Milky Way Calendars helps you generate a custom photography planning calendar for your exact location and year.
Instead of using a generic calendar based only on latitude, your custom calendar is created using the coordinates you enter. This gives you more accurate planning data and shows the times in the local time zone of your selected location.
1. Choose your calendar option
First, purchase a calendar credit.
Each credit allows you to generate one custom Milky Way Calendar for one specific location and one selected year.
You can use your credit for any supported location, as long as the coordinates are within the supported latitude range.
2. Enter your location details
After purchasing your credit, you’ll be asked to enter the information needed to generate your calendar.
You’ll need to provide:
- Location name
- Coordinates
- Selected year
Your calendar will be generated based on the exact coordinates you enter, so please review them carefully before submitting.
3. Use the correct coordinate format
Coordinates must be entered in decimal degrees, with latitude first and longitude second.
The correct format should look like this:
36.2350298733245, -116.77082298179006
Please make sure:
- Latitude comes first
- Longitude comes second
- A comma separates latitude and longitude
- Decimals use a period, not a comma
- The coordinates include enough decimal places for better accuracy
A negative latitude means the location is in the Southern Hemisphere.
A negative longitude means the location is in the Western Hemisphere.
4. Review your inputs before generating
Before generating your calendar, double check that your location, coordinates, and selected year are correct.
Each calendar is generated automatically using the information entered by the user.
If you enter the wrong coordinates, wrong location, wrong year, or an unsupported location, you’ll need to use a new credit to generate a corrected calendar.
Incorrect inputs are not eligible for refunds or claims.
5. Generate your calendar
Once you submit your information, your custom calendar will start generating.
Calendar generation can take up to ten minutes.
After that, refresh your account and check your generated calendars.
If your calendar still does not appear after ten minutes, contact us and include your account email, order number, selected year, location name, and coordinates entered.
6. Download your calendar
Once your calendar is ready, you’ll be able to download it from your account.
Your generated calendar will remain available in your account for one year from the generation date.
We strongly recommend downloading it and saving a copy locally.
7. Use it to plan your Milky Way shoots
Your custom calendar shows the key astronomical information you need to plan your Milky Way photography sessions.
Depending on your calendar, this may include:
- Moon illumination
- Moonrise and moonset
- Sunset and sunrise
- Milky Way visibility
- Galactic Center visibility
- Galactic Center elevation
To understand each column and learn how to read your calendar, please review our How to Read Your Milky Way Calendar.
Important limitations
Your Milky Way Calendar is a planning tool. It shows astronomical visibility, but it does not guarantee real field conditions.
Before heading out, always check:
- Weather
- Cloud coverage
- Smoke or haze
- Light pollution
- Road access
- Local restrictions
- Safety conditions
Your calendar does not account for clouds, storms, smoke, terrain obstructions, local closures, or access restrictions.
Supported locations
Milky Way Calendars supports most locations around the world.
However, locations above 66.5° North or below 66.5° South are not supported.
If you enter coordinates outside the supported range, the calendar may not generate correctly.
Free generic calendars vs custom calendars
Our free generic Milky Way Calendars are based on broad latitude regions. They are useful as a general reference, but they are not generated for your exact location.
A custom calendar is more precise because it is created using your exact coordinates.
Custom calendars also show times in the local time zone of your selected location, which makes planning much easier.
If you are planning a specific trip, workshop, or important Milky Way session, we recommend generating a custom calendar for your exact shooting location.
Quick questions
