Beginner astrophotography targets for every season
Not sure what to point your telescope at? Here are twelve star clusters, galaxies, and nebulae to try through the year, illustrated with my own photographs from Bristol’s bright city skies.
A good target makes a big difference
So, you’ve got some clear sky, a telescope, and a city doing its best to illuminate the entire universe. What should you photograph? Quite a lot, as it turns out! I image from my back garden in central Bristol, under heavily light-polluted Bortle 8 skies. These are some of the targets I’d suggest learning on.
This guide is for deep-sky imaging with a tracking telescope, a camera lens on a tracking mount, or a smart telescope. If you have a camera and a normal tripod, start with my first astrophoto guide for stars, constellations, and night landscapes.
The seasons below refer to evenings in the UK and similar northern latitudes. They overlap, and they aren’t a promise that a target will be above your particular garden fence tonight. Check an observing app for your location, time, and horizon. If you’re in the southern hemisphere, you’ll need a different seasonal shortlist.
A quick filter tip: galaxies, star clusters, and reflection nebulae such as the Pleiades are broadband targets. Emission nebulae glow at particular wavelengths, so a suitable dualband filter can help separate them from city light with a colour camera. Use your smart telescope’s nebula mode only for appropriate targets. My guide to choosing filters explains the options.
Spring: star clusters and a galaxy pair
Start with M3 if you’d like a bright, compact target, or try the Beehive for a more open star field. M81 and M82 make a rewarding first galaxy project.
Messier 3 | M3
M3 is a lovely first target for spring: a tightly packed ball of stars with a bright centre that stands up well to a city sky. A small telescope can show the cluster clearly, while a longer focal length reveals more of the stellar scrum.
I chose it during a run of poor weather and collected five hours in one night, even with an almost full Moon nearby. That isn’t a minimum exposure requirement. Aim for a recognisable ball of stars first, and take care not to turn the centre into a solid white blob when processing.
Explore M3: photographs and capture details →
The Beehive Cluster | M44
The Beehive is a sparkling swarm of stars that makes a cheerful spring target. You might struggle to spot it with the naked eye above the streetlights, but a camera can bring the cluster into view. It’s a larger, looser gathering than M3, so leave enough room for the stars to spread out.
I used one-minute exposures for this image to help preserve the bright stars’ colours. Your ideal exposure will depend on your setup and sky, so check that the brightest stars aren’t becoming featureless white blobs. Stick with broadband rather than a nebula filter, practise getting the focus spot-on, and enjoy the different star colours.
Explore the Beehive: photographs and capture details →
Bode’s and the Cigar Galaxy | M81 & M82
Two galaxies for the price of one! Bode’s Galaxy is a broad spiral, while the Cigar beside it looks much slimmer. Their different shapes make a satisfying first result, long before you start chasing fine detail.
They’re smaller on the sky than Andromeda, so a widefield setup will leave more space around them. Check that both fit in your frame, and start with their bright central regions. The faint spiral arms are a project for later. My finished image came from six hours in one night. Sometimes the weather gives you just enough.
Explore M81 and M82: photographs and capture details →Summer: glittering stars and colourful clouds
M13 is a good starting point, including in late spring. The Iris Nebula and the Cygnus clouds offer different next steps as summer progresses into autumn.UK summer nights are short, and around midsummer the sky never gets fully dark at many northern locations, so work with the darkest hours available.
The Hercules Globular Cluster | M13
M13 looks like someone has tipped a bag of glitter into space. Its bright central region makes it a rewarding summer target, and you can get a pleasing image without teasing out huge clouds of faint dust.
A smaller telescope still shows the ball of stars nicely. A longer focal length brings you closer, but resolving every last star isn’t the entrance exam! As with M3, watch the bright centre when stretching your image. This is also a useful target for practising focus, guiding, and keeping your stars round.
Explore M13: photographs and capture details →
The Iris Nebula | NGC 7023
Iris was one of the first targets I tackled seriously with my FRA400, and it helped convince me that deep-sky imaging from a city really was possible. Its blue centre makes a rewarding next step once you’re comfortable with your setup. Aim to capture that bright central glow first.
The surrounding brown dust is much tougher under light pollution, so save that for a longer project with plenty of integration time. Iris shines by reflecting starlight, which makes it a broadband target. Leave the dualband nebula filter out. Fancy practising the processing first? Download my free Iris Nebula stack and have a go.
Explore the Iris Nebula: photographs and capture details →
The North America Nebula and Cygnus Wall | NGC 7000
Later in summer, Cygnus offers plenty of glowing gas to aim at. The North America Nebula is large, so a wide field of view is useful. The Cygnus Wall is a bright, sculpted edge within it, and makes a closer target for a longer telescope.
