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Target Library

Objects worth your photons

One page per target: when it's up, how long to integrate, which filter to use, and what to expect from each smart scope. The library grows every week.

Infrared view of the Pacman Nebula (NGC 281) in Cassiopeia from NASA's WISE all-sky survey, showing the dark dust lanes that give the nebula its name

Target · Emission Nebula

Pacman Nebula (NGC 281): Fall Dual-Band Target in Cassiopeia

NGC 281 is a magnitude-7 emission nebula overhead in fall, small enough for a single frame, and lost without a dual-band filter. Settings per scope.

 The Double Cluster (h and chi Persei, NGC 869 and NGC 884) — two neighboring open clusters full of blue-white supergiant stars in Perseus

Target · Open Cluster

Double Cluster (NGC 869 & 884): Settings You Were Missing

The Double Cluster in Perseus is a one-hour, filter-off, broadband win on every smart telescope — most owners skip it because it looks too simple.

 WISE infrared mosaic of the Soul Nebula (IC 1848), one half of the Heart and Soul complex in Cassiopeia

Target

Heart and Soul Nebula Mosaic: Fall's Best Wide-Field

IC 1805 and IC 1848 span 3.5° of Cassiopeia — the perfect fall mosaic target for smart telescopes. Per-scope framing, filters, and integration times.

 Infrared view of the California Nebula (NGC 1499) and the nearby bright star Menkhib (Xi Persei), from NASA's WISE all-sky survey

Target · Emission Nebula

California Nebula (NGC 1499): Settings for a Huge Target

NGC 1499 is wider than five full Moons and dim enough to vanish without a filter. How to frame, expose, filter, and mosaic the California Nebula.

 Hubble Space Telescope image of the Crab Nebula (M1), the expanding remnant of the 1054 AD supernova in Taurus

Target

Crab Nebula (M1): Smart Telescope Settings & Filters

M1 is a small supernova remnant in Taurus that doesn't behave like an emission nebula. Here's how to shoot it honestly on each smart telescope.

 The Sombrero Galaxy (M104), an edge-on spiral with a bright bulge and prominent dust lane, imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope

Target · Galaxy

Sombrero Galaxy (M104): Smart Telescope Settings

M104 is one of the sharpest edge-on galaxies in the sky, but it's small and southerly. Framing, filter choice, integration, and honest expectations by scope.

 Hubble Space Telescope 26th anniversary image of the Bubble Nebula (NGC 7635) in Cassiopeia

Target

Bubble Nebula (NGC 7635): Smart Telescope Settings

A small, faint emission nebula in Cassiopeia that punishes short focal lengths. Here's how to get honest results on each smart telescope — and when to skip it.

 A close-up Hubble Space Telescope mosaic of the Veil Nebula supernova remnant showing filamentary ribbons of ionized gas in oxygen-blue and hydrogen-red

Target · Supernova Remnant

Veil Nebula: Smart Telescope Settings for the Cygnus Loop

Veil Nebula settings for smart telescopes: mosaic strategy, dual-band filter rules, and per-scope integration times for NGC 6960 and the Eastern Veil.

 The Triangulum Galaxy (M33), a face-on spiral, imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope

Target · Galaxy

Triangulum Galaxy (M33): The Hardest Messier Galaxy

M33 is bright on paper and brutal on sensors. Here's how to frame, expose, filter, and integrate the low-surface-brightness sister to Andromeda.

 The Dumbbell Nebula (M27), a bipolar planetary nebula in Vulpecula, imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope

Target · Planetary Nebula

Dumbbell Nebula (M27): Settings and Expectations

M27 is bright, big, and beginner-friendly — but easy to over-expose. Filters, sub lengths, and integration floors for the Dumbbell on every smart telescope.

 The Whirlpool Galaxy (M51), a face-on spiral, imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope

Target · Galaxy

Whirlpool Galaxy (M51): Smart Telescope Settings Guide

M51 fits in a single smart telescope frame — unlike M31. Here's how to expose, filter, and integrate for a face-on spiral that actually shows arms.

 The Pleiades open star cluster (M45), a color composite from the Palomar Observatory Sky Survey overlaid with the Hubble Fine Guidance Sensors' field of view

Target · Open Cluster / Reflection Nebula

Pleiades (M45): Smart Telescope Settings Without Blown Stars

M45 is bright, blue, and easy to overexpose. How to shoot the Pleiades on every smart telescope — the filter is off, and short subs are the whole game.

 The Orion Bar, a bright ridge of ionised gas within the Orion Nebula (M42), imaged by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope in near-infrared

Target · Emission Nebula

Orion Nebula (M42): Every Smart Telescope's Best Target

M42 is bright enough to see naked-eye and easy to blow out in a live stack. How to frame, filter, and expose the Orion Nebula on every smart scope.

 The Ring Nebula (M57) in infrared, imaged by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope

Target · Planetary Nebula

Ring Nebula (M57): Small Target, Big Payoff

M57 is barely 1.5 arcminutes across but bright enough for any smart telescope. How to frame, filter, and expose the summer sky's easiest planetary nebula.

 The Andromeda Galaxy (M31) in ultraviolet, imaged by NASA's GALEX observatory

Target · Galaxy

Andromeda Galaxy (M31): Smart Telescope Settings Guide

M31 is the most-attempted, most-botched smart telescope target. Here's how to frame it, expose it, and stack it, with settings for every scope.