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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.