How Many Subs

NGC 6781

Aquila planetary · Planetary nebula in Aquila

Magnitude
11.4
Size
1.8′
Effective surface brightness
22.3 mag/arcsec²
Best months
Jun, Jul, Aug
Declination
+7°
Filter
Dual-band recommended

A ghostly ring planetary in Aquila, larger and fainter than the Ring Nebula. Dual-band recommended.

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 6781, 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-band45 px1 h 54 min683 subs2 h 13 min799 subs3 h 37 min1,305 subs
ZWO Seestar S50 Pro10 s subs, dual-band47 px2 h 09 min777 subs2 h 30 min902 subs4 h 02 min1,450 subs
ZWO Seestar S3010 s subs, dual-band27 px2 h 20 min842 subs2 h 40 min958 subs4 h 04 min1,465 subs
ZWO Seestar S30 Pro10 s subs, dual-band29 px2 h 21 min845 subs2 h 43 min977 subs4 h 19 min1,553 subs
DwarfLab DWARF 315 s subs, dual-band39 px2 h 07 min509 subs2 h 37 min629 subs4 h 47 min1,150 subs
DwarfLab DWARF mini15 s subs, dual-band27 px1 h 51 min446 subs2 h 11 min523 subs3 h 35 min861 subs
DwarfLab Draco30 s subs, dual-band2%1 h 28 min177 subs1 h 44 min209 subs2 h 55 min350 subs
DwarfLab DWARF II15 s subs36 px7 h 16 min1,745 subs10 h2,446 subs23 h5,511 subs
Vaonis Vespera II10 s subs45 px1 h 37 min584 subs2 h 40 min962 subs7 h 16 min2,617 subs
Vaonis Vespera Pro10 s subs2%4 h1,438 subs6 h 12 min2,234 subs16 h5,714 subs
Vaonis Vespera 310 s subs44 px1 h 32 min553 subs2 h 33 min916 subs6 h 58 min2,506 subs
Vaonis Vespera Pro 210 s subs2%3 h 46 min1,356 subs5 h 53 min2,120 subs15 h5,462 subs
Unistellar eQuinox 24 s subs5%2 h 14 min2,007 subs2 h 53 min2,597 subs5 h 45 min5,176 subs
Unistellar Odyssey4 s subs5%12 h10,766 subs14 h12,913 subs25 h22,296 subs
Celestron Origin10 s subs4%23 min136 subs41 min244 subs1 h 59 min713 subs
Celestron Origin Mark II10 s subs4%28 min168 subs54 min323 subs2 h 46 min999 subs

Open in the calculator

Imaging the planetary nebula

Planetary nebulae are small but intensely bright per pixel in OIII and H-alpha, so they respond very well to a dual-band filter and do not need much time for the main shell. The faint outer halos most of them have are a different proposition and need hours. Keep subs short if the central region saturates.

Per-telescope pages