41 min2,084 subs |
| M98Coma Berenices | Galaxy | 1 h 46 min426 subs | 3 h 47 min908 subs | 11 h2,572 subs |
| M91Coma Berenices | Galaxy | 1 h 49 min438 subs | 3 h 50 min920 subs | 11 h2,583 subs |
| Pinwheel GalaxyUrsa Major | Galaxy | 2 h 06 min505 subs | 4 h 35 min1,102 subs | 13 h3,164 subs |
| Abell 39Hercules, dual-band | Planetary nebula | 15 h3,637 subs | 21 h5,130 subs | 43 h10,287 subs |
Other telescopes in May: Seestar S50 · Seestar S50 Pro · Seestar S30 · Seestar S30 Pro · DWARF 3 · Draco · DWARF II · Vespera II · Vespera Pro · Vespera 3 · Vespera Pro 2 · eQuinox 2 · Odyssey · Origin · Origin Mark II
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