What to image in February with the ZWO Seestar S30
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 gets a solid image of 17 of them in under an hour each; 14 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 min34 subs |
| M41Canis Major | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs |
| Beehive ClusterCancer | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs |
| M46Puppis | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs |
| M47Puppis | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs |
| M48Hydra | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs |
| M50Monoceros | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs |
| M67Cancer | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs |
| M93Puppis | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs |
| Rosette ClusterMonoceros | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs |
| Carina NebulaCarina, dual-band | Emission nebula | 9 min52 subs | 10 min62 subs | 16 min97 subs |
| Eskimo NebulaGemini, dual-band | Planetary nebula | 10 min59 subs | 11 min68 subs | 16 min99 subs |
| Ghost of JupiterHydra, dual-band | Planetary nebula | 10 min59 subs | 11 min68 subs | 16 min99 subs |
| Cigar GalaxyUrsa Major | Galaxy | 20 min118 subs | 36 min218 subs | 1 h 33 min560 subs |
| M66Leo | Galaxy | 23 min141 subs | 43 min258 subs | 1 h 50 min663 subs |
| Owl NebulaUrsa Major, dual-band | Planetary nebula | 35 min212 subs | 43 min258 subs | 1 h 10 min420 subs |
| M65Leo | Galaxy | 29 min175 subs | 55 min328 subs | 2 h 23 min857 subs |
| M105Leo | Galaxy | 34 min203 subs | 1 h 02 min374 subs | 2 h 41 min967 subs |
| Bode's GalaxyUrsa Major | Galaxy | 34 min207 subs | 1 h 07 min402 subs | 2 h 59 min1,075 subs |
| M108Ursa Major | Galaxy | 47 min283 subs | 1 h 30 min543 subs | 4 h1,442 subs |
| Rosette NebulaMonoceros, dual-band | Emission nebula | 1 h 18 min466 subs | 1 h 39 min597 subs | 2 h 55 min1,050 subs |
| M96Leo | Galaxy | 53 min318 subs | 1 h 41 min608 subs | 4 h 29 min1,613 subs |
| Monkey Head NebulaOrion, dual-band | Emission nebula | 1 h 32 min551 subs | 1 h 58 min709 subs | 3 h 29 min1,254 subs |
| NGC 2903Leo | Galaxy | 1 h 14 min446 subs | 2 h 28 min890 subs | 6 h 44 min2,425 subs |
| Hamburger GalaxyLeo | Galaxy | 1 h 19 min472 subs | 2 h 38 min950 subs | 7 h 14 min2,602 subs |
| NGC 2403Camelopardalis | Galaxy | 1 h 40 min602 subs | 3 h 23 min1,221 subs | 9 h 20 min3,361 subs |
| M95Leo | Galaxy | 1 h 51 min668 subs | 3 h 41 min1,325 subs | 9 h 59 min3,597 subs |
| M109Ursa Major | Galaxy | 2 h722 subs | 4 h1,440 subs | 11 h3,919 subs |
| Cone and Christmas TreeMonoceros, dual-band | Emission nebula | 3 h 37 min1,300 subs | 4 h 43 min1,696 subs | 8 h 31 min3,064 subs |
| Jellyfish NebulaGemini, dual-band | Supernova remnant | 3 h 37 min1,300 subs | 4 h 43 min1,696 subs | 8 h 31 min3,064 subs |
| Thor's HelmetCanis Major, dual-band | Emission nebula | 5 h 41 min2,049 subs | 7 h 24 min2,666 subs | 13 h4,801 subs |
Other telescopes in February: Seestar S50 · Seestar S50 Pro · Seestar S30 Pro · DWARF 3 · 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 Seestar S30