What to image in February with the DwarfLab DWARF 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 DWARF II gets a solid image of 13 of them in under an hour each; 18 need longer, or a darker sky, or several nights. Times below use the recommended filter and 15 s subs.
| Target | Type | Bortle 4 | Bortle 6 | Bortle 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M35Gemini | Open cluster | 8 min30 subs | 8 min33 subs | 16 min66 subs |
| M41Canis Major | Open cluster | 8 min30 subs | 8 min33 subs | 16 min66 subs |
| Beehive ClusterCancer | Open cluster | 8 min30 subs | 8 min33 subs | 16 min66 subs |
| M46Puppis | Open cluster | 8 min30 subs | 8 min33 subs | 16 min66 subs |
| M47Puppis | Open cluster | 8 min30 subs | 8 min33 subs | 16 min66 subs |
| M48Hydra | Open cluster | 8 min30 subs | 8 min33 subs | 16 min66 subs |
| M50Monoceros | Open cluster | 8 min30 subs | 8 min33 subs | 16 min66 subs |
| M67Cancer | Open cluster | 8 min30 subs | 8 min33 subs | 16 min66 subs |
| M93Puppis | Open cluster | 8 min30 subs | 8 min33 subs | 16 min66 subs |
| Rosette ClusterMonoceros | Open cluster | 8 min30 subs | 8 min33 subs | 16 min66 subs |
| Eskimo NebulaGemini | Planetary nebula | 27 min108 subs | 40 min162 subs | 1 h 27 min348 subs |
| Ghost of JupiterHydra | Planetary nebula | 27 min108 subs | 40 min162 subs | 1 h 27 min348 subs |
| Carina NebulaCarina | Emission nebula | 26 min103 subs | 41 min163 subs | 1 h 33 min371 subs |
| Cigar GalaxyUrsa Major | Galaxy | 1 h 11 min283 subs | 1 h 57 min467 subs | 4 h 35 min1,101 subs |
| M66Leo | Galaxy | 1 h 24 min336 subs | 2 h 18 min553 subs | 5 h 26 min1,303 subs |
| M65Leo | Galaxy | 1 h 45 min422 subs | 2 h 56 min706 subs | 7 h 01 min1,685 subs |
| Owl NebulaUrsa Major | Planetary nebula | 1 h 50 min439 subs | 3 h722 subs | 7 h 05 min1,700 subs |
| M105Leo | Galaxy | 2 h 02 min487 subs | 3 h 21 min804 subs | 7 h 55 min1,901 subs |
| Bode's GalaxyUrsa Major | Galaxy | 2 h 07 min509 subs | 3 h 37 min870 subs | 8 h 49 min2,117 subs |
| M108Ursa Major | Galaxy | 2 h 53 min693 subs | 4 h 54 min1,175 subs | 12 h2,839 subs |
| M96Leo | Galaxy | 3 h 14 min776 subs | 5 h 29 min1,315 subs | 13 h3,175 subs |
| Rosette NebulaMonoceros | Emission nebula | 4 h 27 min1,067 subs | 7 h 45 min1,860 subs | 19 h4,602 subs |
| NGC 2903Leo | Galaxy | 4 h 38 min1,114 subs | 8 h 04 min1,936 subs | 20 h4,778 subs |
| Hamburger GalaxyLeo | Galaxy | 4 h 56 min1,184 subs | 8 h 37 min2,069 subs | 21 h5,128 subs |
| Monkey Head NebulaOrion | Emission nebula | 5 h 18 min1,271 subs | 9 h 16 min2,225 subs | 23 h5,521 subs |
| NGC 2403Camelopardalis | Galaxy | 6 h 19 min1,516 subs | 11 h2,663 subs | 28 h6,625 subs |
| M95Leo | Galaxy | 6 h 55 min1,662 subs | 12 h2,880 subs | 30 h7,088 subs |
| M109Ursa Major | Galaxy | 7 h 30 min1,802 subs | 13 h3,131 subs | 32 h7,721 subs |
| Cone and Christmas TreeMonoceros | Emission nebula | 13 h3,083 subs | 23 h5,479 subs | 57 h13,758 subs |
| Jellyfish NebulaGemini | Supernova remnant | 13 h3,083 subs | 23 h5,479 subs | 57 h13,758 subs |
| Thor's HelmetCanis Major | Emission nebula | 20 h4,836 subs | 36 h8,572 subs | 90 h21,485 subs |
Other telescopes in February: Seestar S50 · Seestar S50 Pro · Seestar S30 · Seestar S30 Pro · DWARF 3 · DWARF mini · Draco · Vespera II · Vespera Pro · Vespera 3 · Vespera Pro 2 · eQuinox 2 · Odyssey · Origin · Origin Mark II
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