What to image in May with the ZWO Seestar S30 Pro
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 Seestar S30 Pro gets a solid image of 26 of them in under an hour each; 25 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butterfly ClusterScorpius | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min39 subs |
| Ptolemy's ClusterScorpius | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min39 subs |
| M23Sagittarius | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min39 subs |
| Omega CentauriCentaurus | Globular cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min31 subs |
| M92Hercules | Globular cluster | 5 min30 subs | 7 min42 subs | 16 min97 subs |
| Hercules ClusterHercules | Globular cluster | 5 min31 subs | 8 min51 subs | 20 min123 subs |
| M62Ophiuchus | Globular cluster | 6 min34 subs | 10 min58 subs | 23 min140 subs |
| M3Canes Venatici | Globular cluster | 6 min39 subs | 11 min67 subs | 27 min165 subs |
| M5Serpens | Globular cluster | 7 min41 subs | 12 min71 subs | 29 min175 subs |
| Cat's Eye NebulaDraco, dual-band | Planetary nebula | 10 min63 subs | 12 min73 subs | 18 min108 subs |
| Turtle NebulaHercules, dual-band | Planetary nebula | 10 min63 subs | 12 min73 subs | 18 min108 subs |
| M80Scorpius | Globular cluster | 7 min45 subs | 13 min76 subs | 30 min182 subs |
| M12Ophiuchus | Globular cluster | 9 min56 subs | 17 min100 subs | 42 min254 subs |
| M19Ophiuchus | Globular cluster | 13 min80 subs | 25 min148 subs | 1 h 04 min383 subs |
| M14Ophiuchus | Globular cluster | 14 min87 subs | 26 min158 subs | 1 h 07 min403 subs |
| Spindle GalaxyDraco | Galaxy | 16 min94 subs | 27 min164 subs | 1 h 08 min406 subs |
| M10Ophiuchus | Globular cluster | 17 min101 subs | 32 min191 subs | 1 h 24 min502 subs |
| M94Canes Venatici | Galaxy | 18 min106 subs | 33 min197 subs | 1 h 25 min509 subs |
| M68Hydra | Globular cluster | 20 min118 subs | 37 min220 subs | 1 h 36 min575 subs |
| M9Ophiuchus | Globular cluster | 21 min124 subs | 39 min235 subs | 1 h 43 min618 subs |
| Black Eye GalaxyComa Berenices | Galaxy | 21 min128 subs | 40 min239 subs | 1 h 44 min622 subs |
| M53Coma Berenices | Globular cluster | 21 min129 subs | 41 min246 subs | 1 h 48 min651 subs |
| Centaurus ACentaurus | Galaxy | 24 min147 subs | 48 min286 subs | 2 h 08 min766 subs |
| Southern PinwheelHydra | Galaxy | 28 min167 subs | 54 min325 subs | 2 h 25 min872 subs |
| Sombrero GalaxyVirgo | Galaxy | 29 min172 subs | 54 min327 subs | 2 h 24 min862 subs |
| M59Virgo | Galaxy | 30 min180 subs | 56 min334 subs | 2 h 25 min868 subs |
| Whale GalaxyCanes Venatici | Galaxy | 32 min192 subs | 1 h 03 min380 subs | 2 h 51 min1,029 subs |
| Whirlpool GalaxyCanes Venatici | Galaxy | 35 min209 subs | 1 h 08 min407 subs | 3 h 02 min1,094 subs |
| M60Virgo | Galaxy | 36 min217 subs | 1 h 08 min411 subs | 3 h1,082 subs |
| M107Ophiuchus | Globular cluster | 35 min209 subs | 1 h 09 min412 subs | 3 h 06 min1,116 subs |
| M87Virgo | Galaxy | 38 min227 subs | 1 h 13 min436 subs | 3 h 13 min1,158 subs |
| M106Canes Venatici | Galaxy | 38 min226 subs | 1 h 15 min452 subs | 3 h 26 min1,234 subs |
| Needle GalaxyComa Berenices | Galaxy | 38 min229 subs | 1 h 16 min459 subs | 3 h 29 min1,252 subs |
| M49Virgo | Galaxy | 41 min245 subs | 1 h 20 min481 subs | 3 h 36 min1,297 subs |
| M4Scorpius | Globular cluster | 43 min257 subs | 1 h 26 min517 subs | 3 h 56 min1,418 subs |
| M84Virgo | Galaxy | 48 min286 subs | 1 h 32 min552 subs | 4 h 05 min1,472 subs |
| M85Coma Berenices | Galaxy | 50 min301 subs | 1 h 37 min584 subs | 4 h 21 min1,564 subs |
| M89Virgo | Galaxy | 52 min310 subs | 1 h 40 min602 subs | 4 h 28 min1,610 subs |
| M86Virgo | Galaxy | 51 min307 subs | 1 h 41 min607 subs | 4 h 34 min1,644 subs |
| Sunflower GalaxyCanes Venatici | Galaxy | 56 min339 subs | 1 h 55 min688 subs | 5 h 15 min1,891 subs |
| M88Coma Berenices | Galaxy | 1 h 04 min386 subs | 2 h 07 min763 subs | 5 h 44 min2,065 subs |
| Antennae GalaxiesCorvus | Galaxy | 1 h 10 min421 subs | 2 h 19 min833 subs | 6 h 16 min2,257 subs |
| M100Coma Berenices | Galaxy | 1 h 21 min487 subs | 2 h 42 min974 subs | 7 h 23 min2,660 subs |
| M90Virgo | Galaxy | 1 h 26 min517 subs | 2 h 56 min1,056 subs | 8 h 06 min2,915 subs |
| M58Virgo | Galaxy | 1 h 30 min541 subs | 3 h 01 min1,087 subs | 8 h 16 min2,974 subs |
| M99Coma Berenices | Galaxy | 1 h 37 min580 subs | 3 h 15 min1,169 subs | 8 h 54 min3,204 subs |
| M61Virgo | Galaxy | 1 h 47 min643 subs | 3 h 37 min1,304 subs | 9 h 58 min3,586 subs |
| M98Coma Berenices | Galaxy | 2 h 07 min764 subs | 4 h 24 min1,586 subs | 12 h4,426 subs |
| M91Coma Berenices | Galaxy | 2 h 11 min785 subs | 4 h 28 min1,606 subs | 12 h4,445 subs |
| Pinwheel GalaxyUrsa Major | Galaxy | 2 h 31 min908 subs | 5 h 21 min1,927 subs | 15 h5,446 subs |
| Abell 39Hercules, dual-band | Planetary nebula | 19 h6,979 subs | 26 h9,526 subs | 51 h18,327 subs |
Other telescopes in May: Seestar S50 · Seestar S50 Pro · Seestar S30 · DWARF 3 · DWARF mini · Draco · DWARF II · Vespera II · Vespera Pro · Vespera 3 · Vespera Pro 2 · eQuinox 2 · Odyssey · Origin · Origin Mark II
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