Table of Contents

ESSENTIAL GEAR FOR STARGAZING AND ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY.

This chapter reviews equipment that can make or break an evening stargazing and photography session.

Some are critical and should be carried with you every time you venture out, while others are optional and simply provide the opportunity to enhance the experience.

We will review general field gear as well as equipment specific to astronomy and photography. None of the items shown here are intended as endorsements; there are many products available with equivalent capabilities.

They are simply shown to represent the types of items that you may wish to consider.

General gear for the field.

Over the years, I have made sure to always include the following whenever going out for an extended evening of stargazing and astrophotography. In my experience, I have found that (a) a reliable headlamp equipped with a red light setting, and, (b) a compass can be a lifesaver when you are camping out.

No other pieces of equipment are so important to your personal safety.

If you’ve never used a headlamp, you’ll be astonished at how useful they are— both hands are kept free and the light always shines right where you’re looking. In fact, you should always carry a spare!

You may also want to bring a second hand-held flashlight as well. It is helpful for lighting the trail, light-painting projects, and a myriad of other tasks. Finally, don’t forget duplicate sets of spare batteries.

A compass is invaluable at getting oriented in new surroundings. I frequently use mine during the day to estimate the future locations of night sky objects, thus narrowing down choices of scene composition.

Be sure to choose one that allows you to correct for the difference between true and magnetic north, or the magnetic declination.

A magnetic declination adjustment is helpful since the earth’s magnetic North Pole is offset slightly from its physical North Pole.

Such models are often described as orienteering compasses.

Correcting your compass for magnetic declination allows you to take readings directly from its dial while allowing the compass needle to point to magnetic north.

Your cellphone can also be invaluable in the field, even without coverage. Used with the apps described above, it can provide times of sunset/sunrise, moonset/moonrise and twilights, photography settings, as well as the positions and orientations of sky objects.

A small, rechargeable power supply can be a helpful accessory if its power runs low. Finally, it may be able to summon emergency services, although coverage in remote areas is unreliable and often nonexistent.

Another vital device to carry into the field is a dedicated GPS device. Most of the time it’s not needed, but it can make an enormous difference if you become lost.

Such devices are also invaluable at navigating in areas with limited coverage by cellphones, and have the added benefit of providing precise position coordinates for pinpointing your position.

Many models feature a “go-to” capability, which allows you to navigate to a specific destination, for example, your car, or camp at the end of the session.

I have relied on this feature on several occasions to return from a nightscape session in dark, featureless surroundings. A roll of gaffer’s tape—photographer’s “duct tape” is a surprisingly useful accessory to keep in your camera bag.

There are innumerable uses for it, from securing loose cables, to serving as a shim for a loose lens cap, taping handwarmers to your camera – you will be glad you brought it along.

Your cellphone can also be invaluable in the field, even without coverage. Used with the apps detailed later, it can provide times of sunset/sunrise, moonset/moonrise and twilights, photography settings, as well as the positions and orientations of sky objects.

A small, rechargeable power supply can be a helpful accessory if its power runs low.

Finally, it may be able to summon emergency services, although coverage in remote areas is unreliable and often nonexistent.

A simple chair has the ability to transform an evening of nightscape photography from a battle of endurance to a relaxing night in the outdoors.

Backpack chairs are perfect for carrying equipment and supplies a short distance, and also help whenever a brief (or long!) nap is needed.

A dedicated camera backpack, however, is your best option for longer hikes. Camera backpacks typically have myriad padded and zippered compartments for all your gear along with a carrying pouch for your tripod.

You can use them to carry a surprising amount of gear quite a long distance. In cold-weather destinations, any of the available hand warmers are a wonderful way to stave off chilly, damp night air.

They can also be used to keep your camera and batteries warm either by taping them in place with gaffer’s tape, attaching them via rubber bands, or even elasticized bandage wraps.

Attached to your lens body, they can also help avoid dew formation and frost.

