Astrophotography from the Netherlands.

I focus on capturing celestial events that can be observed from our latitude.

From meteor showers and planetary alignments to solar & lunar eclipses
and the subtle glow of the Milky Way during dark summer nights. 

This calendar highlights key astronomical events observable from the Netherlands,
turning precise moments in time into visual records of the night sky as seen from here.

Calendar 2026

DATE

EVENT

TIME

Direction

max height

03.01

FULL MOON - WOLF MOON - SUPERMOON

RISE 13.59

s

66°

01.02

FULL MOON - SNOW MOON

RISE 16.49

s

51°

28.02

planetary Alignment

18.45 - 19.45

S / SW > W

52° > 4°

03.03

fULL MOON - BLOOD MOON

RISE 18.37

s

47°

02.04

FULL MOON - pINK MOON

RISE 21.09

s

30°

27.04

Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) (20.04 - 29.04)

21.30 - 23.30

W / NW > NW

6,2° > 0°

22.04

Lyrids Meteor Shower (18 meteors / hour) (ACTIVE 16.04 - 25.04)

23.30 - 04.30

NE > S / SE

28° > 82°

01.05

fULL MOON - FLOWER MOON - MICROMOON

RISE 21.26

s

21°

06.05

Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower (15 meteors / hour) (ACTIVE 19.04 - 28.05)

02.00 - 04.30

E / SE

6° / 18°

31.05

FULL MOON - BLUE MOON - MICROMOON

RISE 22.47

s

11°

29.06

FULL MOON - STRAWBERRY MOON - MICROMOON

RISE 22.25

s

29.07

FULL MOON - BUCK MOON

RISE 21.48

s

14°

12.08

Planetary Alignment

05.00 - 05.30

E > S

4° > 44°

12.08

Total solar eclipse

19.16 - 21.02

W / NW

15° > 0°

12.08

Perseids Meteor Shower (100 meteors / hour) (ACTIVE 17.07 - 24.08)

23.00 - 05.30

NE

45° / 70°

28.08

Partial Lunar Eclipse

03.23 - 06.53

S / SW > W / SW

21,8° > 0°

28.08

FULL MOON - STURGEON MOON

RISE 20.36

s

27°

26.09

FULL MOON - HARVEST MOON

RISE 19.05

s

37°

26.10

FULL MOON - HUNTERS MOON

RISE 16.57

s

53°

24.11

FULL MOON - BEAVER MOON - SUPERMOON

RISE 15.52

s

63°

24.12

FULL MOON - COLD MOON - SUPERMOON

RISE 16.41

s

65°

camera settings

For sharp, non-trailed astrophotography, the 400 Rule is used to estimate the maximum shutter speed before stars begin to appear as streaks.
The rule is simple: divide 400 by the focal length of your lens (in millimeters) to calculate the maximum exposure time in seconds.

Make sure to check if your camera has a full-frame sensor or crop sensor before applying the rule.

Full-frame sensor
400 ÷ focal length (mm) = maximum shutter speed (seconds)
Example
400 ÷ 200 mm = 2,5 seconds

Crop sensor
400 ÷ focal length (mm) x crop factor = maximum shutter speed (seconds)
Example
400 ÷ 200 mm x 1,6 (= 320 mm) = 1,25 seconds

For sharp star photos without trails, shoot in Manual mode (M) and use manual focus,
carefully focusing on a bright star using live view at maximum zoom.

Set your aperture wide open (around f/1.8 to f/4), choose an ISO between 1600 and 3200 depending on light pollution,
and use a shutter speed based on the 400 rule to prevent star movement.

Turn off image stabilization, shoot in RAW for maximum editing flexibility,
use a sturdy tripod, and trigger the camera with a timer or remote to avoid vibrations.

Star trail Photography
Star trail photography captures the movement of stars.
Choose a dark location with an interesting foreground and point your camera toward Polaris for circular trails or east/west for flowing lines.

Mount the camera on a sturdy tripod, use manual focus on a bright star,
turn off image stabilization, and shoot in RAW.

Capture a sequence of shots over 1 to 2 hours. Set the shutter speed to 20 or 30 seconds at f/2.8 to f/5.6 and ISO 400 to 1600. 
Later, combine the images in software like StarStaX to create smooth,
continuous trails, optionally blending with a sharp foreground for added detail.

 

© 2026 Niek Schippers. All rights reserved.