What to image in October with the Vaonis Vespera II
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 Vespera II 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 min35 subs | 12 min75 subs |
| M32Andromeda | Galaxy | 12 min70 subs | 20 min123 subs | 51 min309 subs |
| Bow-Tie NebulaCepheus | Planetary nebula | 15 min92 subs | 27 min165 subs | 1 h 10 min418 subs |
| Sculptor GalaxySculptor | Galaxy | 15 min91 subs | 29 min175 subs | 1 h 18 min468 subs |
| M77Cetus | Galaxy | 17 min100 subs | 30 min182 subs | 1 h 17 min464 subs |
| Little DumbbellPerseus | Planetary nebula | 24 min145 subs | 45 min272 subs | 1 h 58 min711 subs |
| Andromeda GalaxyAndromeda | Galaxy | 42 min254 subs | 1 h 27 min525 subs | 4 h 04 min1,465 subs |
| NGC 7331Pegasus | Galaxy | 1 h 01 min368 subs | 2 h 07 min762 subs | 5 h 53 min2,121 subs |
| Triangulum GalaxyTriangulum | Galaxy | 1 h 16 min456 subs | 2 h 42 min971 subs | 7 h 38 min2,751 subs |
| PleiadesTaurus | Reflection nebula | 1 h 16 min456 subs | 2 h 42 min971 subs | 7 h 38 min2,751 subs |
| Pacman NebulaCassiopeia | Emission nebula | 1 h 16 min456 subs | 2 h 42 min971 subs | 7 h 38 min2,751 subs |
| NGC 891Andromeda | Galaxy | 1 h 17 min465 subs | 2 h 44 min986 subs | 7 h 44 min2,787 subs |
| Ghost of CassiopeiaCassiopeia | Emission nebula | 1 h 21 min487 subs | 2 h 50 min1,021 subs | 7 h 58 min2,869 subs |
| Helix NebulaAquarius | Planetary nebula | 1 h 30 min542 subs | 3 h 13 min1,161 subs | 9 h 10 min3,301 subs |
| M110Andromeda | Galaxy | 1 h 45 min631 subs | 3 h 46 min1,359 subs | 11 h3,875 subs |
| Wizard NebulaCepheus | Emission nebula | 1 h 47 min644 subs | 3 h 51 min1,388 subs | 11 h3,961 subs |
| Bubble NebulaCassiopeia | Emission nebula | 2 h 08 min766 subs | 4 h 37 min1,661 subs | 13 h4,754 subs |
| Heart NebulaCassiopeia | Emission nebula | 2 h 08 min766 subs | 4 h 37 min1,661 subs | 13 h4,754 subs |
| M74Pisces | Galaxy | 2 h 33 min921 subs | 5 h 30 min1,983 subs | 16 h5,654 subs |
| Soul NebulaCassiopeia | Emission nebula | 2 h 32 min912 subs | 5 h 31 min1,988 subs | 16 h5,706 subs |
| NGC 1333Perseus | Reflection nebula | 2 h 51 min1,026 subs | 6 h 04 min2,185 subs | 17 h6,190 subs |
| Cave NebulaCepheus | Emission nebula | 3 h 01 min1,086 subs | 6 h 37 min2,380 subs | 19 h6,851 subs |
Other telescopes in October: Seestar S50 · Seestar S50 Pro · Seestar S30 · Seestar S30 Pro · DWARF 3 · DWARF mini · Draco · DWARF II · Vespera Pro · Vespera 3 · Vespera Pro 2 · eQuinox 2 · Odyssey · Origin · Origin Mark II
Previous: September · Next: November · Tonight with the Vespera II