What to image in October with the ZWO Seestar S30
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 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 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 min36 subs | 13 min76 subs |
| M32Andromeda | Galaxy | 12 min75 subs | 21 min129 subs | 52 min314 subs |
| Bow-Tie NebulaCepheus, dual-band | Planetary nebula | 19 min117 subs | 23 min140 subs | 36 min217 subs |
| Sculptor GalaxySculptor | Galaxy | 16 min99 subs | 31 min184 subs | 1 h 19 min476 subs |
| M77Cetus | Galaxy | 18 min108 subs | 32 min190 subs | 1 h 19 min472 subs |
| Little DumbbellPerseus, dual-band | Planetary nebula | 30 min182 subs | 37 min221 subs | 59 min355 subs |
| Andromeda GalaxyAndromeda | Galaxy | 47 min280 subs | 1 h 32 min552 subs | 4 h 08 min1,491 subs |
| Pacman NebulaCassiopeia, dual-band | Emission nebula | 1 h 32 min551 subs | 1 h 58 min709 subs | 3 h 29 min1,254 subs |
| Ghost of CassiopeiaCassiopeia, dual-band | Emission nebula | 1 h 38 min591 subs | 2 h 06 min755 subs | 3 h 40 min1,321 subs |
| NGC 7331Pegasus | Galaxy | 1 h 08 min407 subs | 2 h 13 min800 subs | 6 h2,160 subs |
| Helix NebulaAquarius, dual-band | Planetary nebula | 1 h 49 min653 subs | 2 h 20 min843 subs | 4 h 10 min1,498 subs |
| Wizard NebulaCepheus, dual-band | Emission nebula | 2 h 09 min775 subs | 2 h 47 min1,003 subs | 4 h 58 min1,790 subs |
| Triangulum GalaxyTriangulum | Galaxy | 1 h 24 min506 subs | 2 h 50 min1,022 subs | 7 h 47 min2,801 subs |
| PleiadesTaurus | Reflection nebula | 1 h 24 min506 subs | 2 h 50 min1,022 subs | 7 h 47 min2,801 subs |
| NGC 891Andromeda | Galaxy | 1 h 26 min516 subs | 2 h 53 min1,037 subs | 7 h 53 min2,838 subs |
| Bubble NebulaCassiopeia, dual-band | Emission nebula | 2 h 33 min920 subs | 3 h 19 min1,194 subs | 5 h 57 min2,141 subs |
| Heart NebulaCassiopeia, dual-band | Emission nebula | 2 h 33 min920 subs | 3 h 19 min1,194 subs | 5 h 57 min2,141 subs |
| Soul NebulaCassiopeia, dual-band | Emission nebula | 3 h 02 min1,093 subs | 3 h 57 min1,422 subs | 7 h 07 min2,561 subs |
| M110Andromeda | Galaxy | 1 h 57 min701 subs | 3 h 58 min1,430 subs | 11 h3,946 subs |
| Cave NebulaCepheus, dual-band | Emission nebula | 3 h 37 min1,300 subs | 4 h 43 min1,696 subs | 8 h 31 min3,064 subs |
| M74Pisces | Galaxy | 2 h 51 min1,024 subs | 5 h 48 min2,087 subs | 16 h5,757 subs |
| NGC 1333Perseus | Reflection nebula | 3 h 10 min1,139 subs | 6 h 23 min2,298 subs | 18 h6,303 subs |
Other telescopes in October: Seestar S50 · Seestar S50 Pro · 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
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