1. The list in brief ↴
2. Best overall
3. Best for deep sky astro
4. Best for mid-weight setups
5. Best for battery life
6. Best for small setups
7. Best value
8. Best star trackers FAQ
9. How we test
One of the best star trackers is an important piece of equipment for anyone wishing to take long exposure shots of the night sky. In order to let enough light in from more distant stars or galaxies, you'll need to go for a longer exposure time. But with exposure times over around ten seconds the rotation of the Earth means that you risk taking a photo with blurry star trails (which is sometimes great for an artsy shot, but not when you're aiming for a sharp image!)
Here's where star trackers come in. They work similarly to equatorial mounts on telescopes but are designed specifically for cameras. To function properly, star trackers must be aligned with Polaris, which represents the north celestial pole in the northern hemisphere, or with the south celestial pole in the southern hemisphere. Once aligned, the tracker moves at the correct speed to match Earth's rotation, keeping your camera aligned with the target subject and preventing trails in your photos. This ensures that your images turn out clear and without any blurring caused by the Earth's movement during long exposures.
If you're new to astrophotography, check out our guide to astrophotography for beginners for more tips and tricks. We also have recommendations for the best cameras for astrophotography, the best lenses for astrophotography and the best tripods to mount all your kit on.
The quick list
Best overall
Our top pick, but it's incredibly expensive. It's waterproof, has a huge-capacity battery and even has a built-in camera interface controller.
Best for deep sky astro
For deep sky astro, this is the one you want. It can hold payloads of up to 5kg so it's great for the heavier lenses that often come with the territory of deep sky viewing — it can even hold a small telescope.
Best for mid-weight setups
The SAM gives excellent tracking and has a compact and lightweight design, but it's let down by one thing — its poor app.
Best for battery life
Offers a whopping 24 hours of battery life, ideal for long nights of shooting. It's affordable, compact and lightweight, but it lacks ultimate precision.
Best for small setups
With a payload of 5.5 lbs/2.5kg, this lightweight star tracker is best suited to the lighter payloads you'll often encounter with mirrorless systems — though it does also have a short battery life.
Best value
Ideal for anyone working to a budget who doesn't need anything fancy. It's small, light and easy to align, but it's only accurate for a few minutes.
Best star trackers for astrophotography we recommend in 2023
Why you can trust Space.com Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test and review products.
Best overall
✅ You have heavy kit: It can support payloads of up to 15 lbs/7kg, which is the most on this list — certainly more than enough for most setups.
✅ You want something lightweight: Despite its ability to support heavier payloads, it itself weighs only 3.3 lbs/1.5kg, which is unusual for star trackers.
❌ You don't have a big budget: This is incredibly expensive, so only really accessible to those who have big budgets.
🔎 Benro Polaris The star tracker to end all star trackers, our only criticism is the high price tag, which is to be expected with the amount of tech that this little device has in it. It's lightweight but still carries heavier payloads, and offers excellent star tracking capabilities. ★★★★★
The Benro Polaris is an exception to the rule of the majority of star trackers, which typically have to compromise between their own weight and the weight of their payload. But the Polaris, weighing only 3.3 lbs (1.5 kg), is incredibly lightweight and extremely supportive, taking 15 lbs (7 kg) of gear—the most of any star tracker mount so far.
The Benro Polaris stands out with its strong waterproof rating of IPX6 and powerful high torque motors, ensuring excellent star-tracking capabilities. It goes beyond the norm by offering an integrated DSLR control feature, allowing you to adjust photo compositions remotely. Additionally, it has a handy built-in micro SD card slot, and you can even control the Benro Polaris using your cellphone network.
The Polaris's huge 2500 mAh battery can be recharged via USB-C, while alignment is via any subject from a choice presented on a smartphone app. Regardless of how sophisticated the best star trackers appear to be, this electric tripod head shows that their days are numbered. All of this top-quality tech does come at a high price though, sitting around $1200.
