What to image in October with the DwarfLab DWARF II
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.
29 targets transit near midnight in October. From a suburban sky the DWARF II gets a solid image of 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 47 TucanaeTucana | Globular cluster | 8 min30 subs | 8 min30 subs | 13 min51 subs |
| M34Perseus | Open cluster | 8 min30 subs | 8 min33 subs | 16 min66 subs |
| Double ClusterPerseus | Open cluster | 8 min30 subs | 8 min33 subs | 16 min66 subs |
| NGC 663Cassiopeia | Open cluster | 8 min30 subs | 8 min33 subs | 16 min66 subs |
| Caroline's RoseCassiopeia | Open cluster | 8 min30 subs | 8 min33 subs | 16 min66 subs |
| M52Cassiopeia | Open cluster | 8 min30 subs | 9 min38 subs | 19 min77 subs |
| Owl ClusterCassiopeia | Open cluster | 8 min30 subs | 9 min38 subs | 19 min77 subs |
| M103Cassiopeia | Open cluster | 13 min53 subs | 19 min75 subs | 37 min149 subs |
| M32Andromeda | Galaxy | 43 min173 subs | 1 h 08 min273 subs | 2 h 34 min616 subs |
| Bow-Tie NebulaCepheus | Planetary nebula | 58 min231 subs | 1 h 32 min367 subs | 3 h 28 min834 subs |
| Sculptor GalaxySculptor | Galaxy | 59 min238 subs | 1 h 39 min395 subs | 3 h 54 min936 subs |
| M77Cetus | Galaxy | 1 h 03 min252 subs | 1 h 41 min404 subs | 3 h 51 min926 subs |
| Little DumbbellPerseus | Planetary nebula | 1 h 33 min373 subs | 2 h 32 min608 subs | 5 h 55 min1,422 subs |
| Andromeda GalaxyAndromeda | Galaxy | 2 h 54 min695 subs | 4 h 59 min1,198 subs | 12 h2,937 subs |
| NGC 7331Pegasus | Galaxy | 4 h 12 min1,008 subs | 7 h 14 min1,736 subs | 18 h4,254 subs |
| Triangulum GalaxyTriangulum | Galaxy | 5 h 18 min1,271 subs | 9 h 16 min2,225 subs | 23 h5,521 subs |
| PleiadesTaurus | Reflection nebula | 5 h 18 min1,271 subs | 9 h 16 min2,225 subs | 23 h5,521 subs |
| Pacman NebulaCassiopeia | Emission nebula | 5 h 18 min1,271 subs | 9 h 16 min2,225 subs | 23 h5,521 subs |
| NGC 891Andromeda | Galaxy | 5 h 23 min1,292 subs | 9 h 24 min2,257 subs | 23 h5,592 subs |
| Ghost of CassiopeiaCassiopeia | Emission nebula | 5 h 36 min1,344 subs | 9 h 43 min2,334 subs | 24 h5,755 subs |
| Helix NebulaAquarius | Planetary nebula | 6 h 19 min1,516 subs | 11 h2,663 subs | 28 h6,625 subs |
| M110Andromeda | Galaxy | 7 h 23 min1,771 subs | 13 h3,119 subs | 32 h7,780 subs |
| Wizard NebulaCepheus | Emission nebula | 7 h 32 min1,809 subs | 13 h3,187 subs | 33 h7,952 subs |
| Bubble NebulaCassiopeia | Emission nebula | 9 h2,159 subs | 16 h3,817 subs | 40 h9,545 subs |
| Heart NebulaCassiopeia | Emission nebula | 9 h2,159 subs | 16 h3,817 subs | 40 h9,545 subs |
| M74Pisces | Galaxy | 11 h2,585 subs | 19 h4,552 subs | 47 h11,349 subs |
| Soul NebulaCassiopeia | Emission nebula | 11 h2,579 subs | 19 h4,572 subs | 48 h11,459 subs |
| NGC 1333Perseus | Reflection nebula | 12 h2,860 subs | 21 h5,006 subs | 52 h12,422 subs |
| Cave NebulaCepheus | Emission nebula | 13 h3,083 subs | 23 h5,479 subs | 57 h13,758 subs |
Other telescopes in October: Seestar S50 · Seestar S50 Pro · Seestar S30 · Seestar S30 Pro · DWARF 3 · DWARF mini · Draco · Vespera II · Vespera Pro · Vespera 3 · Vespera Pro 2 · eQuinox 2 · Odyssey · Origin · Origin Mark II
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