Master Deep Sky Astrophotography From Start to Finish!

Deep-sky astrophotography has a steep learning curve. There are hundreds of tutorials that contradict each other, expensive gear that's easy to get wrong, and software that seems designed to confuse you. This course puts everything in one place, in the order you need it.


150+ lessons · 7+ hours of video · Lifetime access


You'll learn from Antoine and Dalia of Galactic Hunter, whose images have been featured by NASA, BBC Sky at Night, PBS, and Astronomy Magazine. The pictures below were taken with the methods taught in the course.


  • Cygnus Loop Astrophotography with a telescope
  • M101 the Pinwheel Galaxy
  • Seagull Nebula and Thor's Helmet Nebula astrophotography with a telescope

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "Great course with 100% real-world scenarios and lots of materials to download. I love the course and would recommend it as the first thing to whoever wants to wet their feet in astrophotography." - Dheeraj, Missouri, USA

This course covers all you need to know about deep-space imaging so you can skip the frustrating nights, the equipment issues, and save time sifting through hundreds of tutorials published on YouTube.

Your instructors, Antoine and Dalia of Galactic Hunter, will help you master every aspect of astrophotography using a telescope.

Don't own a telescope yet? That's fine. The early chapters show you what to look for in a telescope, mount, and camera, so you can choose gear that fits your budget before spending a cent. Already have a rig? Skip straight to the chapter you need.

  • The most complete Deep Space course on the internet

  • Lifetime access with free updates

  • Compatible across platforms (Windows, Mac, Mobile...)

  • 84 videos with commentary, 100+ written lessons and bonus content

  • Downloadable videos for offline learning

  • Available in English, French, German, and Spanish*

Pricing options

Try it risk-free with our 30-day money-back guarantee.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to...

  • Choose the right telescope, camera, mount and accessories for your goals and budget.
  • Build and properly set up your astrophotography rig.
  • Plan an imaging session and choose the right targets.
  • Polar align, focus, guide and automate your setup.
  • Capture high-quality calibration and light frames.
  • Understand filters, cameras, telescopes and mounts rather than blindly following settings.
  • Process your data from raw files to a finished deep-sky image.
  • Troubleshoot the problems that inevitably come up along the way.
  • Confidently put the entire workflow together on your own.


And most importantly... Take your best pictures yet!

  • IC 434 The Horsehead Nebula Astrophotography with a telescope
  • M31 the Andromeda Galaxy astrophotography tutorial
  • The Jellyfish Nebula astrophotography

Instructor Bio

Learn from mentors who truly care

Antoine Grelin is a French-American astrophotographer and is one-half of Galactic Hunter. Along with his wife Dalia, Galactic Hunter offers astrophotography tutorials, guides, gear reviews, and complete courses for all levels of skill and equipment.
Galactic Hunter images have been featured in NASA publications, Astronomy Magazine, BBC, and PBS Television, and have been recognized with awards from APOD, Flickr Explore, AAPOD2, and more.

Antoine Grelin

Instructor

Instructor Bio

Learn from mentors who truly care

Dalia Grelin is an American amateur astronomer and the second half of Galactic Hunter. She has a BSBA in Marketing and had a career in digital marketing. She assists with marketing, filming videos, and creating astrophotography content. As a supportive wife and assistant to Antoine, Dalia also has expertise in astrophotography knowledge from years of working on Galactic Hunter.

Dalia Grelin

Instructor

Awards & Features

We've spent years photographing the night sky professionally and helping astrophotographers around the world learn the hobby. Our astrophotography has been featured in the following and many more:

  • AAPOD 2 Logo
  • PetaPixel France
  • NASA Logo
  • BBC Sky At Night magazine
  • PBS Outdoor Nevada astrophotography
  • Universo Magico Logo
  • ZWO Logo
  • QHYCCD logo
  • Space Junk podcast logo

