Top 10 Deep-Sky Objects of February 2024

Find out what noteworthy deep-sky objects are well-placed for observations this February! To learn when an object is visible from your location, use the Sky Tonight app. Note that for those sites where objects are visible, they will culminate (rise to the highest point in the sky) around midnight local time.

Contents

• What are deep-sky objects?
• Best February deep-sky objects
  • 10. Flame Nebula
  • 9. Owl Nebula
  • 8. Cigar Galaxy
  • 7. M106
  • 6. Bode’s Galaxy
  • 5. Monkey Head Nebula
  • 4. Horsehead Nebula
  • 3. NGC 2808
  • 2. IC 2395
  • 1. Hand Cluster
• Bottom line

What are deep-sky objects?

The term “deep-sky object” denotes three types of space objects that exist outside our Solar System — galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters. They are listed in dozens of deep-sky catalogs, with the most popular among amateur astronomers being the Messier catalog (110 entries) and the NGC catalog (7,850 entries). Astronomers also use other catalogs that list different types of deep-sky objects:

• Caldwell (star clusters, nebulae, galaxies);
• Collinder (open star clusters);
• Melotte (open and globular clusters);
• IC (star clusters, nebulae, galaxies);
• Barnard (dark nebulae)

and more.

You can explore these catalogs in the astronomy app Sky Tonight, which includes more than 90,000 deep-sky objects. All of them are available for free! To find an object you’re interested in, tap the magnifier icon, write the object’s name or catalog designation in the search field, and choose it from the list. The app will show you detailed information about it. To locate this object in the sky above, tap on the target icon.

Best February deep-sky objects

We've arranged the objects in our list in descending order of apparent magnitude, from faintest to brightest.

10. Flame Nebula

• Alternative names: NGC 2024, Sh2-277
• Apparent size: 30' (equals the size of the Full Moon)
• Apparent magnitude: 10
• Constellation: Orion
• Best observed from: Northern Hemisphere
• How to observe: You’ll need at least a small telescope to see the Flame Nebula. Like the Horsehead Nebula, it is located close to Alnitak — one of the three stars of Orion’s Belt.
• Description: Flame Nebula is an emission nebula discovered by British astronomer William Herschel in 1786. It is a part of a large star-forming region called the Orion molecular cloud complex.

9. Owl Nebula

• Alternative names: M97, NGC 3587
• Apparent size: 3′ (10 times smaller than the Full Moon)
• Apparent magnitude: 9.9
• Constellation: Ursa Major
• Best observed from: Northern Hemisphere
• How to observe: You can try to spot the Owl Nebula with 20×80 binoculars or a small telescope, but if you want to see the “owl eyes”, use a large telescope.
• Description: Owl Nebula is a planetary nebula discovered by French astronomer Pierre Méchain in 1781. Anglo-Irish astronomer William Parsons, who also observed the nebula, thought it looked like the head of an owl — hence the nebula’s nickname.

8. Cigar Galaxy

• Alternative names: M82, NGC 3034
• Apparent size: 11.2′ × 4.3′ (2.7 × 6.9 times smaller than the Full Moon)
• Apparent magnitude: 8.41
• Constellation: Ursa Major
• Best observed from: Northern Hemisphere
• How to observe: Like Bode’s Galaxy (M81), the Cigar Galaxy is considered an ideal deep-sky object for observing with binoculars and small telescopes.
• Description: M82 is a spiral galaxy discovered by Johann Elert Bode in 1774. It is undergoing an exceptionally high rate of star formation because of the gravitational influence of its neighbor — Bode’s Galaxy (M81). M82 is the second-largest member of the M81 group of galaxies.

7. M106

• Alternative name: NGC 4258
• Apparent size: 18′ × 7′ (1.6 × 4.2 times smaller than the Full Moon)
• Apparent magnitude: 8.4
• Constellation: Canes Venatici
• Best observed from: Northern Hemisphere
• How to observe: M106 can be spotted with most binoculars on a dark sky and is easily seen through any telescope.
• Description: Messier 106 is an intermediate spiral galaxy discovered by French astronomer Pierre Méchain in 1781. It is one of the largest and brightest galaxies close to us, similar in size to the Andromeda Galaxy.

