What to image in February with the ZWO Seestar S50 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 S50 Pro 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 min37 subs |
| M41Canis Major | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min37 subs |
| Beehive ClusterCancer | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min37 subs |
| M46Puppis | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min37 subs |
| M47Puppis | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min37 subs |
| M48Hydra | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min37 subs |
| M50Monoceros | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min37 subs |
| M67Cancer | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min37 subs |
| M93Puppis | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min37 subs |
| Rosette ClusterMonoceros | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 6 min37 subs |
| Carina NebulaCarina, dual-band | Emission nebula | 8 min51 subs | 10 min62 subs | 16 min99 subs |
| Eskimo NebulaGemini, dual-band | Planetary nebula | 10 min59 subs | 11 min69 subs | 17 min102 subs |
| Ghost of JupiterHydra, dual-band | Planetary nebula | 10 min59 subs | 11 min69 subs | 17 min102 subs |
| Cigar GalaxyUrsa Major | Galaxy | 20 min120 subs | 38 min227 subs | 1 h 40 min598 subs |
| Owl NebulaUrsa Major, dual-band | Planetary nebula | 34 min203 subs | 42 min254 subs | 1 h 11 min429 subs |
| M66Leo | Galaxy | 24 min142 subs | 45 min269 subs | 1 h 58 min707 subs |
| M65Leo | Galaxy | 29 min176 subs | 57 min342 subs | 2 h 32 min914 subs |
| M105Leo | Galaxy | 34 min206 subs | 1 h 05 min391 subs | 2 h 52 min1,032 subs |
| Bode's GalaxyUrsa Major | Galaxy | 35 min208 subs | 1 h 10 min419 subs | 3 h 11 min1,147 subs |
| M108Ursa Major | Galaxy | 47 min285 subs | 1 h 34 min566 subs | 4 h 16 min1,539 subs |
| Rosette NebulaMonoceros, dual-band | Emission nebula | 1 h 12 min433 subs | 1 h 36 min574 subs | 2 h 57 min1,065 subs |
| M96Leo | Galaxy | 53 min320 subs | 1 h 46 min634 subs | 4 h 47 min1,721 subs |
| Monkey Head NebulaOrion, dual-band | Emission nebula | 1 h 25 min510 subs | 1 h 53 min681 subs | 3 h 32 min1,270 subs |
| NGC 2903Leo | Galaxy | 1 h 14 min446 subs | 2 h 34 min927 subs | 7 h 11 min2,586 subs |
| Hamburger GalaxyLeo | Galaxy | 1 h 19 min472 subs | 2 h 45 min989 subs | 7 h 42 min2,775 subs |
| NGC 2403Camelopardalis | Galaxy | 1 h 40 min600 subs | 3 h 32 min1,270 subs | 9 h 57 min3,585 subs |
| M95Leo | Galaxy | 1 h 51 min668 subs | 3 h 50 min1,379 subs | 11 h3,837 subs |
| M109Ursa Major | Galaxy | 2 h722 subs | 4 h 10 min1,498 subs | 12 h4,180 subs |
| Cone and Christmas TreeMonoceros, dual-band | Emission nebula | 3 h 18 min1,190 subs | 4 h 30 min1,618 subs | 8 h 36 min3,098 subs |
| Jellyfish NebulaGemini, dual-band | Supernova remnant | 3 h 18 min1,190 subs | 4 h 30 min1,618 subs | 8 h 36 min3,098 subs |
| Thor's HelmetCanis Major, dual-band | Emission nebula | 5 h 13 min1,879 subs | 7 h 04 min2,547 subs | 13 h4,855 subs |
Other telescopes in February: Seestar S50 · 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 · Origin Mark II
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