What to observe in the sky in February 2025 with a smart telescope?

What to observe in the sky in February 2025 with a smart telescope?

31 Jan. 2025

Best period for deep sky observation in February 2025

It is recommended to observe nebulae and galaxies when the Moon is not visible. Its brightness diminishes the darkness of the sky and reduces the quality of observations of faint and diffuse objects.

Refer to the following calendar for the best days this month.

February 2025

Celestial Scene of the Month

Selection of a target or group of targets particularly suitable for mosaic capture.

Northern Hemisphere 


Southern hemisphere

"Plan my Night" of the month

Suggested observation program you can automate with "Plan My Night."
Give each object as much observation time as you can to get the best result.

Northern Hemisphere

Using the dual-band filter is not recommended for this plan, as it involves a mix of object types.

Time Target
Early Night

Christmas Tree Cluster & Cone Nebula

Constellation: Unicorn

Mid Night

Leo Triplet (Galaxies M65, M66, NGC3628)

Constellation: Leo

Late Night

M13 Globular Cluster

Constellation: Hercules

Southern hemisphere

Using the dual-band  filter is recommended for this plan as it involves emission nebulae.

Time Target
Early Night

Seagull Nebula

Constellation : Unicorn

Mosaic mode is recommended

Mid Night

Running Chicken Nebula

Constellation : Centaurus

Mosaic mode is recommended

Late Night

Prawn Nebula

Constellation : Scorpius

Challenging Target of the Month

Galaxy IC342

Visibility: Northern hemisphere

Constellation : Camelopardalis (Giraffe)

Also known as the Hidden Galaxy, this face-on spiral galaxy should have been one of the brightest in the night sky. However, it lies near the galactic plane, where interstellar dust absorbs and scatters its light. Despite this, it remains a rewarding target due to its relatively large size (20') and its striking structure.

Coalsack Nebula

Visibility : Southern hemisphere

Constellation : Crux (Southern Cross)

With the naked eye, you may notice a large void in the Milky Way band near the star Acrux. This void is actually one of the most famous dark nebulae in the night sky. Spanning an impressive 7°, it is too large to capture in its entirety, even using mosaic mode. However, you can still observe its most striking and high-contrast region. You can also try to compose a 2x2 mega-mosaic to get it almost entirely.

 

Magnitude and apparent size reminder