This is my biased, but categorized, but not “prioritized” list of interesting information sources about astrophotography. Well, the only part which is “prioritized” are books in the first section.

Books

I learned for myself that astrophotography is one of those domains where it is far better to buy and read a book at the beginning instead of digging through Internet. And I learned this in a hard way. I actually started with the book which is first on the list below and then spent a lot of time, actually too much, in Internet. Information about astrophotography on Internet is very scattered, too specialized, and sometime strongly opinionated. I ended up buying the most of the books on the list below. If I did this earlier, I’m sure, it saved a lot of time.

• “Astrofotografie: Spektakuläre Bilder ohne Spezialausrüstung” by Katja Seidel, in German (on Amazon, or better, if you are in Germany, on GeniaLokal). This is the best book for all photographers getting into astrophotography. It is mostly focused on nightscapes and Milky Way photography
• “Photography: Night Sky: A Field Guide for Shooting after Dark” by Jennifer Wu and James Martin (on Amazon, or better, if you are in Germany, on GeniaLokal). I do not own this book, but it looks like it is a similar book in its scope and quality as the above one, but in English.
• “Digital SLR Astrophotography” by Michael A. Covington (on Amazon, or better, if you are in Germany, on GeniaLokal). This is another must-have and must-read if you are interested in astrophotography and have a good background in regular photography. It touches many topics which are not addressed in the previous ones.
• “The Astrophotography Manual” by Chris Woodhouse(on Amazon, if you are in Germany, on GeniaLokal). This book has more topics classical astrophotography and touching more deepter “astro” details than the previous one, especially regrading the the telecope gear
• “The Deep-sky Imaging Primer” by Charles Bracken (on Amazon, or better, if you are in Germany, on GeniaLokal). This one is a big help at a time when you processed your first pictures and now want do it better ;-). As the title says, it is focused on imaging and processing. It covers both PixInsight and PhotoShop.
• “Mastering PixInsight and the art of Astroimage Processing” by by Rogelio Bernal Andreo (available through his website only). A highly recommended book for all those who already did the first steps in PixInsight and want to advance.

If I would start from zero again, I would buy and read in this order:

• first, about nightscapes, e.g. the “Astrofotografie: Spektakuläre Bilder ohne Spezialausrüstung” by Katja Seidel, or in English “Photography: Night Sky: A Field Guide for Shooting after Dark” by Jennifer Wu and James Martin
• then about going deeper in into the deep space: “Digital SLR Astrophotography” by Michael A. Covington
• and after you complete basic tutorial from Internet a book or a guide about your favorite processing tools. I use PixInsight and mostly use either the “The Deep-sky Imaging Primer” by Charles Bracken or the “Mastering PixInsight and the art of Astroimage Processing” by by Rogelio Bernal Andreo

Gear

Star Trackers

• A tutorial about using Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer, in German:
  • Part 1: https://zitronentour.de/tutorial-star-adventurer-teil-1/
  • Part 2: https://zitronentour.de/tutorial-star-adventurer-teil-2/
• A review about different start trackers as travel mounts by Katja Seidel, in German: https://nacht-lichter.de/reisemontierungen
• A review about different start trackers by Peter Zelinka: https://www.peterzelinka.com/blog/2018/8/which-star-tracker-should-i-get
• A review about Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer Mini by Philipp Keltenich, in German: https://sternenhimmel-fotografieren.de/skywatcher-star-adventurer-mini-test/
• About iOptron iPolar polar alignment camera by Trevor Jones: https://astrobackyard.com/ioptron-ipolar-skyguider-pro/
• iOptron SkyGuider Pro Review by Trevor Jones: https://astrobackyard.com/ioptron-skyguider-pro-review/

