How Many Subs

What to image in October with the ZWO Seestar S50

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 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, 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 min34 subs
M52CassiopeiaOpen cluster5 min30 subs5 min30 subs6 min39 subs
Double ClusterPerseusOpen cluster5 min30 subs5 min30 subs6 min34 subs
47 TucanaeTucanaGlobular cluster5 min30 subs5 min30 subs5 min30 subs
Owl ClusterCassiopeiaOpen cluster5 min30 subs5 min30 subs6 min39 subs
NGC 663CassiopeiaOpen cluster5 min30 subs5 min30 subs6 min34 subs
Caroline's RoseCassiopeiaOpen cluster5 min30 subs5 min30 subs6 min34 subs
M103CassiopeiaOpen cluster5 min30 subs6 min35 subs12 min75 subs
M32AndromedaGalaxy12 min70 subs20 min123 subs51 min309 subs
Bow-Tie NebulaCepheus, dual-bandPlanetary nebula17 min103 subs21 min125 subs34 min203 subs
Sculptor GalaxySculptorGalaxy15 min91 subs29 min175 subs1 h 18 min468 subs
M77CetusGalaxy17 min100 subs30 min182 subs1 h 17 min464 subs
Little DumbbellPerseus, dual-bandPlanetary nebula26 min157 subs33 min196 subs55 min330 subs
Andromeda GalaxyAndromedaGalaxy42 min254 subs1 h 27 min525 subs4 h 04 min1,465 subs
Pacman NebulaCassiopeia, dual-bandEmission nebula1 h 15 min449 subs1 h 41 min607 subs3 h 12 min1,152 subs
Ghost of CassiopeiaCassiopeia, dual-bandEmission nebula1 h 21 min485 subs1 h 48 min649 subs3 h 22 min1,214 subs
Helix NebulaAquarius, dual-bandPlanetary nebula1 h 28 min530 subs2 h720 subs3 h 49 min1,375 subs
NGC 7331PegasusGalaxy1 h 01 min368 subs2 h 07 min762 subs5 h 53 min2,121 subs
Wizard NebulaCepheus, dual-bandEmission nebula1 h 44 min627 subs2 h 22 min855 subs4 h 34 min1,642 subs
Triangulum GalaxyTriangulumGalaxy1 h 16 min456 subs2 h 42 min971 subs7 h 38 min2,751 subs
PleiadesTaurusReflection nebula1 h 16 min456 subs2 h 42 min971 subs7 h 38 min2,751 subs
NGC 891AndromedaGalaxy1 h 17 min465 subs2 h 44 min986 subs7 h 44 min2,787 subs
Bubble NebulaCassiopeia, dual-bandEmission nebula2 h 04 min742 subs2 h 49 min1,016 subs5 h 27 min1,963 subs
Heart NebulaCassiopeia, dual-bandEmission nebula2 h 04 min742 subs2 h 49 min1,016 subs5 h 27 min1,963 subs
Soul NebulaCassiopeia, dual-bandEmission nebula2 h 26 min879 subs3 h 21 min1,208 subs6 h 31 min2,347 subs
M110AndromedaGalaxy1 h 45 min631 subs3 h 46 min1,359 subs11 h3,875 subs
Cave NebulaCepheus, dual-bandEmission nebula2 h 54 min1,043 subs4 h1,439 subs7 h 48 min2,807 subs
M74PiscesGalaxy2 h 33 min921 subs5 h 30 min1,983 subs16 h5,654 subs
NGC 1333PerseusReflection nebula2 h 51 min1,026 subs6 h 04 min2,185 subs17 h6,190 subs

Other telescopes in October: Seestar S50 Pro · 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

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