Running Man Nebula

NGC 1977, Sh2-279 · Reflection nebula in Orion

Magnitude: 7.0
Size: 20′ × 10′
Effective surface brightness: 22.0 mag/arcsec²
Best months: Nov, Dec, Jan
Declination: -5°
Filter: None (broadband target)

The blue reflection nebula just north of M42 with a dark figure running through it. Broadband only; it comes free in a long Orion 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 Running Man 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	46%	26 min159 subs	43 min256 subs	1 h 53 min680 subs
ZWO Seestar S50 Pro10 s subs	24%	29 min177 subs	47 min282 subs	2 h 03 min740 subs
ZWO Seestar S3010 s subs	28%	30 min179 subs	46 min276 subs	1 h 56 min699 subs
ZWO Seestar S30 Pro10 s subs	15%	32 min190 subs	50 min300 subs	2 h 10 min782 subs
DwarfLab DWARF 315 s subs	20%	35 min140 subs	1 h240 subs	2 h 49 min675 subs
DwarfLab DWARF mini15 s subs	28%	26 min105 subs	42 min170 subs	1 h 53 min452 subs
DwarfLab Draco30 s subs	27%	21 min43 subs	35 min70 subs	1 h 33 min187 subs
DwarfLab DWARF II15 s subs	19%	1 h 56 min465 subs	2 h 41 min644 subs	5 h 57 min1,428 subs
Vaonis Vespera II10 s subs	23%	26 min159 subs	43 min256 subs	1 h 53 min680 subs
Vaonis Vespera Pro10 s subs	21%	1 h 05 min389 subs	1 h 39 min592 subs	4 h 07 min1,482 subs
Vaonis Vespera 310 s subs	23%	25 min151 subs	41 min244 subs	1 h 48 min651 subs
Vaonis Vespera Pro 210 s subs	20%	1 h 01 min367 subs	1 h 34 min562 subs	3 h 56 min1,417 subs
Unistellar eQuinox 24 s subs	58%	35 min529 subs	45 min680 subs	1 h 29 min1,339 subs
Unistellar Odyssey4 s subs	59%	3 h 07 min2,809 subs	3 h 44 min3,358 subs	6 h 24 min5,758 subs
Celestron Origin10 s subs	39%	6 min38 subs	11 min65 subs	31 min186 subs
Celestron Origin Mark II10 s subs	45%	8 min47 subs	14 min87 subs	43 min260 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.

Running Man Nebula

How long with each smart telescope

Imaging the reflection nebula

Per-telescope pages