How Many Subs

What to image in February with the DwarfLab DWARF 3

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 3 gets a solid image of 16 of them in under an hour each; 15 need longer, or a darker sky, or several nights. Times below use the recommended filter and 15 s subs.

Solid image with the DwarfLab DWARF 3, sorted by the Bortle 6 figure. Each link opens the full Bortle 1 to 9 table with sub-length and filter comparisons.
TargetTypeBortle 4Bortle 6Bortle 8
M35GeminiOpen cluster8 min30 subs8 min30 subs8 min34 subs
M41Canis MajorOpen cluster8 min30 subs8 min30 subs8 min34 subs
Beehive ClusterCancerOpen cluster8 min30 subs8 min30 subs8 min34 subs
M46PuppisOpen cluster8 min30 subs8 min30 subs8 min34 subs
M47PuppisOpen cluster8 min30 subs8 min30 subs8 min34 subs
M48HydraOpen cluster8 min30 subs8 min30 subs8 min34 subs
M50MonocerosOpen cluster8 min30 subs8 min30 subs8 min34 subs
M67CancerOpen cluster8 min30 subs8 min30 subs8 min34 subs
M93PuppisOpen cluster8 min30 subs8 min30 subs8 min34 subs
Rosette ClusterMonocerosOpen cluster8 min30 subs8 min30 subs8 min34 subs
Carina NebulaCarina, dual-bandEmission nebula10 min40 subs12 min50 subs21 min85 subs
Eskimo NebulaGemini, dual-bandPlanetary nebula12 min48 subs14 min57 subs22 min89 subs
Ghost of JupiterHydra, dual-bandPlanetary nebula12 min48 subs14 min57 subs22 min89 subs
Owl NebulaUrsa Major, dual-bandPlanetary nebula37 min150 subs49 min198 subs1 h 31 min364 subs
Cigar GalaxyUrsa MajorGalaxy25 min100 subs50 min202 subs2 h 19 min555 subs
M66LeoGalaxy30 min119 subs1 h240 subs2 h 44 min657 subs
M65LeoGalaxy36 min146 subs1 h 16 min304 subs3 h 32 min849 subs
M105LeoGalaxy43 min172 subs1 h 27 min348 subs3 h 59 min958 subs
Bode's GalaxyUrsa MajorGalaxy43 min171 subs1 h 33 min371 subs4 h 26 min1,064 subs
Rosette NebulaMonoceros, dual-bandEmission nebula1 h 12 min289 subs1 h 46 min424 subs3 h 42 min890 subs
Monkey Head NebulaOrion, dual-bandEmission nebula1 h 24 min338 subs2 h 05 min500 subs4 h 25 min1,061 subs
M108Ursa MajorGalaxy59 min235 subs2 h 06 min503 subs5 h 57 min1,428 subs
M96LeoGalaxy1 h 06 min263 subs2 h 21 min563 subs6 h 39 min1,598 subs
NGC 2903LeoGalaxy1 h 30 min362 subs3 h 25 min820 subs10 h2,400 subs
Hamburger GalaxyLeoGalaxy1 h 35 min382 subs3 h 38 min874 subs11 h2,575 subs
NGC 2403CamelopardalisGalaxy2 h 01 min484 subs4 h 40 min1,122 subs14 h3,326 subs
Cone and Christmas TreeMonoceros, dual-bandEmission nebula3 h 10 min761 subs4 h 52 min1,169 subs11 h2,578 subs
Jellyfish NebulaGemini, dual-bandSupernova remnant3 h 10 min761 subs4 h 52 min1,169 subs11 h2,578 subs
M95LeoGalaxy2 h 16 min544 subs5 h 05 min1,221 subs15 h3,561 subs
M109Ursa MajorGalaxy2 h 27 min587 subs5 h 31 min1,325 subs16 h3,878 subs
Thor's HelmetCanis Major, dual-bandEmission nebula5 h 02 min1,208 subs7 h 41 min1,845 subs17 h4,043 subs

Other telescopes in February: Seestar S50 · Seestar S50 Pro · Seestar S30 · Seestar S30 Pro · DWARF mini · Draco · DWARF II · Vespera II · Vespera Pro · Vespera 3 · Vespera Pro 2 · eQuinox 2 · Odyssey · Origin · Origin Mark II

Previous: January · Next: March · Tonight with the DWARF 3

Where to buy the DWARF 3DwarfLab store UKDwarfLab store USSearch Amazon UKAmazon product USThe DwarfLab store link is a plain link; the others are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no cost to you. Search links may include other models; check the exact variant and package.