how to use stellarium software to photograph the milky way

You can also quickly access the Oculars configuration window on the top right by selecting the square with the circle & tool inside.Load on startup should be selected, then select configure. Select the Plugins tab and scroll down to Oculars.This gives an accurate depiction of what the target will look like relative to the focal length of your DSLR and lens. The freeware program Stellarium makes it easy to understand and research the sky, and helps you choose targets that are suitable for your setup.īy using the Oculars plugin in Stellarium, you can calculate the approximate field of view (FOV) for you astrophotography setup, by inputting your DSLR sensor information and lens specifications. Thankfully you don’t have to learn every object in the night sky.

Use Stellarium to calculate your field of view

The essentials are a good tracking mount, some persistence, and a great working knowledge of your DSLR and lens.īut how do you know what targets you should be pointing your camera at? While you might have seen a great image by another photographer, is it the ideal target for you to image?

Learn how you can find the best astrophotography targets for your camera and lens (or telescope)!īy now you may already know that you don’t need a telescope to take deep space astro photos (if not, read: How to do Deep-Sky Astrophotography Without a Telescope).

How to use stellarium software to photograph the milky way