How Many Subs

Eagle Nebula

M16, NGC 6611, IC 4703 · Emission nebula in Serpens

Magnitude
6.0
Size
35′ × 28′
Effective surface brightness
22.2 mag/arcsec²
Best months
Jun, Jul, Aug
Declination
-14°
Filter
Dual-band recommended

Home of the Pillars of Creation. The cluster comes fast; the pillars and surrounding nebulosity need a dual-band filter and patience.

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 Eagle 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.
TelescopeIn frameBortle 3 (rural)Bortle 5 (suburban)Bortle 7 (urban edge)
ZWO Seestar S5010 s subs, dual-band81%43 min259 subs50 min302 subs1 h 21 min489 subs
ZWO Seestar S50 Pro10 s subs, dual-band42%49 min294 subs57 min340 subs1 h 30 min543 subs
ZWO Seestar S3010 s subs, dual-band49%53 min318 subs1 h361 subs1 h 31 min548 subs
ZWO Seestar S30 Pro10 s subs, dual-band26%53 min320 subs1 h 01 min368 subs1 h 37 min581 subs
DwarfLab DWARF 315 s subs, dual-band35%49 min195 subs1 h239 subs1 h 48 min432 subs
DwarfLab DWARF mini15 s subs, dual-band49%42 min169 subs49 min198 subs1 h 21 min323 subs
DwarfLab Draco30 s subs, dual-band47%33 min67 subs39 min79 subs1 h 05 min131 subs
DwarfLab DWARF II15 s subs33%2 h 43 min653 subs3 h 48 min912 subs8 h 31 min2,045 subs
Vaonis Vespera II10 s subs41%37 min220 subs1 h360 subs2 h 42 min972 subs
Vaonis Vespera Pro10 s subs36%1 h 30 min541 subs2 h 19 min835 subs5 h 53 min2,121 subs
Vaonis Vespera 310 s subs40%35 min209 subs57 min343 subs2 h 35 min931 subs
Vaonis Vespera Pro 210 s subs35%1 h 25 min510 subs2 h 12 min793 subs5 h 38 min2,028 subs
Unistellar eQuinox 24 s subs1.0× frame50 min749 subs1 h 04 min967 subs2 h 08 min1,921 subs
Unistellar Odyssey4 s subs1.0× frame4 h 27 min4,005 subs5 h 20 min4,798 subs9 h 11 min8,267 subs
Celestron Origin10 s subs68%9 min52 subs15 min92 subs44 min265 subs
Celestron Origin Mark II10 s subs78%11 min64 subs20 min121 subs1 h 02 min371 subs

Open in the calculator

Imaging the emission nebula

Emission nebulae glow in a few narrow lines, mostly hydrogen-alpha (deep red) and doubly ionised oxygen (teal). A dual-band filter passes those lines and blocks most skyglow, which is why it cuts the time needed from a suburban sky so dramatically. Use it. From a genuinely dark site the gain is smaller because there is less skyglow to block, and read noise becomes the limit, which is where longer subs (EQ mode, or Expert Mode on a Vespera) earn their keep.

Stars lose colour through a dual-band filter; a short broadband stack blended in fixes that if you care.

Per-telescope pages