What to image in February with the Celestron Origin Mark II
Orion is still well placed after dark and the winter clusters in Auriga and Gemini ride high. Late in the evening the first galaxies of spring rise in the east: Leo, then Ursa Major. A month for both nebulae and, after midnight, the Bode and Cigar pair.
Moon in February 2027: new on 6 Feb, full on 20 Feb. Broadband targets (galaxies, clusters) want the week either side of new; emission nebulae behind a dual-band filter tolerate the rest.
31 targets transit near midnight in February. From a suburban sky the Origin Mark II gets a solid image of 25 of them in under an hour each; 6 need longer, or a darker sky, or several nights. Times below use the recommended filter and 10 s subs.
| Target | Type | Bortle 4 | Bortle 6 | Bortle 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M35Gemini | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs |
| M41Canis Major | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs |
| Beehive ClusterCancer | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs |
| M46Puppis | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs |
| M47Puppis | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs |
| M48Hydra | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs |
| M50Monoceros | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs |
| M67Cancer | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs |
| M93Puppis | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs |
| Carina NebulaCarina | Emission nebula | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 12 min73 subs |
| Rosette ClusterMonoceros | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs |
| Eskimo NebulaGemini | Planetary nebula | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 11 min69 subs |
| Ghost of JupiterHydra | Planetary nebula | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 11 min69 subs |
| Cigar GalaxyUrsa Major | Galaxy | 6 min36 subs | 13 min77 subs | 36 min216 subs |
| M66Leo | Galaxy | 7 min43 subs | 15 min91 subs | 43 min256 subs |
| M65Leo | Galaxy | 9 min52 subs | 19 min115 subs | 55 min331 subs |
| Owl NebulaUrsa Major | Planetary nebula | 9 min56 subs | 20 min118 subs | 56 min334 subs |
| M105Leo | Galaxy | 10 min61 subs | 22 min131 subs | 1 h 02 min373 subs |
| Bode's GalaxyUrsa Major | Galaxy | 10 min60 subs | 23 min140 subs | 1 h 09 min415 subs |
| M108Ursa Major | Galaxy | 14 min83 subs | 31 min189 subs | 1 h 33 min556 subs |
| M96Leo | Galaxy | 15 min93 subs | 35 min212 subs | 1 h 44 min622 subs |
| Rosette NebulaMonoceros | Emission nebula | 20 min120 subs | 49 min295 subs | 2 h 30 min900 subs |
| NGC 2903Leo | Galaxy | 21 min126 subs | 51 min307 subs | 2 h 36 min934 subs |
| Hamburger GalaxyLeo | Galaxy | 22 min132 subs | 55 min328 subs | 2 h 47 min1,002 subs |
| Monkey Head NebulaOrion | Emission nebula | 23 min141 subs | 59 min352 subs | 3 h1,079 subs |
| NGC 2403Camelopardalis | Galaxy | 28 min167 subs | 1 h 10 min420 subs | 3 h 36 min1,294 subs |
| M95Leo | Galaxy | 31 min189 subs | 1 h 16 min458 subs | 3 h 51 min1,386 subs |
| M109Ursa Major | Galaxy | 34 min204 subs | 1 h 23 min497 subs | 4 h 12 min1,510 subs |
| Cone and Christmas TreeMonoceros | Emission nebula | 55 min330 subs | 2 h 23 min859 subs | 7 h 27 min2,685 subs |
| Jellyfish NebulaGemini | Supernova remnant | 55 min330 subs | 2 h 23 min859 subs | 7 h 27 min2,685 subs |
| Thor's HelmetCanis Major | Emission nebula | 1 h 27 min521 subs | 3 h 44 min1,345 subs | 12 h4,194 subs |
Other telescopes in February: Seestar S50 · Seestar S50 Pro · Seestar S30 · Seestar S30 Pro · DWARF 3 · DWARF mini · Draco · DWARF II · Vespera II · Vespera Pro · Vespera 3 · Vespera Pro 2 · eQuinox 2 · Odyssey · Origin
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