This is a step beyond a first star cluster. A suitable dualband filter, or your smart telescope’s nebula mode, can help isolate the emission from the city glow. Check the framing rather than blindly accepting the catalogue’s centre position. Start with the bright ridge. My 40-hour version is something to build towards, not the entry requirement.
Explore the Cygnus Wall: photographs and capture details →Autumn: a little bit of everything
Longer nights are back! Start with the Double Cluster, try Andromeda if your framing suits it, or move on to Pacman when you’re ready for an emission-nebula project. Many of these remain worth trying into winter.
The Double Cluster | NGC 869 & NGC 884
Two busy gatherings of stars, with warm orange points scattered among the blue-white ones. The Double Cluster is a good place to start in autumn because there’s plenty to enjoy without needing to reveal faint nebulosity.
Leave enough space around both clusters, and use broadband rather than an emission-nebula filter to keep the stars’ colours. If the brightest stars become white blobs, try shorter individual exposures. I chose this target when the forecast looked dreadful and I wanted something I could finish in one night. A very British bit of target selection.
Explore the Double Cluster: photographs and capture details →
The Andromeda Galaxy | M31
Andromeda’s bright core gives you an encouraging first galaxy, while its dark dust lanes offer plenty to work towards. The surprise is its size: it covers a large patch of sky, so check the framing before you start.
A camera lens on a tracking mount, or a widefield telescope with a suitable camera, can fit more of the galaxy. A longer telescope gives you a closer view. With a smart telescope, check its framing preview before committing to a session. Keep the bright core under control when processing.
Explore Andromeda: photographs and capture details →
The Pacman Nebula | NGC 281
Once you’ve spotted the dark notch that forms its mouth, the Pacman name is hard to unsee. It climbs high in UK skies, which helps you avoid the murk close to the horizon, and its recognisable outline makes a satisfying goal.
Pacman is a useful next step when you’re comfortable with your setup and want to try an emission nebula. A suitable dualband filter helps under bright skies. My detailed version uses several filters and 31.5 hours, but you can start much more simply. Aim for the main cloud and its dark mouth before chasing every tiny feature.
Explore Pacman: photographs and capture details →Winter: the classics earn their reputation
Orion is my first-nebula pick, while the Pleiades offers beautiful bright stars in a wider frame. The Rosette is a rewarding next step. Wrap up and watch for dew. Temperature changes can shift the focus, so you may need to refocus regularly. I set my rigs to autofocus automatically every hour.
The Orion Nebula | M42
If you want a first nebula, Orion is near the top of my list. Its bright centre can show up encouragingly quickly, and you can begin without a specialist nebula filter. Don’t let a shopping list delay a first attempt with the equipment you already own.
The challenge is that brilliant core. Shorter individual exposures help preserve its detail, while the faint outer clouds give you something to develop later. From the UK, Orion stays fairly low, so aim for a clear view south near its highest point. My own garden offers a rather small gap between the chimney and shed roof!
Explore Orion: photographs and capture details →
The Pleiades | M45
The Pleiades’ bright blue-white stars make an attractive photograph even before you’ve captured much of the misty glow around them. They’re a good choice for a wide field of view, with enough space to let the cluster breathe.
Here’s the catch: the stars are beginner friendly, but the faint blue dust is a longer project from a city. Treat it as a bonus, rather than a test your first image has to pass. That glow is reflected starlight, so use broadband. A dualband filter designed for emission nebulae throws away much of the light you want here.
Explore the Pleiades: photographs and capture details →
The Rosette Nebula
A huge cosmic flower is a pretty good reason to brave a cold night. The Rosette’s central opening and surrounding ring of gas give you a recognisable shape to aim for, with the star cluster NGC 2244 sitting in the middle.
The gas is much fainter than Orion’s brilliant centre, so this is a next step with suitable equipment and some patience. A dualband filter can help from a city. Check that the whole ring fits your camera and telescope, then start by bringing out its main shape. The little dark structures can wait for another clear night.
Explore the Rosette: photographs and capture details →Make a night of it
A target high above the rooftops is usually a better bet than a famous one disappearing behind a neighbour’s shed. Check the framing too: a target can be too large as well as too small. Your camera’s sensor and telescope’s focal length both matter, and a smart telescope’s preview is your friend.
From a city, longer total integration time is one of your best tools for bringing out faint detail. That means stacking more useful exposures, often across several nights, rather than simply making every exposure longer. Controllers such as the ASIAIR, or a smart telescope’s planning features, can make returning to a target much easier. My guide to getting long integration times explains how I make this practical from home.
Pick one target, collect some light, and see what you’ve got. Your first recognisable galaxy or nebula is worth celebrating in its own right. The universe has plenty left for your next clear night.
For more ideas, browse the target photographs or explore the interactive Sky Atlas. To see how planning, capturing, and processing fit together, try my deep sky astrophotography overview for beginners.
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