What to image in February with the ZWO Seestar S30 Pro
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 Seestar S30 Pro 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 10 s subs.
| Target | Type | Bortle 4 | Bortle 6 | Bortle 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M35Gemini | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min39 subs |
| M41Canis Major | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min39 subs |
| Beehive ClusterCancer | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min39 subs |
| M46Puppis | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min39 subs |
| M47Puppis | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min39 subs |
| M48Hydra | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min39 subs |
| M50Monoceros | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min39 subs |
| M67Cancer | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min39 subs |
| M93Puppis | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min39 subs |
| Rosette ClusterMonoceros | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min39 subs |
| Carina NebulaCarina, dual-band | Emission nebula | 9 min55 subs | 11 min66 subs | 17 min105 subs |
| Eskimo NebulaGemini, dual-band | Planetary nebula | 10 min63 subs | 12 min73 subs | 18 min108 subs |
| Ghost of JupiterHydra, dual-band | Planetary nebula | 10 min63 subs | 12 min73 subs | 18 min108 subs |
| Cigar GalaxyUrsa Major | Galaxy | 21 min128 subs | 40 min241 subs | 1 h 45 min630 subs |
| Owl NebulaUrsa Major, dual-band | Planetary nebula | 36 min219 subs | 45 min272 subs | 1 h 16 min456 subs |
| M66Leo | Galaxy | 25 min152 subs | 47 min285 subs | 2 h 04 min746 subs |
| M65Leo | Galaxy | 31 min188 subs | 1 h362 subs | 2 h 41 min964 subs |
| M105Leo | Galaxy | 36 min219 subs | 1 h 09 min414 subs | 3 h 01 min1,088 subs |
| Bode's GalaxyUrsa Major | Galaxy | 37 min222 subs | 1 h 14 min444 subs | 3 h 22 min1,210 subs |
| M108Ursa Major | Galaxy | 51 min304 subs | 1 h 40 min600 subs | 4 h 30 min1,623 subs |
| Rosette NebulaMonoceros, dual-band | Emission nebula | 1 h 18 min470 subs | 1 h 43 min619 subs | 3 h 09 min1,135 subs |
| M96Leo | Galaxy | 57 min341 subs | 1 h 52 min672 subs | 5 h 02 min1,815 subs |
| Monkey Head NebulaOrion, dual-band | Emission nebula | 1 h 32 min555 subs | 2 h 02 min734 subs | 3 h 46 min1,354 subs |
| NGC 2903Leo | Galaxy | 1 h 19 min477 subs | 2 h 44 min982 subs | 7 h 35 min2,728 subs |
| Hamburger GalaxyLeo | Galaxy | 1 h 24 min504 subs | 2 h 55 min1,048 subs | 8 h 08 min2,928 subs |
| NGC 2403Camelopardalis | Galaxy | 1 h 47 min642 subs | 3 h 44 min1,347 subs | 11 h3,781 subs |
| M95Leo | Galaxy | 1 h 59 min714 subs | 4 h 04 min1,462 subs | 11 h4,047 subs |
| M109Ursa Major | Galaxy | 2 h 09 min772 subs | 4 h 25 min1,588 subs | 12 h4,409 subs |
| Cone and Christmas TreeMonoceros, dual-band | Emission nebula | 3 h 36 min1,296 subs | 4 h 51 min1,747 subs | 9 h 11 min3,304 subs |
| Jellyfish NebulaGemini, dual-band | Supernova remnant | 3 h 36 min1,296 subs | 4 h 51 min1,747 subs | 9 h 11 min3,304 subs |
| Thor's HelmetCanis Major, dual-band | Emission nebula | 5 h 41 min2,046 subs | 7 h 38 min2,749 subs | 14 h5,177 subs |
Other telescopes in February: Seestar S50 · Seestar S50 Pro · Seestar S30 · DWARF 3 · DWARF mini · Draco · DWARF II · Vespera II · Vespera Pro · Vespera 3 · Vespera Pro 2 · eQuinox 2 · Odyssey · Origin · Origin Mark II
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