- Benro also produces some of the Best tripods
| Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
| Design | Excellent build quality |
| Performance | Can adjust photo compositions remotely |
| Functionality | Top quality tech |
Best for deep sky astro
✅ You do a lot of deep sky astrophotography: This star tracker is specifically designed for bigger payloads and longer exposures that come with photographing far-away objects.
❌ You want something lightweight: It weighs 3.2 lbs/1.45kg by itself, and as it requires a counterweight, that adds an additional 3 lbs/1.35kg.
🔎 iOptron SkyGuider Pro The perfect star tracker for shooting deep sky objects, this option is specifically designed for heavy payloads — you could even use a small telescope with it. However, it's expensive and not particularly lightweight. ★★★★½
While lots of star trackers cater to landscape photographers aiming to lighten their load during outdoor shoots for wide-angle night sky compositions, there's a whole bunch of astrophotographers who are all about those telephoto lenses, capturing light from far-off deep-sky objects. That means bigger payloads and longer exposures, which is what the iOptron SkyGuider Pro is designed for.
This product behaves somewhat like a motorized equatorial mount in certain ways because it can handle a weight capacity of around 11 lbs (5 kg). This means it's capable of supporting long lenses or even a small telescope. However, its wedge lacks some precision, which is a downside. Another drawback is that it requires a counterweight to reach its higher-than-average capacity, and this adds an additional 3 lbs (1.35kg) to the overall weight of the product (and therefore your camera bag).
Aligning using its electronic polar finderscope and iOptron Polar Scope app is simple, and like most of its rivals, it also tracks the sun, moon and allows 1/2-speed motion time lapses at night.
- Learn how to view and photograph comets in our comprehensive guide
| Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
| Design | Designed for bigger payloads |
| Performance | Best for deep sky objects |
| Functionality | Requires counterweight |
Best for mid-weight setups
✅ You want exposures up to 4 minutes: For those long nights of shooting long exposures, SAM is a great choice.
✅ You don't have a super heavy setup: The SAM can support up to 3kg, which is more than enough for most mirrorless setups.
❌ You want a reliable app: We noted in our review that the app would often crash and was overall quite bad.
🔎 Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer Mini It's easy to use and one of the most accurate, most versatile and best value star trackers on the market. However, it's got one major weakness – its poor app. ★★★★
The Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer Mini (or 'SAM' for short) is good value star tracker that balances portability with a high degree of accuracy. It can take up to 6.6 lbs (3kg) of kit but is still easy enough to carry in your camera backpack to a less light-polluted spot for your astrophotography shoot.
In our Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer Mini review we found this star tracker fairly easy to set up and it produced great results once it was up and running, giving us pin-sharp stars during tracks of up to four minutes.
The 'Pro Pack' that we reviewed also came with a range of accessories, including an equatorial wedge, ball-head adapter and a polar scope for aligning the mount — though you'll still have to provide a ball-head for your camera. It runs off two AA batteries, but since these only lasted us three nights of extended shooting it's probably worth plugging it into a portable battery via the micro-USB port.
The biggest downside to this star tracker is the SA Console app. We found the app to be very unreliable and it disconnected or stopped working every time we used it. For a product at this price point, we would definitely expect better. However, aside from the app, the SAM is one of the best star trackers around.
| Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
| Design | Compact and lightweight |
| Performance | Reliable tracking, but app is very bad |
| Functionality | 3kg payload |
Best for battery life
✅ You're on a budget: While it isn't cheap by any stretch, for what it is, we think it's a very reasonable and affordable price.
✅ You do long shooting sessions: The internal battery boasts an impressive 24-hour runtime, perfect for long nights of shooting.
❌ You focus on deep sky nightscapes: Wide-angle nightscapes is where this star tracker excels, so if your main interest is deep sky objects, there are better star trackers suited for that.
