Website Directory
Useful Astronomy Websites
A curated directory of the websites, tools, and communities I actually use. Planning tools, weather forecasts, professional databases, learning resources, and the citizen science platforms that make amateur discovery possible. Everything is organized by workflow — from session planning through image processing to sharing your results — so you can find what you need quickly.
Every site listed here has earned its place through personal use. ★ marks the ones I consider essential.
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Website Directory
Planning & Observation Tools
Web-based tools for planning imaging sessions — FOV calculators, target finders, mosaic planners, and equipment matching utilities.
The best all-in-one planning tool for astrophotographers. Target finder, telescope simulator with real FOV framing, mosaic planner, altitude charts, weather integration, and custom target lists. Community-funded by an independent developer. If you only use one planning site, this is it.
The original go-to for FOV calculations and equipment comparisons. Clean interface for quickly checking what your camera/telescope combo will frame. Also has CCD suitability, focal length, and magnification calculators. Not as full-featured as Telescopius, but sometimes simpler is better.
Upload any astronomy image and it will plate-solve it — identifying exactly what part of the sky you captured, with object annotations. The blind solving is remarkably powerful. Essential for identifying mystery targets or verifying coordinates.
A fully functional planetarium in your browser. Not as deep as the desktop app, but great for quick "what's up tonight" checks when you're away from your setup. Surprisingly smooth and accurate.
Originally for landscape photographers, but the night AR mode and Milky Way planner are genuinely useful for wide-field astro planning. The web planning guides are free; the full experience requires the paid mobile app.
Website Directory
Web-Based Processing Tools
Browser-based tools that process image data without installing anything. The "no dependency hell" category.
A browser-based planetary stacker built by Tijmen Ruizendaal that was initially inspired by wrapping PlanetarySystemStacker in a web interface, but is now it's own unique code. Upload a SER or video file, it analyzes frame quality, you pick a threshold, and it stacks and sharpens. No installation, no Python dependency hell, works on any Mac with a browser. Exactly the kind of tool this community needs more of.
Also listed under Planning — it does double duty. Upload an image, get precise coordinates and object identification back. The gold standard for online plate solving. No installation required.
PixInsight's online signal-to-noise and sub-frame calculator. Useful for optimizing exposure times before you go out. Not a replacement for the full app, but the calculators are genuinely helpful for session planning.
Website Directory
Weather & Observing Conditions
Forecasts and maps for deciding when to observe — cloud cover, seeing, transparency, jet stream, smoke, and light pollution data.
The best astronomy-specific weather forecast for North America. Hourly cloud, seeing, and transparency forecasts built on the Canadian Meteorological Centre model. The only service that integrates wildfire smoke into transparency reports. The Pro version adds ensemble cloud forecasts and alerts. This is what the serious imagers use.
The original astronomer's forecast. Clear Sky Charts condense cloud cover, transparency, and seeing into a simple color-coded strip for 6,300+ locations across North America. Created by Attilla Danko using Allan Rahill's CMC model. Simple, reliable, and still the first thing many astronomers check.
Seven-day hourly forecasts with a clean traffic-light interface. Works worldwide — unlike Clear Dark Sky's North America focus. Green means go. Simple and effective, and the global coverage makes it essential if you're outside the US and Canada.
The definitive interactive light pollution map using VIIRS satellite data and the World Atlas overlay. Zoom in anywhere on Earth to check Bortle class and sky brightness. Essential for finding dark sky sites and understanding what's possible from your location.
An alternative light pollution map with a cleaner interface and the ability to compare data across years (2006, 2016, 2020, 2022). The year-over-year comparison is sobering — dark skies are disappearing. But they're still worth finding.
Detailed seeing forecasts with arcsecond predictions, jet stream data, and bad-layer identification. Global coverage. The seeing model is one of the better ones available for free, and the bad-layer visualization helps you understand why seeing is poor on a given night.
