Saturn Nebula
NGC 7009, Caldwell 55 · Planetary nebula in Aquarius
- Magnitude
- 8.0
- Size
- 0.7′ × 0.4′
- Effective surface brightness
- 20.5 mag/arcsec²
- Best months
- Jul, Aug, Sep
- Declination
- -11°
- Filter
- Dual-band recommended
A bright planetary with ansae like Saturn's rings, tiny in a smart scope but very bright per pixel.
Reachable from mid-northern latitudes (UK, northern US, central Europe) and from the south.
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 | 18 px | 9 min52 subs | 9 min56 subs | 12 min74 subs |
| ZWO Seestar S50 Pro10 s subs, dual-band | 18 px | 9 min57 subs | 10 min62 subs | 14 min82 subs |
| ZWO Seestar S3010 s subs, dual-band | 11 px | 9 min57 subs | 10 min62 subs | 13 min80 subs |
| ZWO Seestar S30 Pro10 s subs, dual-band | 11 px | 10 min61 subs | 11 min66 subs | 14 min87 subs |
| DwarfLab DWARF 315 s subs, dual-band | 15 px | 11 min46 subs | 13 min51 subs | 17 min69 subs |
| DwarfLab DWARF mini15 s subs, dual-band | 11 px | 8 min34 subs | 9 min37 subs | 12 min49 subs |
| DwarfLab Draco30 s subs, dual-band | 29 px | 15 min30 subs | 15 min30 subs | 15 min30 subs |
| DwarfLab DWARF II15 s subs | 14 px | 24 min98 subs | 31 min124 subs | 59 min235 subs |
| Vaonis Vespera II10 s subs | 18 px | 7 min40 subs | 9 min54 subs | 19 min114 subs |
| Vaonis Vespera Pro10 s subs | 25 px | 15 min92 subs | 20 min120 subs | 41 min247 subs |
| Vaonis Vespera 310 s subs | 17 px | 6 min38 subs | 9 min52 subs | 18 min109 subs |
| Vaonis Vespera Pro 210 s subs | 25 px | 14 min87 subs | 19 min115 subs | 39 min236 subs |
| Unistellar eQuinox 24 s subs | 32 px | 7 min102 subs | 8 min124 subs | 14 min217 subs |
| Unistellar Odyssey4 s subs | 45 px | 33 min496 subs | 38 min574 subs | 1 h 01 min915 subs |
| Celestron Origin10 s subs | 28 px | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min32 subs |
| Celestron Origin Mark II10 s subs | 34 px | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 7 min44 subs |
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
- How long to image the Saturn Nebula with the ZWO Seestar S50
- How long to image the Saturn Nebula with the ZWO Seestar S50 Pro
- How long to image the Saturn Nebula with the ZWO Seestar S30
- How long to image the Saturn Nebula with the ZWO Seestar S30 Pro
- How long to image the Saturn Nebula with the DwarfLab DWARF 3
- How long to image the Saturn Nebula with the DwarfLab DWARF mini
- How long to image the Saturn Nebula with the DwarfLab Draco
- How long to image the Saturn Nebula with the DwarfLab DWARF II
- How long to image the Saturn Nebula with the Vaonis Vespera II
- How long to image the Saturn Nebula with the Vaonis Vespera Pro
- How long to image the Saturn Nebula with the Vaonis Vespera 3
- How long to image the Saturn Nebula with the Vaonis Vespera Pro 2
- How long to image the Saturn Nebula with the Unistellar eQuinox 2
- How long to image the Saturn Nebula with the Unistellar Odyssey
- How long to image the Saturn Nebula with the Celestron Origin
- How long to image the Saturn Nebula with the Celestron Origin Mark II