🔎 iOptron SkyTracker Pro An affordable star tracker with impressive battery life, a compact and lightweight design and it can track a variety of celestial objects. ★★★★
In the iOptron lineup, the SkyGuider Pro is ideal for deep-sky photography, while the SkyTracker Pro is more suited for wide-angle nightscapes. The SkyTracker Pro can handle a payload of 6.6 lbs (3 kg), which is less than the SkyGuider Pro, and it weighs 2.5 lbs (1.1 kg), making it lighter as well. This makes it a great option for photographers who want to carry a star tracker in their camera bag while traveling.
In addition to accurately tracking celestial objects in the night sky, this star tracker offers the capability to track the Sun and Moon, making it versatile beyond nocturnal landscapes. It also features a convenient half-speed mode for capturing captivating time-lapse photos. Notably, its internal battery boasts an impressive 24-hour runtime. This star tracker offers excellent value for its reasonable price and includes useful extras such as a counterweight and a declination bracket, enhancing its payload capacity.
- Take a look at the best camera backpacks to keep your kit safe while traveling
| Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
| Design | Compact and lightweight |
| Performance | Impressive 24 hour battery life |
| Functionality | Offers sun and moon tracking |
Best for small setups
✅ You have a lightweight setup: It can only hold loads of up to 5.5 lbs/2.5kg, so lighter setups are ideal here.
❌ You want to do a lot of long exposures: It only has a short two-hour battery life, which will be fine for many circumstances, but if you plan on long nights of shooting you'd need a separate power bank.
🔎 Vixen Polarie Star Tracker For astrophotographers who only have a lightweight setup and don't need to use it for hours at a time, it's a decent option. ★★★
Star trackers inevitably involve a compromise between size and versatility, and the Polarie embraces this trade-off by offering a compact form factor that can accommodate a maximum payload of 2.5 kg. As a result, it excels when paired with lightweight equipment and wide-angle lenses. This should be fine for a regular DSLR or mirrorless camera but don't expect to fit a huge telephoto on there as well. Opting for a mirrorless camera body which is naturally lighter than a DSLR further expands the range of possibilities, providing increased flexibility and additional options for astrophotography enthusiasts.
Alignment is done via a supplied compass, a built-in latitude meter and a polar sight hole, so you will have to know how to locate Polaris and/or the south celestial pole. On hand to help are both red light illumination and the Vixen PF-L Assist app for smartphones, and you can have a look at our handy guide on how to find the north star, too.
The Polarie can follow the Moon and Sun in addition to long exposure astrophotography (the latter useful for solar eclipses), and its half-speed feature allows motion time-lapses at night.
Its short two-hour battery life can be augmented by instead attaching a power bank to its micro USB slot. You have the option to increase the payload capacity to 6.5 kg by using additional accessories like a counterweight, polar axis scope and time-lapse adapter.
- Check out the Zendure SuperTank Pro power bank which is perfect for power-hungry astronomers
| Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
| Design | Compact size |
| Performance | Small payload and battery life |
| Functionality | Tracks sun and moon |
Best value
✅ You're on a budget: If you're looking for an affordable star tracker that'll do the basics, this is a great option.
✅ You want something lightweight: As far as star trackers go, this one is probably as compact and lightweight as they come.
❌ You want to use longer lenses: We noted in our review that it's only really good for wide-angle lenses, so anyone wanting to use long lenses would outgrow it quickly.
🔎 Move Shoot Move Star Tracker A decent, affordable bit of kit that does the job. There are some compromises, but overall it does what you want it to do ★★★½
The Move Shoot Move Star Tracker is one of the cheapest and lightest star trackers around. Weighing in at only 450g and measuring 43mm x 80mm x 99mm, it will literally fit in your pocket. It also features USB-C charging with up to five hours of continuous use per charge and will even continue to work while you charge it, so it's ideal for last-minute trips.
Although a price of less than $250 is attractive for a star tracker, this may not be quite as good a deal as it seems. In our Move Shoot Move Star Tracker review we found ourselves needing several other bits of kit to get the Move Shoot Move to work properly, including two tripod heads, a wedge and a laser pointer for alignment purposes. If you don't already own such supplies, you could easily be forking out an extra $400 by the time you're up and running.
