How Many Subs

What to image in October with the ZWO Seestar S50 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 S50 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.

Solid image with the ZWO Seestar S50 Pro, sorted by the Bortle 6 figure. Each link opens the full Bortle 1 to 9 table with sub-length and filter comparisons.
TargetTypeBortle 4Bortle 6Bortle 8
M34PerseusOpen cluster5 min30 subs5 min30 subs6 min37 subs
M52CassiopeiaOpen cluster5 min30 subs5 min30 subs7 min42 subs
Double ClusterPerseusOpen cluster5 min30 subs5 min30 subs6 min37 subs
47 TucanaeTucanaGlobular cluster5 min30 subs5 min30 subs5 min30 subs
Owl ClusterCassiopeiaOpen cluster5 min30 subs5 min30 subs7 min42 subs
NGC 663CassiopeiaOpen cluster5 min30 subs5 min30 subs6 min37 subs
Caroline's RoseCassiopeiaOpen cluster5 min30 subs5 min30 subs6 min37 subs
M103CassiopeiaOpen cluster5 min30 subs6 min38 subs14 min82 subs
M32AndromedaGalaxy13 min77 subs22 min135 subs56 min335 subs
Bow-Tie NebulaCepheus, dual-bandPlanetary nebula19 min115 subs23 min139 subs37 min223 subs
Sculptor GalaxySculptorGalaxy17 min100 subs32 min192 subs1 h 25 min508 subs
M77CetusGalaxy18 min110 subs33 min198 subs1 h 24 min504 subs
Little DumbbellPerseus, dual-bandPlanetary nebula29 min176 subs36 min218 subs1 h363 subs
Andromeda GalaxyAndromedaGalaxy47 min281 subs1 h 36 min575 subs4 h 25 min1,590 subs
Pacman NebulaCassiopeia, dual-bandEmission nebula1 h 25 min510 subs1 h 53 min681 subs3 h 32 min1,270 subs
Ghost of CassiopeiaCassiopeia, dual-bandEmission nebula1 h 32 min550 subs2 h 01 min727 subs3 h 43 min1,339 subs
Helix NebulaAquarius, dual-bandPlanetary nebula1 h 40 min603 subs2 h 15 min808 subs4 h 13 min1,517 subs
NGC 7331PegasusGalaxy1 h 08 min408 subs2 h 19 min833 subs6 h 24 min2,304 subs
Wizard NebulaCepheus, dual-bandEmission nebula1 h 59 min713 subs2 h 40 min960 subs5 h 02 min1,812 subs
Triangulum GalaxyTriangulumGalaxy1 h 24 min506 subs2 h 57 min1,063 subs8 h 18 min2,988 subs
PleiadesTaurusReflection nebula1 h 24 min506 subs2 h 57 min1,063 subs8 h 18 min2,988 subs
NGC 891AndromedaGalaxy1 h 26 min515 subs3 h1,079 subs8 h 24 min3,026 subs
Bubble NebulaCassiopeia, dual-bandEmission nebula2 h 21 min845 subs3 h 10 min1,141 subs6 h 01 min2,166 subs
Heart NebulaCassiopeia, dual-bandEmission nebula2 h 21 min845 subs3 h 10 min1,141 subs6 h 01 min2,166 subs
Soul NebulaCassiopeia, dual-bandEmission nebula2 h 47 min1,002 subs3 h 46 min1,358 subs7 h 12 min2,590 subs
M110AndromedaGalaxy1 h 56 min699 subs4 h 08 min1,487 subs12 h4,209 subs
Cave NebulaCepheus, dual-bandEmission nebula3 h 18 min1,190 subs4 h 30 min1,618 subs8 h 36 min3,098 subs
M74PiscesGalaxy2 h 50 min1,021 subs6 h 02 min2,170 subs17 h6,140 subs
NGC 1333PerseusReflection nebula3 h 09 min1,137 subs6 h 38 min2,390 subs19 h6,722 subs

Other telescopes in October: Seestar S50 · Seestar S30 · 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

Previous: September · Next: November · Tonight with the Seestar S50 Pro

Where to buy the Seestar S50 ProZWO store DirectSearch Amazon UKSearch Amazon USThe ZWO store link is a plain link; the others are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no cost to you. Search links may include other models; check the exact variant and package.