What has really made astrophotography an enticing hobby over the past few years is the plethora of amazing software available. Interest has spurred innovation and this technology brings practical astrophotography to everyone’s fingertips. Whether paid software or community-sponsored collaborative apps, there are no shortages of astrophoto tools that make astrophotography easy to learn and fun to get outside. I’ve assembled a list of astrophoto software tools and applications below that I use regularly to help me with my projects.
I am using the below on Win 10 and Linux Mint, iPad Pro, and iPhone 6SE
Planning Tools
| Name | Cost | Platform | OS | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stellarium | Free | Desktop | Windows/Linux | Open-source astronomy software for your computer. Useful for planning your imaging session as Stellarium will show you what your sky will look like at any given time of day. Nice catalog of targets of interest that are great for beginners to observe and image. |
| Light Pollution Map | Free | HTML | Map showing the light pollution information for your imaging location. Useful for finding the best locations to minimize light pollution impacts. | |
| Clear Outside | Free | HTML, Mobile | iOS | Clear Outside is a web page and app that shows the environmental conditions for your imaging location. Useful for planning ahead for the best skies for astrophotography |
| Studio 2.0 | Free | Desktop | Windows | Lego creation design software. Very intuitive and easy to use with lots of advanced features. I use this to prototype my Lego Star Tracker designs. |
Imaging Tools
| Name | Cost | Platform | OS | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canon Camera Connect | Free | Mobile | Android/iOS | Remote connect via WiFi/Bluetooth to a Canon camera. For remote shooting and image transfer. |
| EOS Utility | Free | Desktop | Windows | A program that pairs devices to a Canon camera. For remote shooting and image transfer. |
| Astro Photography Tool (APT) | Trial | Desktop | Windows | A feature-rich program that provides complete management of an astrophotography setup and imaging session. |
| Lego Boost | Free | Mobile | Android/iOS | A Bluetooth controller for Lego Boost creations. I use this to control the Lego Star Tracker. |
| Polar Scope Align Pro | $2.99 | Mobile | iOS | An iOS app that provides information and tools which help plan an imaging session and polar align your equipment. |
| SharpCap Pro | $16 | Desktop | Windows | An astrophotography camera capture tool with a host of easy-to-use features that aid in exposure settings and polar alignment. |
Processing Tools
| Name | Cost | Platform | OS | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deep Sky Stacker | Free | Desktop | Windows | Very intuitive astrophoto stacking software. Fast processing and light disk space utilization. |
| Siril | Free | Desktop | Windows/Linux | Robust and feature-rich astrophoto stacking software. In my opinion, this requires pretty substantial hardware to run – especially with disk space. However, you can import stacked photos to use Siril’s processing tools that produce excellent quality images. |
| GIMP | Free | Desktop | Windows/Linux | An open-source image processing program. |
| Starnet++ | Free | Desktop | Windows | Removes stars from your astrophotos to produce a background image. |
3D Printing Tools
| Name | Cost | Platform | OS | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FreeCAD | Free | Desktop | Windows | Flexible 3D parametric modeling software. A bit intimidating at first blush, but relatively easy to pick up quickly. |
| FlashPrint | Free | Desktop | Windows | 3D printer software which is used to slice 3D designs and control the 3D printer. |