mh_astro_tools — Astrophotography Tool Suite (Windows)
Overview

mh_astro_tools is a small suite of night-vision-friendly utilities for astrophotography and astronomy.
All tools use a black-and-red interface to reduce glare and help preserve dark adaptation during an imaging session.

To make launches more comfortable in the dark, each application uses a short “fade-from-black” on startup to soften any brief flashes that can occur when Windows creates a new window.

What’s Included

Exposure Calculator
Calculates recommended exposure time for deep-sky imaging using telescope/lens parameters, sensor specs, sky quality (Bortle), binning, and filter bandwidth. Includes planning estimates such as field of view, pixel scale, and limiting magnitude.

UTC / GPS / Weather
Displays local time and UTC, supports location entry (manual or online fetch), and provides useful planning data for sessions (timing, basic observing conditions, etc.).

500 Rule Calculator
Estimates the maximum shutter speed for tripod-based nightscape photography before star trailing becomes noticeable, using focal length and sensor crop factor.

Night Vision Screen (Overlay)
A red-tinted click-through overlay with adjustable contrast/black level, red intensity/brightness, and opacity—useful across the entire desktop.

Night Mode Scientific Calculator
A night-mode calculator with Regular and Scientific modes plus a memory panel for quick reuse of results.

Installation (Windows)

Run: mh_Astro_Tools_Suite_Setup_1.1.0.3.exe

Follow the on-screen steps to complete installation.

Shortcuts

The installer creates shortcuts for:

Astro Tools Launcher

Astro Tools Manuals

The suite is also added to the Start Menu (under “Astro Tools Suite”).

How to Launch

Double-click “Astro Tools Launcher”

Click any tool button to open it

Open “Astro Tools Manuals” to view the PDF documentation

Night Vision Tip

For best dark adaptation, start your session by launching “Night Vision Screen” first.
It also helps when Windows dialogs (Browse… / Save As…) appear, since those dialogs can be bright even if your apps are themed.

Manuals

PDF manuals are included in the Astro Tools Manuals folder, including the “START HERE” launcher guide.

License

CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International)
See: License_Agreement.pdf