The Top 10 Common Errors Beginners Make in Astrophotography – A reality-based checklist of the mistakes that waste the most time early, and what to do instead. 

1) Decide What You Want to Photograph First

What kind of astrophotography am I trying to do first?

Astrophotography Tips & Techniques (Sky & Telescope) – A practical overview of the main astrophotography styles and what’s realistic for beginners.

Free Astrophotography Guide / eBook (Sky & Telescope) – A free beginner guide that walks through core concepts and common first projects.

2) Gear You Actually Need (minimum viable kits)

What gear is required—and what can wait?

Tripod-Only Nightscapes (No Tracker Required)

Remote Shutter Release Basics (Cambridge in Colour) – Why an intervalometer/remote matters and how it helps you capture consistent sequences for stacking.

Lonely Speck – Beginner Astrophotography Kit – A practical “what you actually need” kit breakdown for getting started, including tripod/lens recommendations and the first logical upgrade steps. 

Lonely Speck – How to Photograph the Milky Way – A complete tripod-first guide covering the basics of gear, planning, camera settings, and focusing for Milky Way/nightscape results. 

B&H Explora – Photographing the Milky Way: An Astrophotographer’s Primer – Strong tripod-focused primer that clearly lays out the essential gear (especially tripod stability) and a sensible starting workflow. 

B&H Explora – How to Photograph the Milky Way – A step-by-step guide that explicitly calls out the small “support gear” that matters for tripod-only work (remote release/intervalometer, etc.). 

Sky & Telescope – Tips for Shooting the Milky Way – Practical advice for real-world tripod Milky Way sessions (especially focus technique and field workflow). 

Photography Life – How to Photograph the Milky Way – A modern, detailed walkthrough that covers tripod-first decisions (lens choice, exposure basics, and planning considerations). 

Using A Sky Tracker

Star Tracker Photography: How to Get Started (Capture the Atlas) – Step-by-step guidance for the “tracker + camera lens” path, often the fastest route to impressive beginner results.

B&H Explora – Camera Star Tracker Buying Guide – A straightforward primer on what star trackers do, why you’d want one, and how to choose a sensible first tracker setup.

Telescope & EQ Mount

Astrophotography Equipment: Ultimate Beginner’s Guide (AstroBackyard) – A practical breakdown of the core gear categories and what matters most.

ASCOM Standards – The compatibility standard behind many Windows astronomy drivers when you start connecting mounts, cameras, and focusers.

Easy Polar Alignment for Astrophotography (AstroBackyard) – A step-by-step polar alignment guide (rough alignment → fine alignment) that helps beginners get round stars and longer exposures faster. 

Using PHD2 Guiding (Basic Use) – The official “how to actually start guiding” walkthrough (connect gear, calibrate, begin guiding), which is the next big hurdle once you move to an EQ mount. 

3) Planning + Beginner Starting Targets

What should I shoot first—and how do I find targets that fit my sky and gear?

Astrophotography Targets by Season (AstroBackyard) – Season-by-season targets, many of which are beginner-friendly and high reward.

Telescopius Target Planner – Visibility and planning tools to find targets that are well placed from your location and time.

Stellarium Web – Quick “what’s up tonight” planning and a great way to learn the sky.

PhotoPills – Milky Way Photography Cheat Sheet – A highly practical, step-by-step planning + shooting guide (timing, composition, settings, and field workflow) that’s ideal for beginners.

Light Pollution Map – Sets expectations by showing your Bortle class and nearby darker-sky options.

Clear Outside – Astronomy-friendly forecast (cloud layers and conditions) to help decide if the night is worth shooting.

4) Control Systems (How You Run the Session)

Do I need a laptop? What is ASIAIR? What’s the simplest way to control everything?

Turn-Key Control Systems

ASIAIR (ZWO) – Product Category – Official ASIAIR landing page with the current models (Mini/Plus) and authoritative descriptions of what it does.  

ASIAIR Tutorials (ZWO) – Official setup and workflow guides for ASIAIR (good for first-time configuration and understanding what each feature does).

ZWO Guides and Manuals – Official manuals hub; beginners can jump straight to ASIAIR docs and quick guides without hunting. 

StellarMate X (Official) – Turnkey controller (phone/tablet): an ASIAIR-style controller built around INDI + KStars/Ekos with broad gear support. A strong option if you want a controller workflow without being locked into a single camera brand.