That said, we found the Move Shoot Move a reliable little unit on the whole. We were able to take long exposure shots of up to five minutes with a 14mm lens and up to three minutes with a 24mm lens, with impressive results. We'd say that the Move Shoot Move isn't ideal for longer lenses as we found that this can make the camera slip a bit on the rotating disc if it's not mounted level. But for those who prefer using shorter lenses, this is a very solid star tracker for the money, and extremely portable.
Note: We currently can't find this in stock on any of our affiliate websites, but if you do manage to get your hands on it, we think it's one of the best star trackers around.
- Read our full Move Shoot Move star tracker review
| Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
| Design | Very compact, feels well-made and robust |
| Performance | Works best with wider lenses |
| Functionality | Excellent battery life |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a star tracker in photography?
A star tracker is a small, motorized mount that sits between a camera and a tripod. The star tracker rotates the camera in synchronous with the Earth. This prevents star trails that would otherwise be captured during long exposures of the night sky.
Star trackers are useful for a variety of scenarios. Whether taking astrophotographs of the Milky Way with a wide-angle lens, or using a telephoto lens to image deep sky objects such as nebulas, galaxies, star clusters and more.
What should I look for in a camera star tracker?
Not all star trackers are built the same. While they all sit between your tripod and camera, most vary in size, weight and design.
The most important implication of this is that different star trackers can handle different payloads (in other words, the weight of your combined kit), so depending on how heavy your camera and lens are, you'll want to choose your tracker wisely.
Additionally, some star trackers work well for telephoto lenses pointed at specific targets, while others are best suited for shorter wide-angle lenses (used for capturing the Milky Way, for example).
As well as the payload capacity, star trackers' accuracy varies between models and brands. More premium models will cost you more but will also deliver much more accurate images.
What is the best star tracker I can buy?
We think the Benro Polaris is the best star tracker overall because it's easy to align, has a camera interface controller and has excellent build quality. However, it is also the most expensive.
For those with a tighter budget, we'd recommend the iOptron SkyGuider Pro which can accommodate a heavy payload of up to 5 kg, is suitable for deep sky astrophotography and will be more than powerful enough to cope with long, telephoto lenses.
Do I need any other camera accessories before using my star tracker?
Before taking your first astrophotograph with a star tracker you will need: A camera, lens, tripod and tripod head. Ideally, you'd also use a remote shutter release or intervalometer to trigger the camera without having to touch it, as this will prevent camera shake blur. There may also be other camera accessories like a headlamp or power bank that can help.
What is a star tracker's maximum payload?
The maximum payload of a star tracker is how much weight it can reliably support. This would be the combined maximum weight of your camera, lens and any camera accessories in use like a tripod head.
However, you'll also want to assess the load-bearing ability of your tripod, to check if it can cope with the weight of all the gear plus the star tracker. If in doubt, go for bigger capacity mounts because as a rule of thumb, it's best to have your rig's total weight about half the capacity of the mount.
How we test the best star trackers for astrophotography
To guarantee you're getting honest, up-to-date recommendations on the best star trackers for astrophotography to buy here at Space.com we make sure to put every star tracker through a rigorous review to fully test each instrument. Each star tracker is reviewed based on a multitude of aspects, from its construction and design, to how well it functions as an imaging instrument and its performance in the field.
Each star tracker is carefully tested by expert staff or knowledgeable freelance contributors who know their subject areas in depth. This ensures fair reviewing is backed by personal, hands-on experience with each star tracker and is judged based on its price point, class and destined use.
We look at how easy it is to set up, whether the star tracker mounts are reliable and quiet, if a star tracker comes with appropriate accessories and also make suggestions if a particular star tracker would benefit from any additional kit to give you the best astrophotography experience possible.
With complete editorial independence, Space.com are here to ensure you get the best buying advice on star trackers, whether you should purchase an instrument or not, making our buying guides and reviews reliable and transparent.
