What to image in May with the ZWO Seestar S50 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 S50 Pro 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 min37 subs |
| Ptolemy's ClusterScorpius | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min37 subs |
| M23Sagittarius | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min37 subs |
| Omega CentauriCentaurus | Globular cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs |
| M92Hercules | Globular cluster | 5 min30 subs | 7 min40 subs | 15 min92 subs |
| Hercules ClusterHercules | Globular cluster | 5 min30 subs | 8 min48 subs | 19 min116 subs |
| M62Ophiuchus | Globular cluster | 5 min32 subs | 9 min55 subs | 22 min133 subs |
| M3Canes Venatici | Globular cluster | 6 min37 subs | 11 min64 subs | 26 min157 subs |
| M5Serpens | Globular cluster | 6 min39 subs | 11 min67 subs | 28 min166 subs |
| Cat's Eye NebulaDraco, dual-band | Planetary nebula | 10 min59 subs | 11 min69 subs | 17 min102 subs |
| Turtle NebulaHercules, dual-band | Planetary nebula | 10 min59 subs | 11 min69 subs | 17 min102 subs |
| M80Scorpius | Globular cluster | 7 min43 subs | 12 min72 subs | 29 min173 subs |
| M12Ophiuchus | Globular cluster | 9 min53 subs | 16 min95 subs | 40 min241 subs |
| M19Ophiuchus | Globular cluster | 12 min75 subs | 23 min139 subs | 1 h363 subs |
| M14Ophiuchus | Globular cluster | 13 min81 subs | 25 min149 subs | 1 h 04 min382 subs |
| Spindle GalaxyDraco | Galaxy | 15 min88 subs | 26 min155 subs | 1 h 04 min385 subs |
| M10Ophiuchus | Globular cluster | 16 min95 subs | 30 min180 subs | 1 h 19 min476 subs |
| M94Canes Venatici | Galaxy | 17 min100 subs | 31 min186 subs | 1 h 20 min483 subs |
| M68Hydra | Globular cluster | 18 min111 subs | 35 min208 subs | 1 h 31 min545 subs |
| M9Ophiuchus | Globular cluster | 19 min117 subs | 37 min222 subs | 1 h 38 min586 subs |
| Black Eye GalaxyComa Berenices | Galaxy | 20 min120 subs | 37 min225 subs | 1 h 38 min589 subs |
| M53Coma Berenices | Globular cluster | 20 min121 subs | 39 min232 subs | 1 h 43 min617 subs |
| Centaurus ACentaurus | Galaxy | 23 min138 subs | 45 min270 subs | 2 h 01 min726 subs |
| Southern PinwheelHydra | Galaxy | 26 min157 subs | 51 min307 subs | 2 h 18 min827 subs |
| Sombrero GalaxyVirgo | Galaxy | 27 min162 subs | 51 min309 subs | 2 h 16 min817 subs |
| M59Virgo | Galaxy | 28 min169 subs | 53 min316 subs | 2 h 17 min823 subs |
| Whale GalaxyCanes Venatici | Galaxy | 30 min180 subs | 1 h358 subs | 2 h 43 min976 subs |
| Whirlpool GalaxyCanes Venatici | Galaxy | 32 min195 subs | 1 h 04 min384 subs | 2 h 53 min1,037 subs |
| M60Virgo | Galaxy | 34 min203 subs | 1 h 05 min388 subs | 2 h 51 min1,026 subs |
| M107Ophiuchus | Globular cluster | 33 min196 subs | 1 h 05 min389 subs | 2 h 56 min1,058 subs |
| M87Virgo | Galaxy | 35 min213 subs | 1 h 08 min411 subs | 3 h 03 min1,098 subs |
| M106Canes Venatici | Galaxy | 35 min212 subs | 1 h 11 min427 subs | 3 h 15 min1,170 subs |
| Needle GalaxyComa Berenices | Galaxy | 36 min215 subs | 1 h 12 min433 subs | 3 h 18 min1,187 subs |
| M49Virgo | Galaxy | 38 min230 subs | 1 h 16 min454 subs | 3 h 25 min1,230 subs |
| M4Scorpius | Globular cluster | 40 min240 subs | 1 h 21 min488 subs | 3 h 44 min1,344 subs |
| M84Virgo | Galaxy | 45 min268 subs | 1 h 27 min521 subs | 3 h 53 min1,396 subs |
| M85Coma Berenices | Galaxy | 47 min282 subs | 1 h 32 min551 subs | 4 h 07 min1,483 subs |
| M89Virgo | Galaxy | 48 min291 subs | 1 h 35 min568 subs | 4 h 14 min1,526 subs |
| M86Virgo | Galaxy | 48 min288 subs | 1 h 35 min573 subs | 4 h 20 min1,559 subs |
| Sunflower GalaxyCanes Venatici | Galaxy | 53 min318 subs | 1 h 48 min649 subs | 4 h 59 min1,793 subs |
| M88Coma Berenices | Galaxy | 1 h362 subs | 2 h720 subs | 5 h 26 min1,958 subs |
| Antennae GalaxiesCorvus | Galaxy | 1 h 06 min394 subs | 2 h 11 min786 subs | 5 h 57 min2,140 subs |
| M100Coma Berenices | Galaxy | 1 h 16 min456 subs | 2 h 33 min919 subs | 7 h2,522 subs |
| M90Virgo | Galaxy | 1 h 21 min484 subs | 2 h 46 min996 subs | 7 h 41 min2,764 subs |
| M58Virgo | Galaxy | 1 h 24 min507 subs | 2 h 51 min1,026 subs | 7 h 50 min2,819 subs |
| M99Coma Berenices | Galaxy | 1 h 30 min543 subs | 3 h 04 min1,103 subs | 8 h 26 min3,038 subs |
| M61Virgo | Galaxy | 1 h 40 min602 subs | 3 h 25 min1,230 subs | 9 h 27 min3,400 subs |
| M98Coma Berenices | Galaxy | 1 h 59 min715 subs | 4 h 09 min1,496 subs | 12 h4,196 subs |
| M91Coma Berenices | Galaxy | 2 h 02 min734 subs | 4 h 12 min1,515 subs | 12 h4,214 subs |
| Pinwheel GalaxyUrsa Major | Galaxy | 2 h 21 min849 subs | 5 h 03 min1,817 subs | 14 h5,163 subs |
| Abell 39Hercules, dual-band | Planetary nebula | 18 h6,394 subs | 24 h8,815 subs | 48 h17,181 subs |
Other telescopes in May: Seestar S50 · 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 · Origin Mark II
Previous: April · Next: June · Tonight with the Seestar S50 Pro
Where to buy the Seestar S50 ProZWO store DirectSearch Amazon UKSearch Amazon USThe ZWO store link is a plain link; the others are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no cost to you. Search links may include other models; check the exact variant and package.