What to image in October with the DwarfLab DWARF mini
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 mini gets a solid image of 13 of them in under an hour each; 16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M34Perseus | Open cluster | 8 min30 subs | 8 min30 subs | 8 min30 subs |
| M52Cassiopeia | Open cluster | 8 min30 subs | 8 min30 subs | 8 min30 subs |
| M103Cassiopeia | Open cluster | 8 min30 subs | 8 min30 subs | 12 min50 subs |
| Double ClusterPerseus | Open cluster | 8 min30 subs | 8 min30 subs | 8 min30 subs |
| 47 TucanaeTucana | Globular cluster | 8 min30 subs | 8 min30 subs | 8 min30 subs |
| Owl ClusterCassiopeia | Open cluster | 8 min30 subs | 8 min30 subs | 8 min30 subs |
| NGC 663Cassiopeia | Open cluster | 8 min30 subs | 8 min30 subs | 8 min30 subs |
| Caroline's RoseCassiopeia | Open cluster | 8 min30 subs | 8 min30 subs | 8 min30 subs |
| M32Andromeda | Galaxy | 11 min46 subs | 20 min82 subs | 51 min206 subs |
| Bow-Tie NebulaCepheus, dual-band | Planetary nebula | 17 min68 subs | 21 min83 subs | 33 min134 subs |
| Sculptor GalaxySculptor | Galaxy | 15 min60 subs | 29 min117 subs | 1 h 18 min312 subs |
| M77Cetus | Galaxy | 16 min66 subs | 30 min121 subs | 1 h 17 min309 subs |
| Little DumbbellPerseus, dual-band | Planetary nebula | 26 min103 subs | 32 min129 subs | 55 min219 subs |
| Andromeda GalaxyAndromeda | Galaxy | 42 min168 subs | 1 h 27 min349 subs | 4 h 04 min975 subs |
| Pacman NebulaCassiopeia, dual-band | Emission nebula | 1 h 13 min293 subs | 1 h 40 min399 subs | 3 h 10 min762 subs |
| Ghost of CassiopeiaCassiopeia, dual-band | Emission nebula | 1 h 19 min317 subs | 1 h 46 min426 subs | 3 h 21 min803 subs |
| Helix NebulaAquarius, dual-band | Planetary nebula | 1 h 26 min346 subs | 1 h 58 min473 subs | 3 h 47 min909 subs |
| NGC 7331Pegasus | Galaxy | 1 h 01 min243 subs | 2 h 06 min506 subs | 5 h 53 min1,412 subs |
| Wizard NebulaCepheus, dual-band | Emission nebula | 1 h 42 min409 subs | 2 h 20 min561 subs | 4 h 31 min1,086 subs |
| Triangulum GalaxyTriangulum | Galaxy | 1 h 15 min301 subs | 2 h 41 min645 subs | 7 h 38 min1,831 subs |
| PleiadesTaurus | Reflection nebula | 1 h 15 min301 subs | 2 h 41 min645 subs | 7 h 38 min1,831 subs |
| NGC 891Andromeda | Galaxy | 1 h 17 min307 subs | 2 h 43 min654 subs | 7 h 44 min1,855 subs |
| Bubble NebulaCassiopeia, dual-band | Emission nebula | 2 h 01 min484 subs | 2 h 47 min667 subs | 5 h 24 min1,298 subs |
| Heart NebulaCassiopeia, dual-band | Emission nebula | 2 h 01 min484 subs | 2 h 47 min667 subs | 5 h 24 min1,298 subs |
| Soul NebulaCassiopeia, dual-band | Emission nebula | 2 h 23 min573 subs | 3 h 18 min793 subs | 6 h 28 min1,552 subs |
| M110Andromeda | Galaxy | 1 h 44 min416 subs | 3 h 45 min902 subs | 11 h2,579 subs |
| Cave NebulaCepheus, dual-band | Emission nebula | 2 h 50 min680 subs | 3 h 56 min944 subs | 7 h 44 min1,856 subs |
| M74Pisces | Galaxy | 2 h 32 min608 subs | 5 h 29 min1,316 subs | 16 h3,763 subs |
| NGC 1333Perseus | Reflection nebula | 2 h 49 min677 subs | 6 h 02 min1,450 subs | 17 h4,120 subs |
Other telescopes in October: Seestar S50 · Seestar S50 Pro · Seestar S30 · Seestar S30 Pro · DWARF 3 · Draco · DWARF II · Vespera II · Vespera Pro · Vespera 3 · Vespera Pro 2 · eQuinox 2 · Odyssey · Origin · Origin Mark II
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