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AsteriaStar
Imaging technique

Autoguiding

Keeping a telescope locked precisely on target during a long exposure by continuously imaging a guide star and sending tiny correction commands to the mount to cancel tracking errors. Autoguiding is what makes hours-long deep-sky exposures possible without the stars trailing.

Highlights

  • Locking on a guide star to cancel tracking drift

Across the observing chain

Knowledge connections

Sources

The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.

  • NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration

    Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.

    Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.