What to image in May with the ZWO Seestar S30
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 gets a solid image of 27 of them in under an hour each; 24 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 min34 subs |
| Ptolemy's ClusterScorpius | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs |
| M23Sagittarius | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs |
| Omega CentauriCentaurus | Globular cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs |
| M92Hercules | Globular cluster | 5 min30 subs | 6 min38 subs | 14 min86 subs |
| Hercules ClusterHercules | Globular cluster | 5 min30 subs | 8 min46 subs | 18 min109 subs |
| M62Ophiuchus | Globular cluster | 5 min31 subs | 9 min52 subs | 21 min124 subs |
| M3Canes Venatici | Globular cluster | 6 min36 subs | 10 min61 subs | 24 min147 subs |
| M5Serpens | Globular cluster | 6 min38 subs | 11 min64 subs | 26 min155 subs |
| Cat's Eye NebulaDraco, dual-band | Planetary nebula | 10 min59 subs | 11 min68 subs | 16 min99 subs |
| Turtle NebulaHercules, dual-band | Planetary nebula | 10 min59 subs | 11 min68 subs | 16 min99 subs |
| M80Scorpius | Globular cluster | 7 min42 subs | 11 min69 subs | 27 min162 subs |
| M12Ophiuchus | Globular cluster | 9 min52 subs | 15 min91 subs | 37 min225 subs |
| M19Ophiuchus | Globular cluster | 12 min74 subs | 22 min133 subs | 57 min340 subs |
| M14Ophiuchus | Globular cluster | 13 min80 subs | 24 min142 subs | 1 h358 subs |
| Spindle GalaxyDraco | Galaxy | 14 min86 subs | 25 min148 subs | 1 h360 subs |
| M10Ophiuchus | Globular cluster | 16 min94 subs | 29 min173 subs | 1 h 14 min446 subs |
| M94Canes Venatici | Galaxy | 16 min98 subs | 30 min178 subs | 1 h 15 min453 subs |
| M68Hydra | Globular cluster | 18 min109 subs | 33 min199 subs | 1 h 25 min511 subs |
| M9Ophiuchus | Globular cluster | 19 min115 subs | 35 min212 subs | 1 h 31 min549 subs |
| Black Eye GalaxyComa Berenices | Galaxy | 20 min118 subs | 36 min216 subs | 1 h 32 min552 subs |
| M53Coma Berenices | Globular cluster | 20 min120 subs | 37 min223 subs | 1 h 36 min578 subs |
| Centaurus ACentaurus | Galaxy | 23 min136 subs | 43 min259 subs | 1 h 53 min680 subs |
| Southern PinwheelHydra | Galaxy | 26 min156 subs | 49 min295 subs | 2 h 09 min775 subs |
| Sombrero GalaxyVirgo | Galaxy | 27 min160 subs | 49 min296 subs | 2 h 08 min766 subs |
| M59Virgo | Galaxy | 28 min166 subs | 50 min302 subs | 2 h 08 min771 subs |
| Whale GalaxyCanes Venatici | Galaxy | 30 min179 subs | 57 min344 subs | 2 h 32 min915 subs |
| Whirlpool GalaxyCanes Venatici | Galaxy | 32 min194 subs | 1 h 01 min369 subs | 2 h 42 min972 subs |
| M60Virgo | Galaxy | 33 min201 subs | 1 h 02 min372 subs | 2 h 40 min961 subs |
| M107Ophiuchus | Globular cluster | 32 min195 subs | 1 h 02 min373 subs | 2 h 45 min992 subs |
| M87Virgo | Galaxy | 35 min210 subs | 1 h 06 min394 subs | 2 h 51 min1,029 subs |
| M106Canes Venatici | Galaxy | 35 min211 subs | 1 h 08 min410 subs | 3 h 03 min1,096 subs |
| Needle GalaxyComa Berenices | Galaxy | 36 min214 subs | 1 h 09 min416 subs | 3 h 05 min1,113 subs |
| M49Virgo | Galaxy | 38 min228 subs | 1 h 13 min436 subs | 3 h 12 min1,153 subs |
| M4Scorpius | Globular cluster | 40 min240 subs | 1 h 18 min469 subs | 3 h 30 min1,260 subs |
| M84Virgo | Galaxy | 44 min266 subs | 1 h 23 min500 subs | 3 h 38 min1,308 subs |
| M85Coma Berenices | Galaxy | 47 min280 subs | 1 h 28 min529 subs | 3 h 52 min1,390 subs |
| M89Virgo | Galaxy | 48 min288 subs | 1 h 31 min545 subs | 3 h 58 min1,431 subs |
| M86Virgo | Galaxy | 48 min286 subs | 1 h 32 min550 subs | 4 h 03 min1,461 subs |
| Sunflower GalaxyCanes Venatici | Galaxy | 53 min317 subs | 1 h 44 min623 subs | 4 h 40 min1,681 subs |
| M88Coma Berenices | Galaxy | 1 h360 subs | 1 h 55 min691 subs | 5 h 06 min1,835 subs |
| Antennae GalaxiesCorvus | Galaxy | 1 h 05 min392 subs | 2 h 06 min754 subs | 5 h 34 min2,006 subs |
| M100Coma Berenices | Galaxy | 1 h 16 min454 subs | 2 h 27 min883 subs | 6 h 34 min2,364 subs |
| M90Virgo | Galaxy | 1 h 20 min483 subs | 2 h 39 min957 subs | 7 h 12 min2,591 subs |
| M58Virgo | Galaxy | 1 h 24 min505 subs | 2 h 44 min985 subs | 7 h 20 min2,643 subs |
| M99Coma Berenices | Galaxy | 1 h 30 min541 subs | 2 h 56 min1,059 subs | 7 h 55 min2,848 subs |
| M61Virgo | Galaxy | 1 h 40 min601 subs | 3 h 17 min1,181 subs | 8 h 51 min3,187 subs |
| M98Coma Berenices | Galaxy | 1 h 59 min716 subs | 4 h1,438 subs | 11 h3,934 subs |
| M91Coma Berenices | Galaxy | 2 h 02 min734 subs | 4 h 03 min1,456 subs | 11 h3,951 subs |
| Pinwheel GalaxyUrsa Major | Galaxy | 2 h 22 min853 subs | 4 h 51 min1,748 subs | 13 h4,841 subs |
| Abell 39Hercules, dual-band | Planetary nebula | 20 h7,041 subs | 26 h9,279 subs | 47 h17,015 subs |
Other telescopes in May: Seestar S50 · Seestar S50 Pro · Seestar S30 Pro · 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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