6. Bode’s Galaxy

• Alternative names: M81, NGC 3031
• Apparent size: 26.9′ × 14.1′ (1.1 × 2.1 times smaller than the Full Moon)
• Apparent magnitude: 6.9
• Constellation: Ursa Major
• Best observed from: Northern Hemisphere
• How to observe: View M81 with a pair of binoculars or any telescope (the one with an aperture of 8″ or more will show more detail under dark skies). This galaxy is bright enough to be seen under the light-polluted sky. Spot Bode’s Galaxy about 10° northwest of Dubhe, in the corner of the Big Dipper’s bowl.
• Description: M81 is a large and bright spiral galaxy that is also known as the “grand design” spiral galaxy. This means that the galaxy’s shape is clearly defined, and it has a well-organized spiral structure. First discovered by Johann Elert Bode in 1774, M81 is sometimes referred to as “Bode’s Galaxy”. It’s one of the brightest galaxies in our night sky!

5. Monkey Head Nebula

• Alternative names: NGC 2174, Sh2-252
• Apparent size: 40′ (1.3 times larger than the Full Moon)
• Apparent magnitude: 6.8
• Constellation: Orion
• Best observed from: Northern Hemisphere
• How to observe: The Monkey Head Nebula can't be seen with the naked eye. You’ll need at least 7x50 binoculars or, better yet, a small telescope to observe it.
• Description: The Monkey Head Nebula is an emission nebula discovered by Italian astronomer Giovanni Batista Hodierna around 1654 and then independently discovered by German astronomer Karl Christian Bruhns in 1857. The nebula is associated with the open star cluster NGC 2175.

4. Horsehead Nebula

• Alternative name: Barnard 33
• Apparent size: 8′ × 6′ (3.7 × 5 times smaller than the Full Moon)
• Apparent magnitude: 6.8
• Constellation: Orion
• Best observed from: Northern Hemisphere
• How to observe: As Horsehead Nebula is a dark nebula, it’s very challenging to see. You’ll need at least a small telescope and maybe a special filter for its observation. The nebula’s location is favorable, though — it can be found just to the south of Alnitak, which is one of the three stars of Orion's Belt.
• Description: Horsehead Nebula is a small dark nebula discovered by Scottish astronomer Williamina Fleming in 1888. It is a part of a large star-forming region called the Orion molecular cloud complex.

3. NGC 2808

• Alternative name: Melotte 95
• Apparent size: 13.8′ (2.2 times smaller than the Full Moon)
• Apparent magnitude: 6.2
• Constellation: Carina
• Best observed from: Southern Hemisphere
• How to observe: You can’t see NGC 2808 with the naked eye; it’s only visible through binoculars or a small telescope.
• Description: NGC 2808 is one of the Milky Way’s most massive globular star clusters — it contains millions of stars. It’s estimated to be 12.5 billion years old.

2. IC 2395

• Alternative name: Cr 192
• Apparent size: 8′ (3.7 times smaller than the Full Moon)
• Apparent magnitude: 4.6
• Constellation: Vela
• Best observed from: Southern Hemisphere
• How to observe: IC 2395 is tricky to see with the naked eye, but you can easily observe it through a pair of binoculars.
• Description: IC 2395 is a small open cluster that contains about 45 stars. It is located near the bright star Gamma Velorum (mag 1.8).

1. Hand Cluster

• Alternative name: NGC 3114, Cr 215
• Apparent size: 35′ (1.2 times larger than the Full Moon)
• Apparent magnitude: 4.2
• Constellation: Carina
• Best observed from: Southern Hemisphere
• How to observe: You can try to see the Hand Cluster with the unaided eye. However, you’ll need very sharp eyesight and a dark, clear sky to see it, so it’s easier to observe the cluster via binoculars or a telescope.
• Description: NGC 3114 is an open star cluster in the constellation Carina. It is quite a difficult object to study because of the high number of field stars from the Milky Way’s disk.

Bottom line

Now you know what deep-sky objects are best visible in February. If you manage to see one of them in the sky, don’t hesitate to share your observation experience with us on social media. To get even more knowledge about deep-sky objects, take our fun quiz “Guess the Nebula!”.

Astronomers are weird people and they often name things according to their strange ideas. Let’s see how weird you are – try to guess a nebula’s name from its picture!

Take the quiz!

Find out what else to see in the sky this year from our complete astronomy calendar 2024. All the noteworthy meteor showers, planetary conjunctions, and eclipses are included.

We wish you clear skies and successful observations!