What to image in February with the Celestron Origin
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 gets a solid image of 27 of them in under an hour each; 4 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 | 9 min52 subs |
| Rosette ClusterMonoceros | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs |
| Eskimo NebulaGemini | Planetary nebula | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 8 min49 subs |
| Ghost of JupiterHydra | Planetary nebula | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 8 min49 subs |
| Cigar GalaxyUrsa Major | Galaxy | 5 min30 subs | 9 min56 subs | 25 min153 subs |
| M66Leo | Galaxy | 5 min33 subs | 11 min66 subs | 30 min181 subs |
| M65Leo | Galaxy | 7 min40 subs | 14 min83 subs | 39 min234 subs |
| Owl NebulaUrsa Major | Planetary nebula | 7 min43 subs | 14 min86 subs | 39 min236 subs |
| M105Leo | Galaxy | 8 min47 subs | 16 min96 subs | 44 min264 subs |
| Bode's GalaxyUrsa Major | Galaxy | 8 min47 subs | 17 min102 subs | 49 min293 subs |
| M108Ursa Major | Galaxy | 11 min64 subs | 23 min138 subs | 1 h 05 min393 subs |
| M96Leo | Galaxy | 12 min72 subs | 26 min154 subs | 1 h 13 min439 subs |
| Rosette NebulaMonoceros | Emission nebula | 16 min94 subs | 36 min215 subs | 1 h 46 min635 subs |
| NGC 2903Leo | Galaxy | 16 min98 subs | 37 min224 subs | 1 h 50 min660 subs |
| Hamburger GalaxyLeo | Galaxy | 17 min104 subs | 40 min239 subs | 1 h 58 min708 subs |
| Monkey Head NebulaOrion | Emission nebula | 18 min111 subs | 43 min257 subs | 2 h 07 min762 subs |
| NGC 2403Camelopardalis | Galaxy | 22 min131 subs | 51 min307 subs | 2 h 32 min914 subs |
| M95Leo | Galaxy | 24 min147 subs | 56 min334 subs | 2 h 43 min978 subs |
| M109Ursa Major | Galaxy | 26 min159 subs | 1 h362 subs | 2 h 58 min1,066 subs |
| Cone and Christmas TreeMonoceros | Emission nebula | 43 min261 subs | 1 h 45 min628 subs | 5 h 16 min1,896 subs |
| Jellyfish NebulaGemini | Supernova remnant | 43 min261 subs | 1 h 45 min628 subs | 5 h 16 min1,896 subs |
| Thor's HelmetCanis Major | Emission nebula | 1 h 08 min411 subs | 2 h 44 min983 subs | 8 h 13 min2,961 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 Mark II
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