How to Photograph the Milky Way from the Urban City

For most astrophotographers, Milky Way photography comes with a notorious bottleneck: light pollution.

To capture deep, contrasty details of the galactic core, photographers typically have to drive hours away to remote, dark-sky sites (Bortle 1–3). For city dwellers, that isn’t always feasible.

What if you could capture the Milky Way right from your urban backyard or balcony?

Enter Infrared (IR) Milky Way Photography. By imaging in the near-infrared spectrum, you can effectively cut through artificial glow and light pollution, making the intricate dust lanes of the Milky Way pop. Compared to traditional visible-light imaging, IR capture is vastly more forgiving of bright urban skies—opening up the thrill of astrophotography to everyone, right from home.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to use ToupTek Astro cameras and equipment to master urban infrared astrophotography.

1.    Gear Preparation & Setup for Infrared Milky Way Shooting

Before heading out to your balcony, here is what you will need:

• An IR-sensitive astronomy camera
• A sturdy tripod or support mount
• A compatible lens
• An IR-pass filter
• A laptop or smartphone for image acquisition
• Required USB data cables

Camera Selection:

We recommend using planetary/guide cameras with high near-infrared (NIR) sensitivity:

• GPM Series: GPM662M / GPM662C
• G3M Series: G3M678M/C / G3M2210M/C
• AE Series: AE676C

The All-in-One IR Milky Way Kit:

To get you up and running right out of the box, ToupTek Astro offers dedicated IR Milky Way Bundles for the GPM662M and G3M662C, which include:

• CS-Mount Fisheye Lens: 2.8mm focal length, f/2.0 aperture, 1/2.5" image format, and an ultra-wide 126° Field of View (FOV)—perfect for sweeping across the entire expanse of the Milky Way.
• LP825 Infrared Filter: Delivers 50% transmittance at 825nm and up to 100% transmittance above 850nm. It aggressively cuts out visible light pollution while preserving a gentle bandwidth around 825nm to retain fine structural details in lower-pollution zones.

Mounting Camera & Lens:

Depending on your camera series, mounting steps vary slightly:

• GPM Series: Remove the factory front window adapter ring and CS lens mount. Install the bundled LP825 filter adapter ring, re-attach the CS lens mount, and thread in your fisheye lens.
• G3M Series: Remove the front C-mount / CS-mount ring, then install the LP825 filter CS-adapter ring alongside the lens.
• AE676C: Comes standard with an LP825 filter cap and CS lens in the box. Simply thread the CS lens into the front of the camera body and snap on the IR filter cap.

Mounting & Stabilization:

Camera Series	Mounting Method
GPM/G3M Series	Lacks bottom thread holes. Secure using a crab clamp paired with a gorilla pod or standard photographic tripod.
AE676C	Features a standard 1/4" tripod thread on the back of the camera body for direct mounting.

 

2. Software Compatibility

ToupTek cameras are widely supported across major acquisition software packages. Choose the software that best fits your platform:

Operating System/Setup	Recommended Capture Software
Windows	SharpCap, ToupSky, ToupLite, ToupView
macOS	FireCapture, ToupLite
iOS/Android	ToupView
StellaVita	StellaVita App

All software listed above can be downloaded for free. ToupTek native software (ToupSky, ToupLite, ToupView) automatically recognizes connected cameras via plug-and-play.

 

3. Step-by-step Acquisition Guide for Infrared Milky Way Images

The following walkthrough uses the AE676C + ToupSky (Windows) as an example. The operational flow remains identical for GPM and G3M series cameras.

Step 1: Connect your hardware

Connect the AE676C to your PC using a USB-C cable (Note: G3M series cameras require a USB 3.0 cable). Launch ToupSky, click on the detected camera from the side menu, and the real-time live preview will appear.

Step 2: Focus

Connect the AE676C to your PC using a USB-C cable (Note: G3M series cameras require a USB 3.0 cable). Launch ToupSky, click on the detected camera from the side menu, and the real-time live preview will appear.

Step 3: Adjust exposure settings

Parameter	Recommended Initial Value
Bit Depth	16-bit
File Format	Raw
Offset / Dark Level	-500
Gain Mode	HCG (High Conversion Gain)
Gain	1-10 seconds (start at 5s)
Exposure Time	10-100

Pro Tip: Because urban sky brightness, light pollution levels, moon phases, and lens configurations vary by location, there is no single "magic" exposure setting. Fine-tune your exposure and gain in video/live preview mode until the core structure of the Milky Way is clearly distinguishable without overexposing the sky background.

Once tuned, capture single frames via Capture, or capture a video stream using the Video Record tool.

 

Step 4: Adjust TEC cooling (AE676C only)

If you are using the AE676C, turn on the integrated TEC (Thermoelectric Cooling) module. Lowering the sensor temperature to ~5°C below ambient (e.g., pulling a 30°C hot summer night down to ~25°C) dramatically reduces thermal dark noise and keeps your background sky clean.

Step 5: Color & calibration adjustment (optional)

• False-Color Styling: If shooting in color mode, play with White Balance and color sliders to create custom pseudo-color artistic rendered styles.

• Dark Frame Subtraction: To eliminate sensor hot pixels and thermal noise, put the lens cap tightly on, match your exact exposure settings (Gain, Exposure Time, Temperature), and shoot 10–20 dark frames. ToupSky supports real-time dark subtraction during live acquisition.

Step 6: Live stacking for maximum signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)

To transform a noisy city exposure into a clean image, use Live Stacking:

1. Open the Live Stacking tab in ToupSky and select Average mode.
2. Enable Align Frames.
3. Set your target frame count (e.g., 20 frames).

As the software aligns and stacks exposures in real time, light pollution noise will drop dramatically while the Milky Way dust lanes gain contrast and clarity.

Step 7: Exporting your shots

Save your final images from the top menu bar in PNG, TIFF, or FITS format (FITS is recommended for further post-processing in PixInsight or Siril).

For video exports, set your preferred video container format and save path under Options -> Preferences.

4. Mobile Setup: Shooting via StellaVita 

If you prefer a portable, wire-free setup without lugging a laptop outside, use the StellaVita:

1. Connect the AE676C to StellaVita via USB-C (USB 3.0 for G3M series).
2. Power up StellaVita and connect your phone or tablet to its Wi-Fi hotspot.
3. Open the StellaVita App and pair the camera.
4. Set HCG Gain Mode, turn on TEC Cooling, and adjust exposure/gain sliders.

Advanced Mobile Workflow: Automated Calibration Stacking

You can perform automated live stacking directly inside the StellaVita App using Dark and Bias calibration frames:

• Dark Frames: Cover the lens with the cap; keep exposure parameters identical to light frames.
• Bias Frames: Cover the lens with the cap; set exposure time to the camera’s minimum supported duration (or accept StellaVita’s default recommendation).

Once calibration frames are captured, add them under the Flat/Dark Calibration menu, define your stack target count, and start capturing.

5. Summary

Single Frame vs. Calibrated Live Stack

• Uncalibrated Single Frame: Shows noticeable thermal noise, hot pixels, and uneven background sky glow.
• Stacked + Dark Subtracted Frame: Background sky turns smooth and uniform, background noise disappears, and the faint dust structure of the Milky Way shines through clearly.

Why Try Infrared Milky Way Imaging?

Compared to traditional visible-light astrophotography, infrared imaging presents a fresh visual paradigm. By filtering out city light pollution wavelengths, IR capture accentuates dark dust clouds and structural contrast across the galactic plane. If you've been locked out of deep-sky imaging due to bright city lights, infrared Milky Way photography is one of the most rewarding techniques to try right from home.