Astrotourism, dark-sky and Northern Lights travel essentials

It’s not the latest camera — it was originally launched in 2021 — but if you want one body that can handle both astro road trips and serious landscape work, Sony’s A7 IV is hard to beat. During our full Sony A7 IV review, its full-frame sensor delivered clean, detailed files, and sported robust weather sealing and a comfortable grip. It's a reassuring companion for cold, windy nights on a tripod under clear skies.

Its high ISO performance is astounding, while its “bright monitoring” mode helps you compose your image in the dark. It’s one of the best Sony cameras we've used for astrophotography.

If you want one optic that works for both daytime wildlife and casual night-sky trips, this budget-friendly 10x50 is a solid place to start. Phase-coated BaK-4 prisms and fully multi-coated ED lenses give surprisingly crisp, contrasty views for the money, while the waterproof, rubber-armored body shrugs off showers, sea spray and being dragged in and out of a rucksack on long hikes.

At just over 21 ounces (600g), they’re light enough for kids and beginners, yet offer enough magnification to sweep star fields, frame the moon and scan for star clusters. They’re not the very best deep-sky binoculars, but they’re an excellent all-rounder for dark sky adventures.

A few years ago, the idea of taking a smart telescope on a trip to dark skies would have seemed mad. Now they’re a no-brainer. The ZWO Seestar S30 is a smartphone-operated scope with a Sony IMX662 sensor inside that weighs just 3.5 pounds (1.6kg) and takes up no more space in a camera bag than a wide-angle lens.

Its 30 mm (1.1-inch) f/5 apochromatic triplet and 150 mm focal length optics can capture spectacular HD images of faint galaxies, nebulas and globular clusters — as well as the sun, using its solar filter.

If you swear by Nikon cameras for astro, get a Zelda. Ideal for the Nikon Z5, Z6/II or Z7/II, it’s an L-bracket that keeps your Z-series body perfectly still on a tripod, whether you’re framing a wide Milky Way landscape or flipping to portrait for aurora arcs. For deep-sky astrophotography, it lets you switch orientation without disturbing your tripod or polar alignment — vital for long exposures when using a star tracker.

Shoot Sony, Canon or OM System instead? Look for 3 Legged Thing’s Arnie, Roxie, Riley, Ollie or Zooey models — the same idea, the same single piece of magnesium alloy. There's a bracket for every camera, so make sure you get the right one for your setup.

If you’ve ever had to kneel in snow, in a bog or on icy gravel to frame an aurora or astro shot, you’ll know why this little pad earns a place in any astro gear list. An insulated sit-pad that you can throw under your knees or backside is perfect for when you need to tweak a lightweight, low-hanging travel tripod or shoot from low angles. Inexpensive and featherweight, it packs almost flat in a side pocket.

A tripod is at the center of everything when you’re photographing the night sky. The Benro Rhino Series Two is not the most compact travel option, but since being ultra-light can be fool’s gold in strong winds, its solidity is critical, as we mentioned in our full Benro Rhino review.

Hitting the sweet spot between strength and portability, this tripod’s carbon fiber legs, helpfully tall working height and generous 40-pound (18 kg) payload make it ideal for full-frame cameras, long lenses or even big astronomy binoculars on a dark-sky trip. Its twist locks can bite a bit in the cold, but you’ll quickly warm to the Rhino.

Listen up, aurora chasers after jaw-dropping shots — it’s time to go 360! Want an all-sky aurora dome, a sweeping widescreen landscape or a “tiny planet” selfie under the stars? The GoPro Max 2 lets you capture the entire sky and foreground in one shot, then decide later what to do with it. Replaceable lens covers, rugged waterproof housing and excellent stabilisation mean you can use it all day as an action cam, then leave it running on a tripod for all-night 3K 60 FPS aurora time-lapses.

You’re shooting the Milky Way in the Namibian desert…you’re in the wilds of Alaska with the aurora hanging… or you’re in Spain searching for a spot in the path of totality so you can witness a total solar eclipse. Astrourism demands mobile data, so that you can use GPS, download maps, check cloud forecasts and space weather data, and post images afterwards.

Global data app Airalo lets you download a local or regional eSIM before you fly, so you land with data already active and no need to hunt for a SIM kiosk. Pick a data bundle for your destination, scan a QR code and your phone is online for maps, messaging and uploading images — without sky-high roaming bills.

For night-sky trips where you need to hike to a dark site, here’s a pack that can do almost everything. The 25L and 45L Outdoor Backpacks combine a tough, weatherproof shell with roll-top and full back-panel access, so you can grab a camera or extra layer without emptying the bag in the dark. We thought it was an excellent all-rounder for outdoor activities in our full Peak Design Outdoor Backpack review.

Add a Peak Design camera cube and you’ve got padded space for a camera body, a couple of lenses and filters, plus deep side pockets for a tripod and water bottle.

Astrophotography lives or dies on clear skies, so a good weather app is as essential as a tripod. Windy.com pulls together ECMWF (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts), GFS (Global Forecast System) and other pro-grade weather models into an intuitive map you can easily search.

Upgrade to Premium and you get more frequent updates, higher-resolution forecasts and extra layers for low, mid and high cloud — which can be decisive when you need to judge whether it really is going to be a clear sky. Essential stuff for astrophotography, eclipse chasing, seeing the northern lights and Milky Way work.