Website Directory
Image Hosting & Community Galleries
Places to share your images, browse others' work, and get feedback. Gallery-first platforms where images are the primary content.
The standard for sharing astrophotography. Equipment-based search, technical image data, community ratings (IOTD/Top Picks), and imaging statistics. The paid tiers unlock equipment search and more uploads, but a free account gets you started. If you image, you should be on Astrobin.
Remote imaging platform with a community gallery. Worth browsing even if you don't use their scopes — seeing what's possible with serious remote setups is inspiring and educational. The community forum is active.
Running since 1995, APOD features a different space image or photograph every day with an expert explanation. Frequently features amateur work alongside professional observatory imagery. A daily ritual for astronomers.
Website Directory
Forums & Communities
Discussion-first platforms where you go to ask questions, share experiences, and learn from other astronomers.
The largest and most active amateur astronomy forum. Equipment reviews, imaging technique discussions, classified ads for used gear, and decades of archived knowledge. I've learned more here than any book. The classifieds section alone is worth bookmarking.
Active Reddit community with image posts, acquisition details, and processing discussions. The requirement to include equipment and processing info with every post makes it genuinely educational. Good for seeing what beginners and intermediates are achieving.
Excellent Reddit community for equipment advice, especially for beginners. The "What Telescope Should I Buy" pinned thread is a solid starting point for anyone looking to get into the hobby.
UK-based astronomy forum with a friendly, active community. Strong equipment reviews, imaging sections, and a good classifieds board. A solid alternative to Cloudy Nights with a slightly different — perhaps more welcoming — culture.
Website Directory
Data, Catalogs & Archives
Professional astronomical databases that amateurs actually use — object identification, cross-referencing, survey imagery, and catalog browsing. These tools are essential for serious research, and they're where the amateur discovery process begins.
The reference database for astronomical object identification. Search by name, coordinates, or catalog number and get back everything published about that object — cross-identifications, coordinates, magnitudes, bibliography. Run by the CDS in Strasbourg. Over 20 million objects. If you're trying to identify something — or prove nobody else has — start here.
Interactive sky atlas from CDS that overlays catalog data from SIMBAD and VizieR on survey imagery at any wavelength. The web version (Aladin Lite) runs in your browser; the desktop version handles Hubble and JWST data. Essential for visually cross-referencing objects with catalog information.
The catalog library — over 23,000 astronomical catalogs, searchable and cross-matchable. The companion to SIMBAD and Aladin in the CDS suite. When you need to query a specific catalog or cross-reference across multiple databases, VizieR is where you go.
A virtual observatory that generates images of any part of the sky across all wavelengths — radio to gamma-ray. Enter coordinates, pick a survey, get an image. Useful for checking what a region looks like in wavelengths your camera can't see.
Browse and search deep sky objects with DSS survey imagery. Clean interface for quickly looking up objects by catalog, constellation, or type. Includes observing list generation. The original predecessor to Telescopius, and still useful for quick object lookups.
Comprehensive database of NGC and IC objects with corrected coordinates, identifications, and images. A critical reference for anyone working with these catalogs, especially when cross-referencing older observations against modern data.
Website Directory
Equipment Research & Reviews
Sites for comparing gear, reading reviews, checking sensor specs, and researching purchases before you buy.
Agena's buyer's guides and technical articles are some of the most thorough equipment references available. The ZWO camera buyer's guide alone is worth bookmarking — it breaks down sensor specs, pixel sizes, and camera matching in a way that actually helps you decide. Affiliate partner.
Starizona makes and sells specialized astro gear, but their tutorial and resource section covers telescope basics, imaging techniques, and equipment fundamentals. Well-organized and genuinely educational, whether or not you buy their products.
Detailed camera comparisons, equipment guides, and technical deep-dives. Their annual "Top Cameras" roundups include specs tables that make comparison shopping much easier. Good beginner-friendly content alongside advanced reviews.
