Getting Started

The Milky Way arch — its structure under dark skies, and the most classic subject of wide-angle astrophotography. 图源 Bruno Gilli/ESO · CC BY 4.0

This site is aimed at readers of Chinese and compiles the foundational concepts, common workflows, and reference indexes for astronomical observation and astrophotography. You don’t need to read through the table of contents in order; you can pick an entry point based on your goal first, then fill in the related concepts.

Content Organization

The site is divided into two topic areas and one index area:

• Astronomy: coordinates and time, the Solar System, stars and deep-sky objects, cosmology, observing conditions, and observation planning.
• Astrophotography: optics and exposure, sensors, capture control, calibration frames, stacking, post-processing workflows, and remote imaging platforms.
• Reference: glossary, object catalogs, observatories, software, learning paths, and external resources.

Where to Start

Choose an entry point based on your current goal:

Start with the observing basics First understand how latitude, season, and altitude above the horizon affect which targets are visible, then learn the celestial coordinate system.

Start with deep-sky imaging First learn about remote imaging and how to acquire raw data, then study calibration, stacking, and basic post-processing.

Look up a target object Look up Messier / NGC numbers, coordinates, the best observing season, hemisphere, and imaging recommendations.

Read along a path View the recommended reading order by goal, useful when you're not sure which article to read next.

The three most common beginner pathways

1. Learning the sky as a beginner: Hemisphere visibility → Celestial coordinates → Constellations.
2. Imaging deep-sky objects: Remote platforms overview → DSO imaging basics → Stacking.
3. Looking things up and preparing: Object catalog ↔ Glossary ↔ Software.

Three Categories of Entry Points

Astronomy

The foundations cover celestial coordinates, time systems, and magnitude. After that you can read about the Solar System, stellar physics, deep-sky objects, and a cosmology overview. Before heading out to observe, it is recommended that you first check the observing conditions and observation planning.

Astrophotography

The photography section begins with optics, exposure, sensors, and signal-to-noise ratio, then moves on to wide-angle, deep-sky, planetary, and narrowband imaging. The data processing section covers calibration frames and the post-processing workflow.

Reference

Index	Purpose
Object catalog	Look up a target’s coordinates, season, and recommended focal length by number
Glossary	Quickly look up any term you don’t understand
Observatories	Reference for famous sites and remote setups
Software	Tools for planning, capture, stacking, and post-processing
Learning paths	Systematic, progressive routes
Resources	Quality books, websites, and communities

Recommendation

If you don’t have a clear goal for now, start by reading Hemisphere visibility and Celestial coordinates, then go to the Object catalog to pick a target for the current season.