NGC 869–884, the Double Cluster in Perseus: this image represents 11 hours of RGB integration using a Takahashi 106/530 f/5 wide-field refractor and a ZWO ASI2600 MM Pro camera. It consists of 133 exposures—comprising 39x300s (Red filter), 47x300s (Green filter), and 47x300s (Blue filter)—processed with PixInsight and Photoshop. All data and images were acquired via Telescope Live.

I’m driving myself nuts trying to decide whether I bought the right lens!
I’m relatively new to astrophotography and recently purchased the Sony 24mm f/1.4 GM for my Sony A7 III.
My long-term goal is to eventually connect my camera to my Celestron NexStar 8SE telescope, but right now I’m mainly interested in capturing some beautiful Milky Way shots.
I recently traveled to Goblin Valley, Utah, for a stargazing trip. It was an incredible experience, although I quickly realized I had no idea what I was doing with the camera!
One thing I did notice was that the 24mm didn’t capture nearly as much of the Milky Way as I’d expected. I started wondering whether I should have gone with something wider, like a 14mm, 16mm, or 20mm.
I understand the 24mm f/1.4 GM is an excellent lens, especially in low light, but these lenses aren’t cheap, and I’d rather make the right decision now while I can still return it.
For those of you who regularly photograph the Milky Way:
What focal length do you use most often?
Would you recommend keeping the 24mm f/1.4 or exchanging it for something wider?
Is there a significant trade-off in image quality or light gathering when moving to something like a 16mm f/1.8?
If you could own only one lens specifically for Milky Way photography, what would it be?
I’d eventually love to capture both detailed shots of the Milky Way core and those beautiful wide-angle shots showing the entire Milky Way arch.
I’d really appreciate some advice from people with more experience before I spend any more money!

NGC 6334, the Cat's Paw Nebula: this image represents 4 hours and 40 minutes of integration time using a Tecnosky AG 90 (90/450 f/5) telescope and a ZWO ASI 6200 MC-P camera. It consists of 18 exposures taken with an L-Extreme filter, along with 10 dark, 10 flat, and 10 bias frames. I processed the data using PixInsight and Photoshop, aiming to extract as much signal as possible. All data and images were acquired via Telescope Network.

Pacman nebula with the dwarf 3 from north Yorkshire

I am new to Astrophotography, so sorry if its obvious. I took this picture in my garden and for me it looks like i took a photo of the milkyway, but i am not sure.

Olá pessoal! Precisava de alguns feedbacks!

See also: The publication in ArXiV

Canon EOS R und dem Canon RF 16mm f2,8

Photos from some time ago, no moon, south of Chile

NOTE: This article is complemented by six published in the Open Journal of Astrobiology.