What to image in February with the Unistellar Odyssey
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 Odyssey 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 4 s subs.
| Target | Type | Bortle 4 | Bortle 6 | Bortle 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M35Gemini | Open cluster | 7 min107 subs | 9 min136 subs | 16 min237 subs |
| M41Canis Major | Open cluster | 7 min107 subs | 9 min136 subs | 16 min237 subs |
| Beehive ClusterCancer | Open cluster | 7 min107 subs | 9 min136 subs | 16 min237 subs |
| M46Puppis | Open cluster | 7 min107 subs | 9 min136 subs | 16 min237 subs |
| M47Puppis | Open cluster | 7 min107 subs | 9 min136 subs | 16 min237 subs |
| M48Hydra | Open cluster | 7 min107 subs | 9 min136 subs | 16 min237 subs |
| M50Monoceros | Open cluster | 7 min107 subs | 9 min136 subs | 16 min237 subs |
| M67Cancer | Open cluster | 7 min107 subs | 9 min136 subs | 16 min237 subs |
| M93Puppis | Open cluster | 7 min107 subs | 9 min136 subs | 16 min237 subs |
| Rosette ClusterMonoceros | Open cluster | 7 min107 subs | 9 min136 subs | 16 min237 subs |
| Eskimo NebulaGemini | Planetary nebula | 35 min526 subs | 46 min691 subs | 1 h 24 min1,262 subs |
| Ghost of JupiterHydra | Planetary nebula | 35 min526 subs | 46 min691 subs | 1 h 24 min1,262 subs |
| Carina NebulaCarina | Emission nebula | 36 min534 subs | 48 min718 subs | 1 h 30 min1,355 subs |
| Cigar GalaxyUrsa Major | Galaxy | 1 h 42 min1,536 subs | 2 h 20 min2,098 subs | 4 h 29 min4,041 subs |
| M66Leo | Galaxy | 2 h 01 min1,821 subs | 2 h 46 min2,485 subs | 5 h 19 min4,782 subs |
| M65Leo | Galaxy | 2 h 35 min2,328 subs | 3 h 33 min3,196 subs | 6 h 53 min6,195 subs |
| Owl NebulaUrsa Major | Planetary nebula | 2 h 38 min2,377 subs | 3 h 36 min3,243 subs | 6 h 56 min6,236 subs |
| M105Leo | Galaxy | 2 h 57 min2,649 subs | 4 h 01 min3,621 subs | 7 h 45 min6,979 subs |
| Bode's GalaxyUrsa Major | Galaxy | 3 h 12 min2,876 subs | 4 h 25 min3,981 subs | 8 h 40 min7,798 subs |
| M108Ursa Major | Galaxy | 4 h 19 min3,881 subs | 5 h 57 min5,355 subs | 12 h10,450 subs |
| M96Leo | Galaxy | 4 h 49 min4,343 subs | 6 h 39 min5,992 subs | 13 h11,688 subs |
| Rosette NebulaMonoceros | Emission nebula | 6 h 51 min6,165 subs | 9 h 33 min8,594 subs | 19 h16,987 subs |
| NGC 2903Leo | Galaxy | 7 h 08 min6,414 subs | 9 h 55 min8,932 subs | 20 h17,631 subs |
| Hamburger GalaxyLeo | Galaxy | 7 h 37 min6,859 subs | 11 h9,569 subs | 21 h18,933 subs |
| Monkey Head NebulaOrion | Emission nebula | 8 h 12 min7,377 subs | 11 h10,297 subs | 23 h20,387 subs |
| NGC 2403Camelopardalis | Galaxy | 9 h 49 min8,830 subs | 14 h12,341 subs | 27 h24,473 subs |
| M95Leo | Galaxy | 11 h9,537 subs | 15 h13,265 subs | 29 h26,147 subs |
| M109Ursa Major | Galaxy | 12 h10,370 subs | 16 h14,437 subs | 32 h28,491 subs |
| Cone and Christmas TreeMonoceros | Emission nebula | 20 h18,192 subs | 28 h25,527 subs | 57 h50,873 subs |
| Jellyfish NebulaGemini | Supernova remnant | 20 h18,192 subs | 28 h25,527 subs | 57 h50,873 subs |
| Thor's HelmetCanis Major | Emission nebula | 32 h28,458 subs | 44 h39,897 subs | 88 h79,426 subs |
Other telescopes in February: Seestar S50 · Seestar S50 Pro · Seestar S30 · Seestar S30 Pro · DWARF 3 · DWARF mini · Draco · DWARF II · Vespera II · Vespera Pro · Vespera 3 · Vespera Pro 2 · eQuinox 2 · Origin · Origin Mark II
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