StellarMate – First Time Setup – Step-by-step onboarding for StellarMate so new users can get connected and capturing with less friction.  

PC/ASCOM Systems

N.I.N.A. Documentation – The PC-based alternative with broad hardware compatibility and very powerful sequencing/automation, but it takes more initial setup than ASIAIR.

ASCOM Standards – The Windows driver standard that helps apps (like NINA) talk to mounts, cameras, focusers, and filter wheels. Primarily relevant for Windows-based control setups.

Once you’ve picked how you’ll control the session, use “Capture Fundamentals” below to get sharp, stackable frames.

5) Capture Fundamentals (Works With Any Control System)

How do I capture sharp, stackable data—regardless of how I’m running the session?

Focusing at Night: A Tutorial (Lonely Speck) – Practical, beginner-friendly methods to nail star focus (the #1 failure mode for first attempts).

Exposing for the Night Sky (Lonely Speck) – Clear guidance on exposure settings, ISO/gain tradeoffs, and avoiding blown highlights or underexposed data.

Sky & Telescope – “Rule of 500”: How Long Can You Go? – A beginner-friendly explanation of star trailing limits and why focal length + sensor/pixels matter when choosing shutter time.

Sky & Telescope – Tips for Shooting the Milky Way – Clear, experience-based advice on noise, exposure, lenses, and (optionally) using a tracker to level up nightscapes.  

Nikon – Photographing the Night Sky – Simple “starter settings” and fundamentals (aperture/shutter/ISO + focus tips) that translate well to widefield astro on any camera brand.

ASTAP – Plate solving that makes framing and centering targets far less frustrating (most valuable once you’re tracking and want repeatable framing).

6) Tracking + Guiding (Only When It Matters)

Guiding Hardware (Guide Scopes, OAGs, and Guide Cameras)

ZWO – ASI Guide Camera Selection Guide – A concise, brand-specific guide that helps you choose a guide camera and matching mini guide scopes, with practical pairing guidance. 

AstroBackyard – Choosing a Guide Scope for Astrophotography – A beginner-friendly breakdown of guide scope sizing, mounting considerations, and how to avoid common pitfalls (flexure, poor star shapes, etc.). 

AstroBackyard – Why use an Off-Axis Guider (OAG)? – Explains what an OAG is, when it’s worth the extra complexity, and why it solves flexure issues that guide scopes can’t. 

OPT – Guide Scope vs. Off-Axis Guider: What’s Better? – A clear pros/cons comparison that helps readers decide when a guide scope is “good enough” vs. when an OAG is the smarter long-term answer. 

Guiding Software

PHD2 Best Practices (PDF) – A practical “what actually works” guide that covers correct guide-scope focal length + guide-camera pixel size inputs, building dark libraries, and common setup mistakes that wreck guiding. 

PHD2 Guiding Documentation – The official guide to autoguiding once your exposure length and focal length demand it.

PHD2 User Guide (PDF) – The full guide with hardware-relevant setup details (exposure recommendations, calibration behavior, and the key numbers you must enter for your guide scope + camera). 

7) Calibration Frames + Stacking

How do I turn many subs into one master image?

DeepSkyStacker (Windows only) – A classic free stacking tool if you want something focused primarily on stacking.

Siril – Free software for calibration, stacking, and beginner-to-intermediate processing.

ASTAP – Also supports stacking, and can be an effective alternative if you’re already using it for plate solving.

8) Image Processing Choices (Free + “if you already own it”)

What should I use to process?

GIMP – Free editor for finishing work after stacking (levels/curves, color balance, selective tweaks).

Photoshop (Adobe) – If you already have it, it’s a capable finishing tool for astrophotography images.

Siril – Free software for calibration, stacking, and beginner-to-intermediate processing.

PixInsight Trial – Trial version for “later” when you’re ready for a deeper, astro-specific processing environment.

9) Free training +Learning (No Paid Courses)

Where can I learn workflows for free and get unstuck?

Nebula Photos (YouTube) – Beginner-friendly end-to-end tutorials with repeatable workflows.

Deep Space Astro (YouTube) – Strong processing tutorials and practical troubleshooting, especially good for Siril users.

Peter Zelinka (YouTube) – Clear beginner content for widefield and tracker-based astrophotography.

PetaPixel – Step-by-Step Guide to Capturing Great Milky Way Photographs – A practical beginner walkthrough from planning through settings and execution, with a strong “do this first” flow.  

