What to image in October
Long dark nights and the autumn sky: Andromeda and Triangulum, the Heart and Soul nebulae, the Pleiades late in the evening, the Helix low in the south. Still time for the Veil before it sets. Dew season begins in earnest.
Moon in October 2026: new on 10 Oct, full on 26 Oct. Broadband targets (galaxies, clusters) want the week either side of new; emission nebulae behind a dual-band filter tolerate the rest.
By telescope
- October with the ZWO Seestar S50
- October with the ZWO Seestar S50 Pro
- October with the ZWO Seestar S30
- October with the ZWO Seestar S30 Pro
- October with the DwarfLab DWARF 3
- October with the DwarfLab DWARF mini
- October with the DwarfLab Draco
- October with the DwarfLab DWARF II
- October with the Vaonis Vespera II
- October with the Vaonis Vespera Pro
- October with the Vaonis Vespera 3
- October with the Vaonis Vespera Pro 2
- October with the Unistellar eQuinox 2
- October with the Unistellar Odyssey
- October with the Celestron Origin
- October with the Celestron Origin Mark II
October's targets, Seestar S50 baseline
| Target | Type | Bortle 4 | Bortle 6 | Bortle 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M34Perseus | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs |
| M52Cassiopeia | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min39 subs |
| Double ClusterPerseus | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs |
| 47 TucanaeTucana | Globular cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs |
| Owl ClusterCassiopeia | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min39 subs |
| NGC 663Cassiopeia | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs |
| Caroline's RoseCassiopeia | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs |
| M103Cassiopeia | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 6 min35 subs | 12 min75 subs |
| M32Andromeda | Galaxy | 12 min70 subs | 20 min123 subs | 51 min309 subs |
| Bow-Tie NebulaCepheus | Planetary nebula | 17 min103 subs | 21 min125 subs | 34 min203 subs |
| Sculptor GalaxySculptor | Galaxy | 15 min91 subs | 29 min175 subs | 1 h 18 min468 subs |
| M77Cetus | Galaxy | 17 min100 subs | 30 min182 subs | 1 h 17 min464 subs |
| Little DumbbellPerseus | Planetary nebula | 26 min157 subs | 33 min196 subs | 55 min330 subs |
| Andromeda GalaxyAndromeda | Galaxy | 42 min254 subs | 1 h 27 min525 subs | 4 h 04 min1,465 subs |
| Pacman NebulaCassiopeia | Emission nebula | 1 h 15 min449 subs | 1 h 41 min607 subs | 3 h 12 min1,152 subs |
| Ghost of CassiopeiaCassiopeia | Emission nebula | 1 h 21 min485 subs | 1 h 48 min649 subs | 3 h 22 min1,214 subs |
| Helix NebulaAquarius | Planetary nebula | 1 h 28 min530 subs | 2 h720 subs | 3 h 49 min1,375 subs |
| NGC 7331Pegasus | Galaxy | 1 h 01 min368 subs | 2 h 07 min762 subs | 5 h 53 min2,121 subs |
| Wizard NebulaCepheus | Emission nebula | 1 h 44 min627 subs | 2 h 22 min855 subs | 4 h 34 min1,642 subs |
| Triangulum GalaxyTriangulum | Galaxy | 1 h 16 min456 subs | 2 h 42 min971 subs | 7 h 38 min2,751 subs |
| PleiadesTaurus | Reflection nebula | 1 h 16 min456 subs | 2 h 42 min971 subs | 7 h 38 min2,751 subs |
| NGC 891Andromeda | Galaxy | 1 h 17 min465 subs | 2 h 44 min986 subs | 7 h 44 min2,787 subs |
| Bubble NebulaCassiopeia | Emission nebula | 2 h 04 min742 subs | 2 h 49 min1,016 subs | 5 h 27 min1,963 subs |
| Heart NebulaCassiopeia | Emission nebula | 2 h 04 min742 subs | 2 h 49 min1,016 subs | 5 h 27 min1,963 subs |
| Soul NebulaCassiopeia | Emission nebula | 2 h 26 min879 subs | 3 h 21 min1,208 subs | 6 h 31 min2,347 subs |
| M110Andromeda | Galaxy | 1 h 45 min631 subs | 3 h 46 min1,359 subs | 11 h3,875 subs |
| Cave NebulaCepheus | Emission nebula | 2 h 54 min1,043 subs | 4 h1,439 subs | 7 h 48 min2,807 subs |
| M74Pisces | Galaxy | 2 h 33 min921 subs | 5 h 30 min1,983 subs | 16 h5,654 subs |
| NGC 1333Perseus | Reflection nebula | 2 h 51 min1,026 subs | 6 h 04 min2,185 subs | 17 h6,190 subs |
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