Course Curriculum

    1. How to Navigate this Course

    2. Before We Begin...

    3. Table of Contents

    4. Welcome to our Deep Sky Astrophotography with a Telescope Course!

    5. Come Say Hello! ☕️

    6. How We Got Started

    7. What Resources Should You Read?

    8. How to Get Motivated: Astrophotography Apps and Websites

    1. Introduction

    2. Battling Light Pollution: How to Find the Perfect Location

    3. Weather Wizard: Which Websites and Apps to Use

    4. How to Scout a Dark Sky Site

    5. Target Selection: What Deep Sky Object Should You Image?

    6. Planning Shots with Stellarium

    7. Planning Shots with SkySafari

    8. Potential Danger Out In the Field

    9. Test Your Knowledge - Planning

    1. Introduction

    2. Choosing the Right Equipment for Deep Space

    3. How to Power Astrophotography Equipment

    4. How to Properly Setup a Tripod

    5. How to Safely Attach a Mount to the Tripod

    6. How to Attach a Telescope to the Mount

    7. How to Attach a DSLR Camera to a Telescope

    8. How to Attach a Cooled Camera to a Telescope

    9. How to Balance Your Rig

    10. How to Plug in the Cables (GEM + DSLR)

    11. How to Plug in the Cables (AM5 + OSC)

    12. Cable Management

    13. Case Study #1: Setting Up an EQ6 Mount and Refractor Telescope

    14. Case Study #2: Setting Up a MyT Mount and Reflector Telescope

    15. Case Study #3 - Setting Up a Strain-Wave Gear Mount and Refractor Telescope

    16. Case Study #4 - Setting Up a Strain-Wave Gear Mount and Reflector Telescope

    17. Test Your Knowledge - Equipment

    1. Introduction

    2. How to Download ASCOM

    3. How to Download Various Drivers for your Equipment

    4. How to Download the Platesolver Catalogs

    5. 🟡 SGP: Dashboard Walkthrough and The Basics

    6. 🟡 SGP: Preparing Our Imaging Session

    7. 🟡 SGP: Acquisition Settings

    8. 🟡 SGP: Setting Up Text and Email Notifications

    9. 🟡 SGP: How to Focus Manually

    10. 🟡 SGP: Calibration Frames: Taking Darks and Flats

    11. 🔴 ASIAir: What Is It?

    12. 🔴 ASIAir: Initializing and Connecting the Equipment

    13. 🔴 ASIAir: How to Polar Align

    14. 🔴 ASIAir: How to Focus and Use an Electronic Focuser

    15. 🔴 ASIAir: How to Focus the Guide Camera on the OAG

    16. 🔴 ASIAir: Calibration Frames: Taking Darks and Flats

    17. 🔴 ASIAir Plus Full Walkthrough

    18. 🔵 NINA: Dashboard Navigation

    19. 🔵 NINA: How to Connect to Equipment

    20. 🔵 NINA: Sequencer Tutorial

    21. 🔵 NINA: Calibration Frames

    22. 🔵 NINA: Useful Settings

    23. 🔵 NINA: Useful Plugins

    24. Test Your Knowledge - Software

    1. Introduction

    2. Choosing the Right DSLR/Mirrorless Camera

    3. Camera Accessories: Make Your Life a Little Easier

    4. Menu Walkthrough and Important Features to Activate

    5. Main Menu Settings (ISO, Shutter Speed, Aperture)

    6. RAW Vs. JPEG

    7. Summary of DSLR/Mirrorless Camera Settings

    8. How to Switch to Manual or Automatic Focus

    9. How to Switch to BULB Mode

    10. How to Use an Intervalometer

    11. How to understand SD Cards

    12. How to Attach a Clip-On Filter to a DSLR Camera

    13. How to Clean a DSLR/Mirrorless Camera Sensor

    14. Astro-Mods: Should You Get Your Camera Modified?

    15. Test Your Knowledge - DSLR/Mirrorless Camera

    1. Introduction

    2. One-Shot Color Cameras

    3. Monochrome Cameras

    4. The Anatomy of a Cooled Camera

    5. Cropped Sensor vs. Full-Frame Sensor

    6. What is the Benefit of Cooling?

    7. What is Gain?

    8. What is Binning?

    9. How to Mount the OAG on the Camera

    10. How to Clean your Astronomy Camera Sensor Window

    11. Test Your Knowledge - Astronomy Cameras

About this course

  • $179.00
  • 157 lessons
  • 7 hours of video content

Learn Deep Sky Astrophotography the RIGHT Way

The course has been designed to be very easy to follow, with a structure based on the learning experience. That means no annoying music, no filler talk, and no unnecessary montage. Go through each lesson in order, or jump from section to section, the choice is yours!

