Crab Nebula

M1, NGC 1952 · Supernova remnant in Taurus

Magnitude: 8.4
Size: 6′ × 4′
Effective surface brightness: 21.2 mag/arcsec²
Best months: Nov, Dec, Jan
Declination: +22°
Filter: Dual-band recommended

The remains of the supernova of 1054, a tangle of filaments around a pulsar. Small but bright enough for a good result in an evening.

Reachable from mid-northern latitudes (UK, northern US, central Europe) and from the south.

How long with each smart telescope

Total integration for a solid image of the Crab Nebula, default sub length, recommended filter, and how much of each frame it fills. Click a cell for the full Bortle 1 to 9 table.
Telescope	In frame	Bortle 3 (rural)	Bortle 5 (suburban)	Bortle 7 (urban edge)
ZWO Seestar S5010 s subs, dual-band	14%	22 min130 subs	24 min145 subs	35 min212 subs
ZWO Seestar S50 Pro10 s subs, dual-band	7%	24 min146 subs	27 min162 subs	39 min234 subs
ZWO Seestar S3010 s subs, dual-band	8%	25 min151 subs	28 min166 subs	39 min233 subs
ZWO Seestar S30 Pro10 s subs, dual-band	4%	26 min157 subs	29 min174 subs	42 min250 subs
DwarfLab DWARF 315 s subs, dual-band	6%	27 min108 subs	31 min124 subs	48 min193 subs
DwarfLab DWARF mini15 s subs, dual-band	8%	21 min86 subs	24 min96 subs	35 min140 subs
DwarfLab Draco30 s subs, dual-band	8%	17 min35 subs	19 min39 subs	29 min58 subs
DwarfLab DWARF II15 s subs	6%	1 h 10 min282 subs	1 h 33 min374 subs	3 h 14 min778 subs
Vaonis Vespera II10 s subs	7%	17 min105 subs	26 min155 subs	1 h 02 min373 subs
Vaonis Vespera Pro10 s subs	6%	41 min248 subs	59 min353 subs	2 h 15 min812 subs
Vaonis Vespera 310 s subs	7%	17 min100 subs	25 min148 subs	59 min357 subs
Vaonis Vespera Pro 210 s subs	6%	39 min235 subs	56 min336 subs	2 h 09 min776 subs
Unistellar eQuinox 24 s subs	18%	21 min308 subs	26 min386 subs	48 min726 subs
Unistellar Odyssey4 s subs	18%	1 h 45 min1,577 subs	2 h 04 min1,860 subs	3 h 26 min3,097 subs
Celestron Origin10 s subs	12%	5 min30 subs	7 min40 subs	17 min102 subs
Celestron Origin Mark II10 s subs	13%	6 min34 subs	9 min54 subs	24 min143 subs

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Imaging the supernova remnant

Supernova remnants are emission-line objects, strong in both hydrogen-alpha and OIII, and their filaments are thin, so pixel scale matters as much as aperture. A dual-band filter is essential from any lit sky and still helps under a dark one. These are long-integration targets; plan on several sessions and stack across nights.

Crab Nebula

How long with each smart telescope

Imaging the supernova remnant

Per-telescope pages