What to image in February with the Vaonis Vespera 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 Vespera Pro 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 10 s subs.
| Target | Type | Bortle 4 | Bortle 6 | Bortle 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M35Gemini | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs | 12 min72 subs |
| M41Canis Major | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs | 12 min72 subs |
| Beehive ClusterCancer | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs | 12 min72 subs |
| M46Puppis | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs | 12 min72 subs |
| M47Puppis | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs | 12 min72 subs |
| M48Hydra | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs | 12 min72 subs |
| M50Monoceros | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs | 12 min72 subs |
| M67Cancer | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs | 12 min72 subs |
| M93Puppis | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs | 12 min72 subs |
| Rosette ClusterMonoceros | Open cluster | 5 min30 subs | 6 min34 subs | 12 min72 subs |
| Carina NebulaCarina | Emission nebula | 16 min95 subs | 27 min163 subs | 1 h 06 min399 subs |
| Eskimo NebulaGemini | Planetary nebula | 17 min103 subs | 27 min164 subs | 1 h 02 min375 subs |
| Ghost of JupiterHydra | Planetary nebula | 17 min103 subs | 27 min164 subs | 1 h 02 min375 subs |
| Cigar GalaxyUrsa Major | Galaxy | 42 min254 subs | 1 h 17 min463 subs | 3 h 17 min1,183 subs |
| M66Leo | Galaxy | 50 min302 subs | 1 h 31 min548 subs | 3 h 53 min1,400 subs |
| M65Leo | Galaxy | 1 h 03 min376 subs | 1 h 56 min697 subs | 5 h 02 min1,810 subs |
| Owl NebulaUrsa Major | Planetary nebula | 1 h 06 min395 subs | 1 h 59 min716 subs | 5 h 04 min1,826 subs |
| M105Leo | Galaxy | 1 h 13 min436 subs | 2 h 13 min797 subs | 5 h 40 min2,042 subs |
| Bode's GalaxyUrsa Major | Galaxy | 1 h 14 min446 subs | 2 h 23 min856 subs | 6 h 18 min2,271 subs |
| M108Ursa Major | Galaxy | 1 h 42 min611 subs | 3 h 13 min1,157 subs | 8 h 28 min3,047 subs |
| M96Leo | Galaxy | 1 h 54 min684 subs | 3 h 36 min1,296 subs | 9 h 28 min3,408 subs |
| Rosette NebulaMonoceros | Emission nebula | 2 h 33 min921 subs | 5 h 04 min1,822 subs | 14 h4,935 subs |
| NGC 2903Leo | Galaxy | 2 h 41 min964 subs | 5 h 16 min1,898 subs | 14 h5,124 subs |
| Hamburger GalaxyLeo | Galaxy | 2 h 50 min1,021 subs | 5 h 38 min2,026 subs | 15 h5,499 subs |
| Monkey Head NebulaOrion | Emission nebula | 3 h 02 min1,094 subs | 6 h 03 min2,177 subs | 16 h5,920 subs |
| NGC 2403Camelopardalis | Galaxy | 3 h 37 min1,302 subs | 7 h 14 min2,604 subs | 20 h7,103 subs |
| M95Leo | Galaxy | 4 h1,442 subs | 7 h 51 min2,824 subs | 21 h7,601 subs |
| M109Ursa Major | Galaxy | 4 h 20 min1,560 subs | 8 h 31 min3,068 subs | 23 h8,280 subs |
| Cone and Christmas TreeMonoceros | Emission nebula | 7 h 17 min2,624 subs | 15 h5,344 subs | 41 h14,744 subs |
| Jellyfish NebulaGemini | Supernova remnant | 7 h 17 min2,624 subs | 15 h5,344 subs | 41 h14,744 subs |
| Thor's HelmetCanis Major | Emission nebula | 11 h4,124 subs | 23 h8,366 subs | 64 h23,026 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 3 · Vespera Pro 2 · eQuinox 2 · Odyssey · Origin · Origin Mark II
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