Imaging Planner
Which deep-sky targets will be high enough tonight and clear of your own horizon? The Imaging Planner shows the sky at your site for any time of night and turns up to five targets into a night plan without overlaps.
Everything is calculated in your browser. Your location and horizon file never leave your device.
At a glance
Sky chart: stars, constellations, Milky Way, Moon and planets for any date and time.
Horizon: load the JSON from the Horizon Mapper, the site location comes with it.
Night plan: up to five targets with time windows, Moon distance and running order.
Export: text file, CSV or calendar file (ICS).
The default site is the centre of Germany. Enter your own coordinates and time zone under Change location, or load the JSON file from the Horizon Mapper to set location and horizon in one step.
How to plan a night
- 1
Measure your horizon
Use the Horizon Mapper at the telescope spot, capture the obstructions all around and export them as JSON. Without a measurement the planner assumes a clear view down to the mathematical horizon, which is almost always too optimistic in a garden.
- 2
Load the file
Pick the JSON under Load a custom horizon. Latitude and longitude from the measurement are applied, the time zone stays as it is set.
- 3
Choose the night and targets
Set the date, move the time slider through the night and click on targets. Green is clear and high enough, amber is too low, grey is behind your horizon.
- 4
Export the plan
The planner splits the dark hours between your targets, taking minimum altitude, horizon and Moon distance into account. As a calendar file the slots go straight to your phone.
What the planner does not know
- Weather, seeing and light pollution are not included. The plan tells you what works if the sky is clear.
- The target list is made for small smart telescopes such as the Seestar S30 and S50. The field-of-view notes refer to those two devices.
- The horizon is only as good as the measurement. Gaps in the profile are bridged, so a single chimney between two distant points will be missed.
- All times use the time zone that is set. If you change the location, set the matching time zone yourself.
Targets chosen, site settled?
Send us your horizon profile with your configuration request. Before we quote, we check which configuration and which wall height suit your sky.