Buy Now | $179 | Lifetime Access

Plan Your Imaging Sessions

Before you start buying gear or imaging, we prepare you with useful planning tips that make all the difference! Learn about the impact of light pollution, how to find a good location for astrophotography, know which sites and apps we recommend for checking the weather, and how visualize your night using planetarium software. We also share resources to help you stay motivated!
Astrophotography planning tools: light pollution maps and Stellarium

Choose & Set Up Your Equipment

Astrophotography gear can be both costly and overwhelming to choose from. Are you unsure about which telescope is right? Wondering how much to invest in a reliable mount? Debating between a color or monochrome camera for your astrophotography setup? Let us eliminate the confusion and guide you in building the perfect astrophotography rig tailored to your budget. Plus, we'll show you how to set up your new equipment once it arrives!
Deep sky astrophotography equipment setup: mount, telescope, and camera

Master Your Imaging Software

ASCOM, PHD2, ASIAir, SGP, NINA... No matter the software you use, we have got you covered! Learn what you should download on your computer before imaging at night, what drivers are and which ones to install, and how to use a sequencer in SGP, NINA, or the ZWO ASIAir. Discover how to use additional software like the QHY Polemaster, Stellarium, SkySafari, or ASTAP.
Software tutorials for astrophotography

Master your DSLR/Mirrorless Camera

If you're a complete beginner in astrophotography, you'll likely start with either a DSLR or Mirrorless camera. With the right techniques, it is perfectly possible for you to capture impressive astrophotography images! In this module, you'll discover which cameras are best for astrophotography, which accessories are worth the investment, and the best settings to use depending on your target.
Astrophotography Cameras: DSLRs and Mirrorless

Understand Cooled Astronomy Cameras

Mastering your DSLR camera is a great start, but if you're committed to astrophotography for the long haul, you'll eventually want to dive into cooled, astronomy-dedicated cameras as well! Whether you choose a color or monochrome camera, this module will teach you everything you need to know, including things like gain, binning and cooling, to take your images to the next level!
Astrophotography cameras: OSC and Mono

Master your Telescope

This module aims to teach you not only which telescope is best for deep space astrophotography but also how to become fully comfortable with your chosen instrument. By the end, you'll be confident in using it for any target, easily connect any camera or accessory, and understand terms like focal ratio, aperture, field flattener, and more.
Learn how to use a telescope for astrophotography

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "I wish something like this was around for me 35 years ago when I first started, then my telescope may not have sat in the corner collecting dust all that time. I would highly recommend this course to anyone." - Harish, Washington, USA

Master Your Mount & Guiding

The mount is the most important part of the astrophotography rig, and it can also be the most difficult to master. This is why we have a chapter dedicated to motorized mounts and how to use them! We'll cover both German Equatorial mounts and Strain-Wave Gear mounts. We'll also go over polar aligning using different techniques, and auto-guiding.
How to use a mount for Astrophotography

Choose & Use the Right Filters

Filters can be used with any camera and are essential for blocking light pollution, capturing targets in specific wavelengths, or both! While adding filters to your astrophotography setup may seem intimidating if you are a beginner, we're here to guide you every step of the way. We will give you all the knowledge you need to choose and use the right filters to enhance your astrophotography pictures!
How to use filters for astrophotography

Master Shooting the Night Sky

By this point, you should be fully comfortable with your astrophotography rig and ready to start capturing images! This module includes several case studies, showcasing how to photograph deep sky objects using various setups and from different locations, like a city backyard or a site away from light pollution in the desert. We've also included additional lessons to further enhance your astrophotography skills, like how to take all types of calibration frames.
Astrophotography lessons: Shooting deep sky objects

Process Your Images Easily

No astrophotography course would be complete without a chapter on image processing! In this module, you'll learn multiple techniques for stacking your files, along with detailed workflow examples for different deep sky targets. By following these examples, you'll be able to replicate the process and achieve the best possible results from your data. Let us help you bring your astrophotography images to life through powerful post-processing techniques!
Astrophotography processing tutorials

End Quizzes

At the end of each chapter, you'll find a short quiz designed to help reinforce what you've just learned and check if you've retained the key information. These quizzes are optional, but they offer a fun way to wrap up each chapter and challenge yourself to achieve a high score!
Astrophotography course end quizzes

Full Access to the Galactic Lounge ☕️

A Space where Everyone is Welcome

Join the Galactic Lounge, a growing community for astrophotographers to connect, share tips, ask questions, and get expert help. Access a supportive forum for Deep Space Astrophotography, share photos, and stay updated on events and announcements!