Equatorial Mounts in General

• The history of and the introduction to EQMOD – the control interface for Sky-Watcher mounts, by “Firstlightoptics”: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/blog/eqmod-controlling-the-heq5-neq6-and-other-mounts-directly-from-a-pc.html
• An overview about different mount choices, from 2014, in German:
  • Part 1: https://www.detken.net/papers/HIPO2014_03_Montierungen.pdf
  • Part 2: https://www.detken.net/papers/HIPO2015_01_Montierungen2.pdf
• Mount performance charts: https://www.darkframeoptics.com/page/performance-chart
• Sky-Watcher HEQ5 review: https://astrobackyard.com/heq5-vs-neq6/
• The history of Sky-Watcher EQ mounts: http://www.astro-baby.com/EQ6%20rebuild%20guide/EQ6%20Development%20and%20Software%20Releases.htm
• A comparison of mid-range mounts: https://astro.ecuadors.net/celestron-ioptron-losmandy-orion-sky-watcher-mount-comparison-chart/
• A comparison of high-end mounts: https://astro.ecuadors.net/mid-high-end-3-15k-telescope-mount-comparison-table/
• An astrophotography mount performance overview: https://lambermont.dyndns.org/astro/pe.html
• A journey with different mounts by Astrobackyard: https://astrobackyard.com/telescope-mount-for-astrophotography/
• Sky-Watcher EQ6-R review: https://astrojolo.com/gears/sky-watcher-eq6-r-review/
• Sky-Watcher API documentation: https://github.com/skywatcher-pacific/skywatcher_open

Lenses

• An overview of different lenses for astrophotography by Jerry Lodriguss: https://www.astropix.com/html/i_astrop/lenses.html
• An overview of different lenses for astrophotography by Lonelyspeck: https://www.lonelyspeck.com/lonely-specks-ultimate-list-of-best-astrophotography-lenses/
• A review of Canon 100-400mm f/4,5-5,6 L IS USM II for astrophotography: http://interferometrie.blogspot.com/2016/07/canon-100-400mm-f45-56-l-is-usm-ii-tele.html?view=magazine
• A review of Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM: https://www.star-watcher.ch/equipment/canon-ef-400mm-f5-6l/
• Test pictures from different lenses by Tommy Nawratil: https://www.flickr.com/photos/109613429@N08/albums/72157654393068126

Telescopes

• A user report about the TS Optics ONTC 8″ Newtonian telescope, in German: https://meine-astroecke.de/?p=476
• A review of the popular GSO (also sold as rebranded to TS, Omegon and others) RC8 telecope, in German: http://www.mystarrynights.at/tst/8inch_GSO_RC/
• Impressions about the SharpStar 200mm f/3.6 (20032PNT) Newtonian telescope: https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/689597-sharpstar-20032pnt-ordered/
• Review about SharpStar SharpStar 150mm f/2.8 HNT (15028HNT):
  • https://www.stastrophotography.com/sharpstar-15028hnt/
  • https://astronomynow.com/2020/05/27/sharpstar-d-150mm-f-2-8-hnt-an-imaging-telescope-with-sharp-vision/

Sky-Watcher AZ GTI

• A review article about Sky-Watcher AZ GTI in the “First Light” magazine: http://www.opticalvision.co.uk/user/SKYMAX-127%20AZ-GTi%20REVIEW%20S@N%20MAGAZINE.pdf
• A review article about Sky-Watcher AZ GTI by the Star Hunter: https://star-hunter.ru/en/sky-watcher-az-gti-mount-review/
• Using of of Sky-Watcher AZ GTI on the INDI platform: https://www.indilib.org/devices/mounts/az-gti.html
• The thread about Sky-Watcher AZ GTI in the INDI forum: https://www.indilib.org/forum/mounts/3482-skywatcher-az-gti-with-ekos.html
• The thread about Sky-Watcher AZ GTI in the Cloudy Nights forum: https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/586532-new-skywatcher-az-gti-goto-wifi-mount/page-105
• Sky-Watcher AZ-GTi alignment instructions when using SynScan by David Parks in the Cloudy Nights forum: https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/658474-skywatcher-synscanaz-gti-alignment-instructions/
• The thread about Sky-Watcher AZ-GTI useful links and accessories David Parks in the Cloudy Nights forum: https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/661513-skywatcher-az-gti-useful-links-and-accessories/
• A review and discussion about Sky-Watcher AZ GTI on Astrobin: https://www.astrobin.com/mmd2fu/?nc=user
• A discussion about connecting Sky Safari Plus 6 on iPhone to Sky-Watcher AZ GTI in the Stargazers Lounge: https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/350847-sky-safari-plus-6-not-connecting-on-iphone-to-az-gti/?tab=comments#comment-3823176
• An overview of Sky-Watcher AZ-GTI in the EQ mode, incl. Sky Safari: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=By6mBcMspGQ
• Tuning Sky-Watcher AZ-GTI, basically trying to reduce backlash. Note that, your mount might not have this problem! : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgEzeXrhhEg
• A discussion thread about Sky-Watcher AZ-GTI in the German-speaking astronomie.de forum: https://forum.astronomie.de/threads/erste-erfahrungen-mit-der-sky-watcher-az-gti.250881/
• Using the Sky-Watcher AZ GTI with a Windows PC, ASIAIR, and Stellarmate by David Parks in the Cloudy Night forum: https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/645335-using-the-skywatcher-azgti-with-a-windows-pc-asiair-and-stellarmate-review-and-opinion/
• A review Sky-Watcher AZ-GTI: https://www.amateurastrophotography.com/az-gti-mount

