What to image in February with the Vaonis Vespera II
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 Vespera II gets a solid image of 18 of them in under an hour each; 13 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 | Emission nebula | 7 min41 subs | 12 min74 subs | 31 min186 subs |
| Eskimo NebulaGemini | Planetary nebula | 7 min45 subs | 12 min75 subs | 29 min175 subs |
| Ghost of JupiterHydra | Planetary nebula | 7 min45 subs | 12 min75 subs | 29 min175 subs |
| Cigar GalaxyUrsa Major | Galaxy | 18 min109 subs | 35 min208 subs | 1 h 32 min550 subs |
| M66Leo | Galaxy | 21 min129 subs | 41 min246 subs | 1 h 49 min652 subs |
| M65Leo | Galaxy | 27 min160 subs | 52 min313 subs | 2 h 20 min842 subs |
| Owl NebulaUrsa Major | Planetary nebula | 28 min169 subs | 54 min322 subs | 2 h 22 min850 subs |
| M105Leo | Galaxy | 31 min186 subs | 1 h358 subs | 2 h 38 min950 subs |
| Bode's GalaxyUrsa Major | Galaxy | 31 min188 subs | 1 h 04 min383 subs | 2 h 56 min1,056 subs |
| M108Ursa Major | Galaxy | 43 min258 subs | 1 h 26 min518 subs | 3 h 56 min1,417 subs |
| M96Leo | Galaxy | 48 min289 subs | 1 h 37 min580 subs | 4 h 24 min1,585 subs |
| Rosette NebulaMonoceros | Emission nebula | 1 h 04 min385 subs | 2 h 15 min813 subs | 6 h 22 min2,294 subs |
| NGC 2903Leo | Galaxy | 1 h 07 min403 subs | 2 h 21 min847 subs | 6 h 37 min2,382 subs |
| Hamburger GalaxyLeo | Galaxy | 1 h 11 min426 subs | 2 h 31 min904 subs | 7 h 06 min2,556 subs |
| Monkey Head NebulaOrion | Emission nebula | 1 h 16 min456 subs | 2 h 42 min971 subs | 7 h 38 min2,751 subs |
| NGC 2403Camelopardalis | Galaxy | 1 h 30 min542 subs | 3 h 13 min1,161 subs | 9 h 10 min3,301 subs |
| M95Leo | Galaxy | 1 h 41 min604 subs | 3 h 30 min1,261 subs | 9 h 49 min3,533 subs |
| M109Ursa Major | Galaxy | 1 h 49 min652 subs | 3 h 48 min1,370 subs | 11 h3,849 subs |
| Cone and Christmas TreeMonoceros | Emission nebula | 3 h 01 min1,086 subs | 6 h 37 min2,380 subs | 19 h6,851 subs |
| Jellyfish NebulaGemini | Supernova remnant | 3 h 01 min1,086 subs | 6 h 37 min2,380 subs | 19 h6,851 subs |
| Thor's HelmetCanis Major | Emission nebula | 4 h 45 min1,709 subs | 10 h3,727 subs | 30 h10,699 subs |
Other telescopes in February: Seestar S50 · Seestar S50 Pro · Seestar S30 · Seestar S30 Pro · DWARF 3 · DWARF mini · Draco · DWARF II · Vespera Pro · Vespera 3 · Vespera Pro 2 · eQuinox 2 · Odyssey · Origin · Origin Mark II
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