Reusable devices that use liquid fuel and disposable devices that use solid fuel work well.

The disposable warmers can be attached to the lens and camera body with rubber bands or elasticized tape to assist in very cold weather operation.

The liquid fuel variety should be kept way from camera lenses, however, owing to the possibility of contamination from the liquid fuel or deposits from its fumes.

A variety of plastic bags are also indispensable. I always carry at least one large (in the range of 13 gallon) trash bag whenever I venture outdoors into the night.

These have a variety of uses, ranging from an all-out emergency, keep-everything-dry bag in case of unexpected rain, to a clean surface to lay out your gear in dusty or wet environments, to an emergency shelter in case of becoming lost.

You will also find an assortment of one-quart and one-gallon zip lock type plastic bags to be very helpful in organizing smaller pieces of gear and electronics; and protecting them from the environment.

There are several miscellaneous items that are worth considering.

I often keep a few energy bars, trail mix, or pieces of fruit inside my bag for a late night energy boost.

A thermos of hot chocolate, tea, or coffee can also make a world of difference. I generally keep a fleece hat, gloves, nylon windbreaker, and a bandanna on hand in case temperatures drop unexpectedly.

You may wish to create a dedicated waterproof bag of sunscreen, insect repellent, and antibacterial disposable hand wipes; you never know when annoying insects can suddenly materialize and cause mischief.

Earplugs and a headscarf or bandanna are also great at keeping insects and cool breezes at bay.

I always keep a small roll of toilet paper and a backpacking hand shovel tucked inside my bag in case a restroom isn’t nearby, and I’m on suitable public land.

Finally, in bear habitat, a can of bear spray is good insurance.

While this guide is no substitute for a complete course in bear safety, good bear-safety habits are vital for the bear’s health, as well as your own, and must be adopted whenever you travel in bear country, especially areas inhabited by North American grizzly bears.

Astronomy gear.

I always carry a planisphere with me when I venture into the night, preferably one with glow-in-the-dark markings.

Not only does it allow me to readily confirm the identity of specific objects, it helps in understanding how they move throughout the night. I also carry a green laser pointer (5 mW or less) to help in identifying night sky objects to others.

How to use the planisphere.

Video by AST 112 Online

Photography gear.

The absolute necessities are your camera, tripod, memory cards, and batteries. It is a good practice to confirm that your camera actually contains its memory card and battery before leaving for your destination.

Take a look at our recommendations for tripods here. We also written a post called – Best Budget Tripods Under $150. You can find it here.

5 Things every photography beginner needs.

Video by Benjamin Jaworskyj

While it may seem obvious, on more than one occasion, I have hiked into a pre-dawn location only to find an empty memory card slot in my camera and no spare memory cards in my pack—I had simply overlooked them and failed to check!

Other essential gear, described below or elsewhere in the book, includes a remote shutter release or an intervalometer, a color correction tool, a flashlight for light painting, a handheld loupe to assist in focusing on the stars, and a dust blower to keep the lenses clean.

Beyond these basics, I will occasionally bring along assorted filters, a panoramic head, a flash, and wireless remote triggers.

If I intend to perform very long exposure star trails, I will bring the external battery pack for the camera and/or an external camera power supply.

Small patches of Velcro and tabs attached to the upper legs of my tripod can help keep the intervalometer and other cables in order and untangled.

Check out our BEST CAMERAS FOR UNDER $300 find it here.

Take a look at our 17,000 word blog post called The Ultimate Guide To Master Astrophotography. Find it here.

Electronics and power.

For nightscape sessions longer than a single night, I usually bring my laptop and its charger, a memory card reader, and two portable 3+ terabyte (TB) external hard drives.

These allow me to copy and backup the images in the field.

They also allow me to perform a detailed image review for issues like focusing, compositional tweaks, and depth of field that can be done at a higher resolution than possible on the camera display.

My recommendations bellow.

Memory card reader.