Guiding

• The history and details about the “ST-4” guiding interface: http://www.astrophotosite.com/tiki-index.php?page=ST-4
• About auto-guiding by Peter Zelinka: https://www.peterzelinka.com/blog/2019/4/auto-guiding-with-the-skyguider-pro
• About selecting a guide scope and auto-guiding camera for astrophotography by Brian Ventrudo at Agena Astro: https://agenaastro.com/articles/guides/autoguiding/selecting-a-guide-scope-and-autoguiding-camera-for-astrophotography.html
• Auto guiding tutorial using SkyGuider Pro and Star Adventurer by Peter Zelinka: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WuBKfo_KMo
• What can be concluded from the form of the guiding error corves? http://coldphotons.com/Reference/Analyzing_PHD2_Guide_Logs.pdf

ZWO ASIAIR Pro

• A report about the Live Stacking feature and discussions on in the Cloudy Nights forum: https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/701071-live-stacking-with-the-asiair-pro/#entry10102530
• A discussion about ASIAIR and Stellarmate in the Cloudy Nights forum: https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/656578-asiair-vs-stellarmate/
• A thread for ASIAIR tips, tricks, setup in the Cloudy Nights forum: https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/652943-asiair-tips-tricks-setup-consolidated/
• A general thread about ASIAIR in the Cloudy Nights forum: https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/718496-awo-asiairwho-here-is-using-one/page-5
• How to connect SkySafari 6 Plus to ASIAIR: https://support.simulationcurriculum.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/360043677554-How-To-Connect-SkySafari-6-Plus-Home-WiFi-via-ZWO-ASIAIR-EQMOD-Cable-SkyWatcher-EQ6R-Pro-Answer-Read-On-
• External antenna upgrade for Raspberry Pi 4. Can be used for ASIAIR Pro after the warranty ends or earlier if you don’t care: https://geeks-r-us.de/2019/08/31/wlan-bluetooth-upgrade-fuer-den-rpi-4/
• Hints and tips about ASIAIR by Blaine Korcel: https://eastwindastro.blogspot.com/?m=0
• A user group (one of two) for ASIAIR on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ASIAIR

Cameras

• Input related noise for different cameras at different ISO settings: https://www.photonstophotos.net/Charts/RN_e.htm
• Same as above, but based on DxOMark data: https://www.photonstophotos.net/Charts/ReadNoise_e.htm
• Canon EOS R5 vs EOS R6 Astrophotography and High ISO Review by Canonwatch.com: https://www.canonwatch.com/canon-eos-r5-vs-eos-r6-astrophotography-and-high-iso-review/
• An insightful view on using DSLRs in astrophotography: https://support.simulationcurriculum.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/115009259268-SkySafari-5-Plus-How-to-Show-Field-of-View-Using-DSLR-Only-
• Agena Buyer’s Guide to ZWO Astronomy Cameras: https://agenaastro.com/articles/guides/cameras/zwo-astronomy-cameras-buyers-guide.html
• Impressions from using Canon RP in astrophotography, in German: https://www.astronomicum.de/forum/21/1408
• About choosing the right ISO in astrophotography: https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-blogs/imaging-foundations-richard-wright/choose-iso-astrophotography/
• ISO and dynamic range: https://petapixel.com/2017/03/22/find-best-iso-astrophotography-dynamic-range-noise/
• A good overview of the technical background of the special way of selecting ISO in astrophotography: http://dslr-astrophotography.com/iso-dslr-astrophotography/
• Best ISO values for Canon cameras: http://dslr-astrophotography.com/iso-values-canon-cameras/
• “Deep Sky Astrophotography With CMOS Cameras” by Robin Glover (developer of SharpCap): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RH93UvP358

