Software
In-depth coverage of Mac-compatible astronomy and astrophotography software. We go beyond feature lists to show how apps actually perform in real workflows — from telescope control suites like INDIGO A1 and KStars/EKOS to processing powerhouses like PixInsight and Astro Pixel Processor. Includes deep dives, software directories, and workflow guides for macOS, iOS, and iPadOS.
Laminar 1.5 Brings Live Calibration to Mac Planetary and Solar Capture
Laminar 1.5 applies dark, flat, and hot pixel correction to the live preview as you focus and tune, with in-app capture wizards, a per-camera master library, and import for existing FITS and SER masters.
Introducing Ephemeris: Native PHD2 Guide Log Analysis on the Mac
Ephemeris is a free, Mac-native viewer for PHD2 guide logs — Swift Charts, FFT, multi-session combine, drag-to-exclude. Available now from Mac Observatory.
Mac Observatory Automation with ASCOM Alpaca: What Works in 2026
ASCOM Alpaca Is Quietly Unlocking Full Observatory Automation for Mac Users The biggest obstacle to running a fully automated observatory on a Mac has never
Deep-Sky Stacking Software for Mac: The Complete 2026 Guide
Deep-sky stacking software combines multiple long-exposure astrophotography frames, calibrated with darks, flats, and bias frames, into a single high-signal image by aligning
KStars, Ekos and INDI on the Mac: What Works in 2026
KStars and Ekos are free and actively developed, but the official Mac build is still Intel-only. Where to run them, and what to use instead.
INDIGO A1: CloudMakers' All-in-One Mac Astrophotography Suite
CloudMakers' all-in-one native Mac astrophotography suite: camera control, autoguiding, mount control and plate solving, free with three $24.99 modules.
PixInsight on the Mac: The Definitive Deep Dive
The most powerful astrophotography processing tool ever built asks you to think like a scientist — not a photographer. Here's what Mac users need
Getting Started with Astrophotography on the Mac (2025–2026)
Astrophotography on macOS has come a long way since the early days of “figure it out yourself.” In 2025, you can do serious deep-sky
The Role of AI in Astrophotography Image Processing: Tools and Controversies
Astrophotography has always been a challenging yet rewarding pursuit, requiring skillful image processing to bring out the finest details of celestial objects. Traditionally, tools like
The Growing List of Mac Planetary Imaging and Processing Applications
AutoStakkert has no Mac version. It never has, and the developer says there are no plans for one: the official download page states the software
Astronomy and astrophotography planning with AstroPlanner on the Mac
Overview of AstroPlanner AstroPlanner is a complete system for tracking observations and planning out nightly viewing or imaging sessions with your equipment. It also offers
An overview of Observer Pro on the iPhone
Observer pro is really an invaluable application to use for choosing targets in the night sky. It contains objects from all the large catalogs Messier,