5 June Astrophotography Targets to Photograph this Month
Things are heating up in June! With summer just around the corner bringing the hottest months of the year, you want to be prepared. Before you set out on the field, have a plan in mind for what image with our suggestions for June astrophotography targets. Find out what they are below!
Below are 5 deep-sky objects that are at their highest elevation in June. This is another installment of our special monthly series to help you figure out what to image tonight. For each month we have a list of ideas that you can view for a convenient and quick decision.
Out of the suggestions we put together, the first three objects are easy to photograph for beginners, and we've included two more challenging suggestions for experienced astrophotographers toward the end. There's something for everyone to try out!
Watch our video guide on YouTube for a fun format of this list!
Need ideas for Summer targets? Read 15 best summer astrophotography targets!
5 June astrophotography targets:
Messier 24 - The Sagittarius Star Cloud
NGC 6334 - The Cat's Paw Nebula
Rho Ophiuchi
Rho Ophiuchi is a molecular cloud complex about 400 light years away from Earth. This target is easy to capture wide field without a telescope and is often imaged with a simple DSLR camera and lens on top of a star tracker. To achieve the result below, we used our Canon 50mm lens and tracked the sky using the affordable SkyWatcher Star Adventurer Pro.
Rho Ophiuchi does not rise super high in the horizon, at least from our location in Nevada, so you may want to capture it this month if you haven't already, before it becomes lower and lower.
Messier 13 - The Great Hercules Cluster
Messier 13 is one of the brightest and largest globular clusters visible in the northern hemisphere. It is also a great sight through a pair of binoculars. You will need to make sure your mount is perfectly polar aligned and that your guiding is very accurate when you image this cluster. The image below was taken with an Orion 8" reflector telescope.
If you feel like imaging two globular clusters in one night, M13 has a close neighbor that looks very similar to it, Messier 92.
Messier 24 - The Sagittarius Star Cloud
M24, also called the Sagittarius Star Cloud, is not considered a deep-sky object but rather just a field of stars. Using a pair of binoculars, the area within the Sagittarius Star Cloud is one of the densest star regions in the entire night sky.
The best way to capture M24 is wide-field using a DSLR camera and lens with a tracker. You could also image it with a small telescope and/or do a mosaic if you have the patience!
We have not yet captured M24 ourselves but will update this post when we do!
IC 4592 - The Blue Horsehead Nebula
Not to be confused with the regular Horsehead Nebula, The Blue Horsehead Nebula is a magnificent reflection nebula in Scorpius. It is best imaged in LRGB as it does not really have many narrowband gases within.
One of the most beautiful features of the Blue Horsehead Nebula is a second, much smaller nebula that lies near the "ear" of the horse. We finally had a chance to photograph this horse when Antoine made a solo trip to Death Valley. Due to equipment issues, he did not spend as much time as he wanted but got a stunning result regardless. He used a Meade 70mm APO telescope and QHY600C camera.
NGC 6334 - The Cat's Paw Nebula
In our opinion, this is one of the prettiest nebulae in the night sky. When you see NGC 6334, you will know exactly what we mean. Sadly, it does not rise high where we live to get a proper image.
If you live further south of the Las Vegas latitude, you might be lucky enough to capture the insanely gorgeous Cat's Paw Nebula. This is a large object that looks magnificent in both the regular RGB palette and in narrowband. We would love to photograph this one day in the Hubble Palette as seen below.
We have not yet captured NGC 6334 ourselves but will update this post when we do!
Final Thoughts
That wraps up the June astrophotography targets, but more summer targets are on the way. If you didn't see a summer favorite, don't worry they're coming! Check out next month's post to see a new list of deep-sky objects you can photograph.
If you'd like a more substantial list of objects, take a look at our top picks for the 15 best summer astrophotography targets.
As always, bookmark this page to come back at a later time and check off every suggestion. If you happen to capture any of the targets listed above, share them in the comments section and give others some motivation!
Clear Skies,
Galactic Hunter
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