Helix Nebula
NGC 7293, Caldwell 63 · Planetary nebula in Aquarius
- Magnitude
- 7.3
- Size
- 25′ × 22′
- Effective surface brightness
- 22.6 mag/arcsec²
- Best months
- Aug, Sep, Oct
- Declination
- -21°
- Filter
- Dual-band recommended
The nearest bright planetary nebula, half the Moon's width but spread thin. Low from the UK; dual-band and a couple of hours make the eye appear.
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 | 58% | 1 h 23 min496 subs | 1 h 37 min585 subs | 2 h 43 min976 subs |
| ZWO Seestar S50 Pro10 s subs, dual-band | 30% | 1 h 34 min566 subs | 1 h 50 min662 subs | 3 h 01 min1,086 subs |
| ZWO Seestar S3010 s subs, dual-band | 35% | 1 h 43 min619 subs | 1 h 58 min708 subs | 3 h 03 min1,099 subs |
| ZWO Seestar S30 Pro10 s subs, dual-band | 19% | 1 h 43 min616 subs | 2 h718 subs | 3 h 14 min1,163 subs |
| DwarfLab DWARF 315 s subs, dual-band | 25% | 1 h 30 min361 subs | 1 h 53 min453 subs | 3 h 34 min856 subs |
| DwarfLab DWARF mini15 s subs, dual-band | 35% | 1 h 21 min323 subs | 1 h 36 min383 subs | 2 h 41 min644 subs |
| DwarfLab Draco30 s subs, dual-band | 34% | 1 h 04 min128 subs | 1 h 16 min153 subs | 2 h 10 min261 subs |
| DwarfLab DWARF II15 s subs | 23% | 5 h 26 min1,306 subs | 7 h 42 min1,848 subs | 18 h4,215 subs |
| Vaonis Vespera II10 s subs | 29% | 1 h 11 min429 subs | 2 h721 subs | 5 h 33 min1,999 subs |
| Vaonis Vespera Pro10 s subs | 26% | 2 h 57 min1,064 subs | 4 h 40 min1,679 subs | 12 h4,366 subs |
| Vaonis Vespera 310 s subs | 28% | 1 h 07 min405 subs | 1 h 54 min686 subs | 5 h 19 min1,914 subs |
| Vaonis Vespera Pro 210 s subs | 25% | 2 h 47 min1,002 subs | 4 h 25 min1,593 subs | 12 h4,174 subs |
| Unistellar eQuinox 24 s subs | 73% | 1 h 41 min1,516 subs | 2 h 11 min1,971 subs | 4 h 24 min3,963 subs |
| Unistellar Odyssey4 s subs | 74% | 9 h 06 min8,189 subs | 11 h9,847 subs | 19 h17,094 subs |
| Celestron Origin10 s subs | 49% | 16 min99 subs | 30 min182 subs | 1 h 31 min545 subs |
| Celestron Origin Mark II10 s subs | 56% | 20 min121 subs | 40 min240 subs | 2 h 07 min763 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 Helix Nebula with the ZWO Seestar S50
- How long to image the Helix Nebula with the ZWO Seestar S50 Pro
- How long to image the Helix Nebula with the ZWO Seestar S30
- How long to image the Helix Nebula with the ZWO Seestar S30 Pro
- How long to image the Helix Nebula with the DwarfLab DWARF 3
- How long to image the Helix Nebula with the DwarfLab DWARF mini
- How long to image the Helix Nebula with the DwarfLab Draco
- How long to image the Helix Nebula with the DwarfLab DWARF II
- How long to image the Helix Nebula with the Vaonis Vespera II
- How long to image the Helix Nebula with the Vaonis Vespera Pro
- How long to image the Helix Nebula with the Vaonis Vespera 3
- How long to image the Helix Nebula with the Vaonis Vespera Pro 2
- How long to image the Helix Nebula with the Unistellar eQuinox 2
- How long to image the Helix Nebula with the Unistellar Odyssey
- How long to image the Helix Nebula with the Celestron Origin
- How long to image the Helix Nebula with the Celestron Origin Mark II