Various Gear Topics

• Astronomy threads explained by Agena Astro Products: https://agenaastro.com/articles/guides/miscellaneous/astronomy-threads-explained.html
• A black list of gear by Star Hunter: https://star-hunter.ru/en/black-list/
• The newspaper from the interest group AVL Lilienthal e.V., in German: https://www.avl-lilienthal.de/vereinszeitung.html
• Articles about astrophotography on Cloudy Nights (a bit aged though): https://www.cloudynights.com/articles/cat/articles/astrophotography/
• A comparison of different types of Astronomic filters: http://amitkamble.com/astronomik-filters-comparison/
• An article about the Astronomik UHC Filter: https://cynet0078.wixsite.com/opmmmgroup/post/astronomik-uhc-filter
• Comparing UHC, CLS and UHC-E filters – A review: https://www.astronomik.com/en/news/comparing_astronomik_cls_uhc_uhc-e/
• Light pollution filter comparison: https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/701910-light-pollution-filter-spectral-comparison/
• An overview of all-in-one imaging devices, in German: http://www.waloszek.de/astro_foto_dso_d.php
• Differential Flexure in extremes… Not sure I will ever be concerned by this… Not my skills level? 😉 : http://astronomy.mdodd.com/flexure.html

All-in-one guides

• A guide about amateur astrophotography, in German: https://www.watchgear.de/Leitfaden/Leitfaden.html
• A shopping guide for astrophotography gear, in German: http://www.scottys-universe.de/Kaufberatung.htm
• A great technical intro for astrophotography by Peter Zelinka: https://www.peterzelinka.com/blog/2019/12/pairing-a-camera-with-a-telescope-/-lens
• An Introduction into astrophotography, in German: https://astrofotografie.hohmann-edv.de/grundlagen
• A beginner guide for astrophotography, in German: https://www.astroshop.de/magazin/praxis/tipps-und-tricks/astrofotografie-fuer-einsteiger/i,1079
• What can you see in a telescope: http://www.deepskywatch.com/Articles/what-can-i-see-through-telescope.html
• Techniques for meteorite photography, in German: https://nacht-lichter.de/perseiden-2020

Software

• Astrophotography software for MacOS https://www.macobservatory.com/mac-astronomy-software
• DSLR processing in PixInsight: https://www.easypixinsight.com/dslr
• A basic work flow in PixInsight for DSLR astrophotography: https://dslr-astrophotography.com/basic-dslr-workflow-pixinsight/
• Tips, tricks and image processing from Bob Franke: http://bf-astro.com/imageProcessing.htm
• A bit more advanced workflow in PixInsight, my favorite one: https://www.star-watcher.ch/image-processing/my-processing-workflow/

Blogs

• Peter Zelinka: https://www.peterzelinka.com/
• Gerd Waloszek: http://www.waloszek.de/overview_astronomy_e.php
• 13parsec.de, in German: https://13parsec.de/index.php
• AstroBackyard: https://astrobackyard.com/
• Jerry Lodriguss: http://www.astropix.com/index.html
• Galactic Hunter: https://www.galactic-hunter.com/
• Nebula Photos: https://www.nebulaphotos.com/
• Sternenhimmel Fotografieren, in German: https://sternenhimmel-fotografieren.de/
• Andrea Minoia posts on NightSkyPix: https://nightskypix.com/about-andrea/

Image Galleries

• DeepskyColors by Rogelio Bernal Andreo – my personal “”Nr 1”: http://www.deepskycolors.com/rba_home.html
• Celestial Wonders: http://celestialwonders.com/
• “Astronomy Picture of the Day” (well, get their app (called APOD) if you prefer a modern UX, like I do): https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html .
• Sara Wager: https://www.swagastro.com
• Sternwarte Baerenstein: http://www.sternwarte-baerenstein.de/astronomical-images.html
• ESA Hubble images: https://esahubble.org/images/
• Very impressive panoramic and other works by J-P Metsavainio on https://astroanarchy.zenfolio.com

YouTube Channels

• astrophotocologne by Frank Sackenheim. My favorite one, in German.
• Peter Zelinka Calm, but shiny and to the point!
• AstroBackyard by Trevor Jones If you need a motivation boost and some advices, watch it! 🙂 Sometimes a bit commercialized though.
• Dylan O’Donnell Another very entertaining channel, reporting from Down Under 😉
• Nebula Photos by Nico Carver Interesting and sometimes unusual topics, seeing things from a pragmatic or different perspective!
• Cuiv, The Lazy Geek A truly lazy, truly geek! 😉