Tarantula Nebula
NGC 2070, Caldwell 103, 30 Doradus · Emission nebula in Dorado
- Magnitude
- 8.0
- Size
- 40′ × 25′
- Effective surface brightness
- 21.8 mag/arcsec²
- Best months
- Nov, Dec, Jan
- Declination
- -69°
- Filter
- Dual-band recommended
The giant star-forming region in the Large Magellanic Cloud, bright enough to see naked-eye from another galaxy. Far south only.
Southern hemisphere only.
How long with each smart telescope
| Telescope | In frame | Bortle 3 (rural) | Bortle 5 (suburban) | Bortle 7 (urban edge) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZWO Seestar S5010 s subs, dual-band | Only just | 23 min139 subs | 26 min159 subs | 41 min249 subs |
| ZWO Seestar S50 Pro10 s subs, dual-band | 48% | 26 min157 subs | 30 min179 subs | 46 min276 subs |
| ZWO Seestar S3010 s subs, dual-band | 56% | 28 min167 subs | 31 min188 subs | 46 min277 subs |
| ZWO Seestar S30 Pro10 s subs, dual-band | 30% | 28 min170 subs | 32 min193 subs | 49 min295 subs |
| DwarfLab DWARF 315 s subs, dual-band | 40% | 27 min109 subs | 32 min130 subs | 55 min222 subs |
| DwarfLab DWARF mini15 s subs, dual-band | 56% | 23 min91 subs | 26 min105 subs | 41 min165 subs |
| DwarfLab Draco30 s subs, dual-band | 54% | 18 min37 subs | 21 min42 subs | 33 min67 subs |
| DwarfLab DWARF II15 s subs | 37% | 1 h 23 min332 subs | 1 h 54 min456 subs | 4 h 09 min998 subs |
| Vaonis Vespera II10 s subs | 46% | 19 min116 subs | 30 min183 subs | 1 h 19 min476 subs |
| Vaonis Vespera Pro10 s subs | 41% | 47 min281 subs | 1 h 10 min422 subs | 2 h 53 min1,037 subs |
| Vaonis Vespera 310 s subs | 46% | 18 min110 subs | 29 min174 subs | 1 h 16 min456 subs |
| Vaonis Vespera Pro 210 s subs | 40% | 44 min265 subs | 1 h 07 min401 subs | 2 h 45 min992 subs |
| Unistellar eQuinox 24 s subs | 1.2× frame | 25 min375 subs | 32 min479 subs | 1 h 02 min936 subs |
| Unistellar Odyssey4 s subs | 1.2× frame | 2 h 12 min1,976 subs | 2 h 37 min2,356 subs | 4 h 28 min4,016 subs |
| Celestron Origin10 s subs | 78% | 5 min30 subs | 8 min47 subs | 22 min130 subs |
| Celestron Origin Mark II10 s subs | 89% | 6 min35 subs | 10 min63 subs | 30 min182 subs |
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
- How long to image the Tarantula Nebula with the ZWO Seestar S50
- How long to image the Tarantula Nebula with the ZWO Seestar S50 Pro
- How long to image the Tarantula Nebula with the ZWO Seestar S30
- How long to image the Tarantula Nebula with the ZWO Seestar S30 Pro
- How long to image the Tarantula Nebula with the DwarfLab DWARF 3
- How long to image the Tarantula Nebula with the DwarfLab DWARF mini
- How long to image the Tarantula Nebula with the DwarfLab Draco
- How long to image the Tarantula Nebula with the DwarfLab DWARF II
- How long to image the Tarantula Nebula with the Vaonis Vespera II
- How long to image the Tarantula Nebula with the Vaonis Vespera Pro
- How long to image the Tarantula Nebula with the Vaonis Vespera 3
- How long to image the Tarantula Nebula with the Vaonis Vespera Pro 2
- How long to image the Tarantula Nebula with the Unistellar eQuinox 2
- How long to image the Tarantula Nebula with the Unistellar Odyssey
- How long to image the Tarantula Nebula with the Celestron Origin
- How long to image the Tarantula Nebula with the Celestron Origin Mark II