Portable 3+ terabyte (TB) external hard drive.

The external hard drives also provide the option of emptying memory cards after each night to create room for new images.

Preliminary versions of multiple shot projects, like panoramas, star trails and time-lapses can also be tested and verified so that any necessary adjustments can be made during subsequent nights.

Software and apps.

Today’s landscape astrophotographers are fortunate to have access to a large and ever increasing variety of sophisticated, free, or low cost software and apps specially tailored to their needs.

These tools have revolutionized landscape astrophotography, especially when used on mobile devices.

For example, it is now possible to pinpoint the precise location, within a few feet in the field where you should assemble your camera and tripod to capture the full moon rising directly over a distant landmark hours, or even days, before the actual event!

This chapter describes a few of the software programs, apps, and websites that have been developed specifically with the landscape astrophotographer in mind.

The list is by no means exhaustive, nor is it an endorsement.

The tools listed here are simply representative of the types of tools you may find helpful. The ones that are described here are ones that I have personally used at home and in the field on many occasions.

Astronomy apps.

Astronomy software programs and apps allow you to explore the night skies in virtual reality for any date, past, present, or future. Many are freely available and have an extraordinary level of detail.

They generally include clickable objects linked to further information or databases. Many apps include an augmented reality capability for use on mobile devices, where the app will display the night sky view corresponding to the orientation of the mobile device.

These simulation programs are valuable for many reasons.

First, they allow you to gain an appreciation of the visible objects during different times of the year. You can search for specific objects to determine the best times to observe them.

They allow you to simulate the movement of objects in the night sky, so you can quickly gain an appreciation of the direction of their motion and how it depends on azimuth and altitude.

Many have built in databases for the orbital trajectories of the International Space Station and major satellites.

Two popular simulation programs for desktop or laptop systems are Stellarium and Starry Night.

Both allow you to create a virtual planetarium and explore the night sky in detail. You can determine what objects are visible in the night sky for any place on Earth.

You can estimate the field of view (FOV) necessary to photograph the objects of interest, allowing you choose the appropriate lens.

Both programs allow you to simulate the passage of time in order to assess how the night sky objects move during the night, as well as over the course of days, months, and even years!

Having this knowledge before you venture into the field can save you immeasurable amounts of time, energy and frustration. Also, there is something almost magical about watching night sky objects emerge from twilight precisely as predicted!

Photography apps.

By far the dominant software for image post processing are Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom.

The fundamental reason both programs have gained such widespread use is their inherent ability to allow you to make non-destructive editing adjustments to your images without permanently affecting the original image.

Many other software tools, or “plug-ins,” have been developed to perform specialized functions within Photoshop and Lightroom which is beyond the scope of this article.

Find the apps here.

Adobe Photoshop.

Adobe Lightroom.

Stargazing tools.

If I am not photographing and spending the night just looking at the beautiful stars, then I am more likely to carry with me my binoculars for observation. I usually choose binoculars over telescopes because of their ease of setup and use.

With telescopes, it is often a complicated setup and quite a hassle if you haven’t planned for it in detail. I would often just look at the stars or the moon or our galaxy, for which a binocular is more than enough.

If you are looking to go for a binocular yourself, be sure to choose one that has a big enough aperture. Aperture is the measure of light that the lens allows inside, therefore, the bigger the aperture the sharper your images will be.

Binoculars are inexpensive and rugged which makes it a perfect on-road companion for regular stargazers. If you are a beginner, it is wise to invest in a binocular before jumping into a telescope.

We have written a article called the Top 10 Binoculars to Buy. You can find it here.

But if you are bitten by the telescope bug, please buy one that has a good lens, a good focal point and a big aperture.

Also, it is key that you have the knowhow of operating a telescope before venturing out in the open with the instrument.

So, get your hands on all the documentation that you can find on your model and read them thoroughly so as you precisely understand how the complex machine that you bought functions and how best can you use it.

Essential Gear For Stargazing And Astrophotography