Love photography? Then you may have thought about shooting the Milky Way at some point. It’s renowned as one of the most beautiful subjects to photograph – and one of the most difficult.

To increase your chances of taking a picture you’ll treasure, PhotoPills creates a step-by-step plan for your shot. Here are some tips on getting the most out of the app.

Find out when the brightest part of the Milky Way, the galactic centre, is most visible. This varies according to the month, and is important for the composition of your photo. With PhotoPills’ widgets, you can see the visibility of the galactic centre at a glance.

Once you’ve chosen a location to shoot from, it’s time to find the Milky Way. Tap Night AR and the app will show you its exact location in AR.

Head to Planner and activate the Milky Way layer on the map. Place the red pin (your shooting point) next to the part you’d like to photograph, then adjust the time until you find a composition that suits your vision.

Use the Star Trails function to calculate the maximum exposure time needed to capture the brightest points of your subject and avoid the star trails.

Keep your shot sharp with the Hyperfocal Distance feature, which works out the closest distance at which the lens can focus while keeping objects at infinity as clear as possible. Visualise it in AR to ensure your focus is on point.