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OWL CTO presentsPhotography Tools

Astro Photography Calculator

Exposure & ISO Calculator

Your Settings

Exposure

1.0s

ISO

8003200

Aperture

f/2.8

Star Trailing

0.3px

Equipment

Select a camera first to see compatible lenses

f/

Stable but subject to Earth rotation

Target Object

✓ = visible now from your location

°

0° = equator (fast motion), ±90° = poles (slow motion)

Location

🏘️Suburban sky

Best Dark Sky Nights

Next 14 days ranked for astrophotography

Next Best Night

5 hours

Thu, Dec 18

🌘New moon, perfect darkness
1

Thu, Dec 18

New moon, perfect darkness

🌘

100%

dark

2

Fri, Dec 19

New moon, perfect darkness

🌑

100%

dark

3

Sat, Dec 20

New moon, perfect darkness

🌒

99%

dark

4

Sun, Dec 21

New moon, perfect darkness

🌒

98%

dark

5

Mon, Dec 22

New moon, perfect darkness

🌒

95%

dark

80%+ Perfect 60-79% Good 40-59% Fair <40% Bright

How It Works

⏱️ Exposure Time

NPF rule calculates max exposure before star trailing, based on your sensor's pixel size, focal length, and target position.

🔭 Why Declination Matters

Objects near the celestial poles move slowly (longer exposures OK). Objects near the equator move fastest (shorter exposures needed).

🌙 Moon Data

Moon phases use IAU astronomical constants (Meeus algorithms). No API needed - pure math works for any date, past or future.

t = (35×N + 30×p) / (f × crop) × 1/cos(dec)

How It Works

⏱️ Exposure Time

NPF rule calculates max exposure before star trailing, based on your sensor's pixel size, focal length, and target position.

🔭 Why Declination Matters

Objects near the celestial poles move slowly (longer exposures OK). Objects near the equator move fastest (shorter exposures needed).

🌙 Moon Data

Moon phases use IAU astronomical constants (Meeus algorithms). No API needed - pure math works for any date, past or future.

t = (35×N + 30×p) / (f × crop) × 1/cos(dec)