ZWO's official site with full specs, manuals, and comparison tools for their camera lineup. Since ZWO dominates the amateur CMOS camera market, this is effectively the spec sheet reference for most imaging setups.
QHY's official site with camera specs, comparison tools, and support resources. The other major player in amateur astronomy cameras alongside ZWO. Their cooling cameras and full-frame sensors are excellent, and the documentation is solid.
Website Directory
Learning & Tutorials
Educational resources — tutorial sites, technique guides, and reference material for improving your skills.
Trevor Jones' site is one of the best learning resources for astrophotography beginners and intermediates. Equipment reviews, processing tutorials, and honest assessments of gear and techniques. The companion YouTube channel is equally good. A great entry point for the hobby.
Jeremy Likness's detailed tutorials on processing workflows, software comparisons, and technique breakdowns. Particularly strong on stacking software comparisons and mosaic workflows with Telescopius and Astro Pixel Processor.
Antoine Grelin's beginner-focused astrophotography site with camera guides, processing tutorials, and a free untracked astrophotography course. Excellent starting point for newcomers who want to image with just a camera, lens, and tripod.
Popular processing tools (standalone and PixInsight scripts) with tutorials covering Statistical Stretch, Star Stretch, and gradient removal. The standalone editing suite runs on Mac and is genuinely useful as part of any processing workflow.
Also listed under Equipment Research, but their tutorials section deserves its own mention. Covers telescope basics, imaging fundamentals, and equipment selection in a structured, educational format. A solid free resource for building foundational knowledge.
Website Directory
Object Discovery & Citizen Science
This category is personally important to me — I've discovered two nebulae. The tools below make amateur discovery and real scientific contribution possible. There is no formal submission process for new astronomical objects. You check coordinates against all known catalogs, determine no one has previously identified your find, and stake your claim publicly. The CDS tools (SIMBAD, Aladin, VizieR) are the backbone of this workflow.
Listed individually under Data & Catalogs, but together they form the backbone of the amateur discovery process. The workflow — check SIMBAD for known objects at your coordinates, verify with VizieR catalogs, overlay with Aladin — is how you determine whether something has been previously identified. If you're interested in discovery, learn these tools.
The platform hosting dozens of astronomy citizen science projects — from classifying galaxies (Galaxy Zoo) to finding exoplanets to identifying supernovae. Genuine scientific contribution with minimal expertise required. One of the most accessible ways to participate in real research.
The American Association of Variable Star Observers. Submit your own variable star observations to a professional database used by researchers worldwide. One of the most direct ways amateurs can contribute to real science. The data you collect actually gets used.
Proof that amateurs can and do discover new astronomical objects. This is my first nebula discovery, following the methodology popularized by Nico Carver and created by Marcel Drechsler. Search YouTube for Nico's video on discovering his first nebula — it walks through the entire process and will change how you think about what's possible in this hobby.
Website Directory
Space Agencies & Professional Resources
NASA, ESA, and institutional resources that amateurs find genuinely useful — professional image archives, daily inspiration, and science updates.
Astronomy Picture of the Day. Running since 1995, it's still one of the best daily doses of space imagery and science. Every image comes with an expert explanation. Frequently features amateur work alongside professional observatory imagery. A daily ritual.
Searchable archive of NASA imagery — missions, telescopes, planetary science. High-resolution downloads available. Endlessly browsable and useful for reference, inspiration, and presentations.
The European Space Agency's Hubble portal with press release images, science updates, and a deep image archive. Often has different processing than NASA's releases of the same data, which is interesting to compare.
Webb's official image gallery and science updates. The image quality continues to be staggering. Every new release is a reminder of what's out there waiting to be explored — even by amateurs with much smaller apertures.
This directory is a living document. I update it as I discover new tools and resources worth recommending. If there's a site you think belongs here — or if you've built something the astronomy community should know about — send me an email.
Related: Mac Astronomy Software · iPhone & iPad Astronomy Software