Dylan O’Donnell (YouTube) – Broad astrophotography content with practical techniques and troubleshooting.

10) Community Help + Reference Results

Where can I get feedback and compare results with similar gear?

Cloudy Nights – Beginning Deep Sky Imaging Forum – High-signal beginner forum for troubleshooting and workflow advice.

AstroBin – Reference gallery to compare what’s realistic with specific gear, integration time, and sky conditions.

11) Premium Picks (Books/Magazines)

If I buy only a few things, what’s worth it?

The Deep-sky Imaging Primer (Charles Bracken) – A structured book that explains the “why” behind capture and processing decisions.

Sky & Telescope – Solid ongoing observing and astrophotography coverage and seasonal context.

Astronomy Magazine – Broad beginner-friendly astronomy coverage with lots of inspiration and practical observing content.

BBC Sky at Night Magazine – High-quality hobby coverage with strong how-to articles, reviews, and beginner-accessible features (with a UK perspective on events and observing).

Quick Start Bundles (fast scan)

Bundle 1: Tripod Only (Phone or DSLR/Mirrorless)

Astrophotography Tips & Techniques (Sky & Telescope) – A practical beginner landing page for targets, expectations, and first steps.

Remote Shutter Release Basics (Cambridge in Colour) – Why an intervalometer/remote matters and how it helps you capture consistent sequences for stacking.

Stellarium Web – Simple “what’s up tonight” planning.

Clear Outside – Helps you avoid wasted nights.

GIMP – Free finishing editor.

Photoshop (Adobe) – If you already have it, it’s a strong finishing tool.

Bundle 2: Star Tracker + Camera Lens (beginner sweet spot)

Star Tracker Photography: How to Get Started (Capture the Atlas) – Step-by-step workflow for tracker setups.

Astrophotography Targets by Season (AstroBackyard) – Beginner-friendly target ideas by season.

Telescopius Target Planner – Visibility and framing planning.

DeepSkyStacker(Windows only) – Classic Windows freeware that excels at registering and stacking long-exposure deep-sky frames, flats, darks, and bias files. 

Siril – Free stacking + processing.

Deep Space Astro (YouTube) – Free processing tutorials and troubleshooting.

Bundle 3: Telescope + EQ Mount (deep-sky path)

Getting Started in Deep-Sky Astrophotography (Sky & Telescope) – Solid beginner orientation for the deep-sky path.

N.I.N.A. Documentation – Capture control, focus, framing, sequencing.

ASTAP – Plate solving and tools to reduce frustration.

PHD2 Guiding Documentation – Guiding when you need it.

PixInsight Trial – Trial version for “later” when you’re ready for a deeper, astro-specific processing environment.

GIMP – Free finishing editor.

Photoshop (Adobe) – If you already have it, it’s a strong finishing tool.

Cloudy Nights – Beginning Deep Sky Imaging Forum – Beginner troubleshooting and workflow help.

Optional Branch: Planetary Astrophotography (Moon & Planets)

Planetary imaging is its own track: you capture short high-frame-rate video, then stack and sharpen; it rewards good seeing and enough focal length, but it’s optional if your goal is beginner deep-sky.

Planetary Imaging (Sky & Telescope – tag page) – A collection of practical articles on lunar/planetary imaging, including camera choices and technique.

FireCapture – Free, purpose-built capture software for lunar/planetary imaging (high FPS, ROI, camera control) and the standard starting point for planetary video capture.

RegiStax (Wavelets for Planets) – Classic free tool for sharpening stacked planetary images using wavelets.

AutoStakkert! – Widely used free stacker for planetary “lucky imaging” (stacks thousands of video frames).

WinJUPOS (AstroWiki) – Advanced tool for derotation and combining multiple planetary captures; best treated as “later” once you’re comfortable stacking and sharpening.

Go Deeper!

Astronomy Fundamentals (full concept library + your larger book/magazine lists)

Observing & Sky Events (all planning tools, trackers, events)

Targets, Catalogs & Databases (when they want to identify objects properly)

Astrophotography Gear & Imaging – Your master reference for beginner-to-advanced gear decisions, organized by practical imaging needs rather than marketing hype. 

Astrophotography Software & Processing – Your master reference for planning, capture, guiding, stacking, processing, and workflow resources in one place. 

Astro Community (forums, organizations, clubs)

The Top 10 Common Errors Beginners Make in Astrophotography – A reality-based checklist of the mistakes that waste the most time early, and what to do instead.