M78

NGC 2068 · Reflection nebula in Orion

Magnitude: 8.3
Size: 8′ × 6′
Effective surface brightness: 21.6 mag/arcsec²
Best months: Nov, Dec, Jan
Declination: +0°
Filter: None (broadband target)

The brightest reflection nebula in the sky, blue dust lit by young stars in Orion's belt. No filter; it is starlight.

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 M78, 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	19%	26 min159 subs	41 min246 subs	1 h 44 min626 subs
ZWO Seestar S50 Pro10 s subs	10%	29 min177 subs	45 min271 subs	1 h 53 min681 subs
ZWO Seestar S3010 s subs	11%	29 min177 subs	44 min264 subs	1 h 47 min644 subs
ZWO Seestar S30 Pro10 s subs	6%	31 min189 subs	48 min288 subs	2 h720 subs
DwarfLab DWARF 315 s subs	8%	35 min142 subs	58 min232 subs	2 h 36 min623 subs
DwarfLab DWARF mini15 s subs	11%	26 min105 subs	41 min163 subs	1 h 44 min416 subs
DwarfLab Draco30 s subs	11%	21 min43 subs	33 min67 subs	1 h 26 min173 subs
DwarfLab DWARF II15 s subs	7%	1 h 52 min447 subs	2 h 32 min608 subs	5 h 28 min1,311 subs
Vaonis Vespera II10 s subs	9%	26 min159 subs	41 min246 subs	1 h 44 min626 subs
Vaonis Vespera Pro10 s subs	8%	1 h 04 min383 subs	1 h 34 min565 subs	3 h 47 min1,364 subs
Vaonis Vespera 310 s subs	9%	25 min151 subs	39 min235 subs	1 h 40 min599 subs
Vaonis Vespera Pro 210 s subs	8%	1 h362 subs	1 h 29 min537 subs	3 h 37 min1,304 subs
Unistellar eQuinox 24 s subs	23%	33 min500 subs	42 min635 subs	1 h 22 min1,227 subs
Unistellar Odyssey4 s subs	24%	2 h 54 min2,613 subs	3 h 27 min3,105 subs	5 h 51 min5,259 subs
Celestron Origin10 s subs	16%	6 min39 subs	10 min63 subs	28 min171 subs
Celestron Origin Mark II10 s subs	18%	8 min49 subs	14 min85 subs	40 min240 subs

Open in the calculator

Imaging the reflection nebula

Reflection nebulae are starlight scattered by dust, so they are broadband and blue. A dual-band filter removes almost all of it; do not use one. These are among the faintest structures a smart scope can attempt and the figures run long. A dark sky matters more here than for any other type, and the Moon must be down.

M78

How long with each smart telescope

Imaging the reflection nebula

Per-telescope pages