How Many Subs

NGC 1333

Perseus Molecular Cloud · Reflection nebula in Perseus

Magnitude
9.5
Size
6′ × 3′
Effective surface brightness
22.5 mag/arcsec²
Best months
Oct, Nov, Dec
Declination
+31°
Filter
None (broadband target)

A blue reflection nebula amid a maze of dark dust and red Herbig-Haro jets. Broadband, dark sky, long stack.

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 NGC 1333, 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 subs14%2 h 16 min814 subs3 h 47 min1,362 subs10 h3,754 subs
ZWO Seestar S50 Pro10 s subs7%2 h 31 min908 subs4 h 10 min1,500 subs11 h4,087 subs
ZWO Seestar S3010 s subs8%2 h 34 min927 subs4 h 06 min1,474 subs11 h3,867 subs
ZWO Seestar S30 Pro10 s subs4%2 h 42 min975 subs4 h 26 min1,597 subs12 h4,319 subs
DwarfLab DWARF 315 s subs6%2 h 55 min701 subs5 h 16 min1,265 subs16 h3,728 subs
DwarfLab DWARF mini15 s subs8%2 h 14 min536 subs3 h 45 min901 subs10 h2,496 subs
DwarfLab Draco30 s subs8%1 h 48 min217 subs3 h 04 min369 subs8 h 37 min1,034 subs
DwarfLab DWARF II15 s subs6%10 h2,468 subs15 h3,481 subs33 h7,911 subs
Vaonis Vespera II10 s subs7%2 h 16 min814 subs3 h 47 min1,362 subs10 h3,754 subs
Vaonis Vespera Pro10 s subs6%5 h 36 min2,017 subs8 h 48 min3,168 subs23 h8,197 subs
Vaonis Vespera 310 s subs7%2 h 08 min770 subs3 h 36 min1,296 subs9 h 59 min3,594 subs
Vaonis Vespera Pro 210 s subs6%5 h 17 min1,901 subs8 h 21 min3,006 subs22 h7,836 subs
Unistellar eQuinox 24 s subs18%3 h 10 min2,856 subs4 h 07 min3,709 subs8 h 16 min7,436 subs
Unistellar Odyssey4 s subs18%17 h15,397 subs21 h18,499 subs36 h32,061 subs
Celestron Origin10 s subs12%31 min189 subs57 min344 subs2 h 50 min1,023 subs
Celestron Origin Mark II10 s subs13%38 min231 subs1 h 16 min455 subs3 h 59 min1,432 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.

Per-telescope pages