Also get access to the Discord chat to talk to other members at anytime!
Enter the Galactic Lounge Now
Galactic Lounge Community Home page

Captions, In-video Search, and Extra Languages

To stay accessible to all astrophotography-lovers

The Galactic Course content's original language is English. All videos have subtitles that can be toggled ON or OFF, and can be shown in four different languages (English, French, German, and Spanish). You can also search any text within any video to quickly jump to what you're looking for.

* Note that translations may not be perfect, but should allow you to understand and follow along easily.
Galactic Course in French, Spanish, and German with subtitles and closed captioning

Reviews

Jimmy Ragsdale

5 star rating

“Don't know how to start, stuck in the middle, been doing this for along time and want some new ideas! This is the spot to be. ”

“Don't know how to start, stuck in the middle, been doing this for along time and want some new ideas! This is the spot to be. ”

→Read Less

Jeff Halter

5 star rating

“It has been quite a learning curve for me because it really is hard to teach old dogs new tricks. I started in 1982 and set my scope aside in 2001. I started again in 2020 and things have really changed. This was just the thing I needed to get bac...”

→Read More

“It has been quite a learning curve for me because it really is hard to teach old dogs new tricks. I started in 1982 and set my scope aside in 2001. I started again in 2020 and things have really changed. This was just the thing I needed to get back on track.”

→Read Less

Harish Krishnakumar

5 star rating

“Great content, taught by knowledgable teachers :)”

“Great content, taught by knowledgable teachers :)”

→Read Less

Fully Master Deep Sky Astrophotography with a Telescope

Get access to everything shown on this page instantly, and for life. Also get all updates at no additional cost, and 100% of your money back if you are not satisfied with the course within 30 days.

Buy Now | $179 | Lifetime Access
  • Sadr Region astrophotography with a telescope
  • The Pleiades astrophotography with a telescope
  • The Witch Head Nebula astrophotography

FAQ

  • Do I need a telescope (or gear) to use the course?

    Not necessarily. The early chapters of the course will assume you do not yet own any equipment, and give you tips on what to look for when purchasing a telescope, mount, and more. We encourage following along before making an expensive purchase that might later be regretted.

  • Who is this course designed for? Beginners or experienced astrophotographers?

    Both! The course will teach beginners everything about deep-space imaging with simple, easy-to-follow lessons. On top of that, the course also contains in-depth lessons that cover advanced topics, perfect for experienced astrophotographers looking to become even better in the hobby.

  • Are the courses available in different languages?

    Text content: The text content is written in English, but it is nowadays very simple to auto-translate it to the language of your choice with whatever browser you are using. Example for Google Chrome: Click on the 3 dots near your profile, then click "Translate" and choose a language. Videos: All videos have subtitles in four languages: English, French, German, and Spanish!

  • Can I still benefit from this course if I live in a light-polluted area?

    Absolutely! One of the main chapters of this course is all about filters, which can be used to block most of the light pollution to still give you incredible pictures of nebulae.

  • What kind of support is available if I have questions during the course?

    We receive a lot of emails and messages on social media each day from people seeking help with astrophotography. We do our best to reply to everyone, but it is not always possible. We prioritize emails from both Galactic Course members and Patreon.

  • What format is this course and can I access it on mobile devices?

    The courses and processing guide are all hosted on this website. You will have access to the content from anywhere in the world by simply going to your student dashboard on the website. There is nothing to install on your computer, and there is no physical DVD or other to get in the mail (as these would at some point become irrelevant as they can never be updated). Yes, you can access the course on any device, which include computers, tablets, and smartphones.

  • Will I receive a certificate upon completing the course?

    Yes! Once you complete the course, you will be able to retrieve a beautiful certificate proving that you have learned deep sky astrophotography with Galactic Hunter.

  • Can I access the course offline?

    The course lessons are hosted on an online platform, but you will have the option to download the videos and watch them at any time, even when offline!

  • I have difficulties hearing, do the videos have CC / subtitles?

    Yes, all videos have closed captioning / subtitles which you can toggle ON or OFF at anytime. You can also play the video at different speeds, for example, at a slower rate of x0.5 or x0.75 if you want!

Upgrade to the Ultimate Membership!

Why get one when you can get ALL?

The Deep Space Imaging course is part of the Galactic Course Ultimate Membership, which also includes our courses on Milky Way photography, Star trails, Time-lapses, Remote Imaging, smart telescopes, all our processing guides, and several perks!

We strongly suggest becoming an ultimate member to unlock all our learning content and get the very best out of your investment.