How to use the Milky Way Field Guide

Tool walkthrough · 0:52 · silent, with on-screen words

A walkthrough of the Milky Way Field Guide, recorded from the real tool: tonight’s Moon and dark window, the target cards, the Magellanic Clouds and the PDF shot pack.

The video file (MP4, 2964 kB)

Shows the Milky Way Field Guide at Georgetown on the evening of Tue 6 Oct 2026, with that day’s Open-Meteo forecast and the default Sony A7 III at 24 mm f/2.8.

Chapters

  1. 0:04 Tonight’s conditions
  2. 0:11 Setup
  3. 0:17 The target cards
  4. 0:31 The Magellanic Clouds
  5. 0:41 Download the shot pack

From the lesson How to Use the Milky Way Field Guide.

What the video shows, in words

A silent walkthrough recorded from the real Milky Way Field Guide on this site, with the cursor and on-screen words showing each step.

At Georgetown on the evening of Tue 6 Oct 2026 the Field Guide reads a waning crescent Moon, 14% lit, rising at 3:01 AM and setting at 3:32 PM, and a dark window of 6:51 PM-3:01 AM (8h 11m). With a Sony A7 III at 24 mm and f/2.8 (FOV 73×53°) the Galactic Core peaks near 18:57 local solar time (18:50 GYT) at 42°, and the Large Magellanic Cloud near 02:52 (02:45 GYT) at 12°; its highest from Georgetown is 13.5°. The PDF's exposure for this setup on a tripod is 10 s, from an NPF limit of 11.5 s. The cloud figures come from the Open-Meteo forecast for that day.

  1. 0:00 The Milky Way Field Guide previews each Milky Way target for your site, date and lens, and packs them into a printable PDF.
  2. 0:04 Tonight in Georgetown the Moon is a waning crescent, 14% lit, rising at 3:01 AM: the dark window runs 6:51 PM-3:01 AM (8h 11m).
  3. 0:11 Setup holds the site, the date, a preview time and your gear: a Sony A7 III at 24 mm and f/2.8 to start.
  4. 0:17 Seven targets in three groups, each aimed for your lens: a 73×53° field. Tap a card to put it in the PDF.
  5. 0:24 In October the Galactic Core is highest at dusk: it peaks near 18:57 local solar time (18:50 GYT) at 42°, then sinks.
  6. 0:31 The Large Magellanic Cloud peaks near 02:52 (02:45 GYT) at 12°. From Georgetown it never climbs past 13.5°, so look for it low in the south.
  7. 0:41 The PDF gives each target its aim, timing and exposure: the NPF rule allows 11.5 s here, rounded down to 10 s on a tripod. Tick the star tracker box if you use one.
  8. 0:48 Download the PDF, take a test frame on site, and adjust.

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