What to image in October with the ZWO Seestar S30 Pro
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 Seestar S30 Pro 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 10 s subs.
| Target | Type | Bortle 4 | Bortle 6 | Bortle 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M34Perseus | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min39 subs |
| M52Cassiopeia | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 7 min44 subs |
| Double ClusterPerseus | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min39 subs |
| 47 TucanaeTucana | Globular cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs |
| Owl ClusterCassiopeia | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 7 min44 subs |
| NGC 663Cassiopeia | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min39 subs |
| Caroline's RoseCassiopeia | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min39 subs |
| M103Cassiopeia | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 7 min41 subs | 14 min86 subs |
| M32Andromeda | Galaxy | 13 min81 subs | 24 min143 subs | 59 min354 subs |
| Bow-Tie NebulaCepheus, dual-band | Planetary nebula | 20 min123 subs | 25 min149 subs | 39 min237 subs |
| Sculptor GalaxySculptor | Galaxy | 18 min107 subs | 34 min203 subs | 1 h 29 min536 subs |
| M77Cetus | Galaxy | 19 min117 subs | 35 min210 subs | 1 h 28 min531 subs |
| Little DumbbellPerseus, dual-band | Planetary nebula | 31 min189 subs | 39 min233 subs | 1 h 04 min386 subs |
| Andromeda GalaxyAndromeda | Galaxy | 50 min300 subs | 1 h 41 min609 subs | 4 h 40 min1,678 subs |
| Pacman NebulaCassiopeia, dual-band | Emission nebula | 1 h 32 min555 subs | 2 h 02 min734 subs | 3 h 46 min1,354 subs |
| Ghost of CassiopeiaCassiopeia, dual-band | Emission nebula | 1 h 39 min597 subs | 2 h 11 min784 subs | 3 h 58 min1,427 subs |
| Helix NebulaAquarius, dual-band | Planetary nebula | 1 h 49 min656 subs | 2 h 25 min872 subs | 4 h 29 min1,617 subs |
| NGC 7331Pegasus | Galaxy | 1 h 12 min435 subs | 2 h 27 min883 subs | 6 h 45 min2,430 subs |
| Wizard NebulaCepheus, dual-band | Emission nebula | 2 h 09 min776 subs | 2 h 53 min1,036 subs | 5 h 22 min1,932 subs |
| Triangulum GalaxyTriangulum | Galaxy | 1 h 30 min541 subs | 3 h 08 min1,127 subs | 8 h 45 min3,152 subs |
| PleiadesTaurus | Reflection nebula | 1 h 30 min541 subs | 3 h 08 min1,127 subs | 8 h 45 min3,152 subs |
| NGC 891Andromeda | Galaxy | 1 h 32 min550 subs | 3 h 10 min1,143 subs | 8 h 52 min3,192 subs |
| Bubble NebulaCassiopeia, dual-band | Emission nebula | 2 h 33 min920 subs | 3 h 25 min1,232 subs | 6 h 25 min2,309 subs |
| Heart NebulaCassiopeia, dual-band | Emission nebula | 2 h 33 min920 subs | 3 h 25 min1,232 subs | 6 h 25 min2,309 subs |
| Soul NebulaCassiopeia, dual-band | Emission nebula | 3 h 02 min1,091 subs | 4 h 04 min1,466 subs | 7 h 40 min2,761 subs |
| M110Andromeda | Galaxy | 2 h 05 min748 subs | 4 h 23 min1,576 subs | 12 h4,440 subs |
| Cave NebulaCepheus, dual-band | Emission nebula | 3 h 36 min1,296 subs | 4 h 51 min1,747 subs | 9 h 11 min3,304 subs |
| M74Pisces | Galaxy | 3 h 02 min1,092 subs | 6 h 23 min2,301 subs | 18 h6,477 subs |
| NGC 1333Perseus | Reflection nebula | 3 h 23 min1,216 subs | 7 h 02 min2,534 subs | 20 h7,091 subs |
Other telescopes in October: Seestar S50 · Seestar S50 Pro · Seestar S30 · 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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