Real-world insights from photographer Eric Wilkes

Stitching a perfect Milky Way panorama is hard enough in the dark. But when you add a star tracker into the mix, things can get... curvy.

Today, we're featuring an insightful story shared by Eric Wilkes on a question many of you have asked:

"Why do I use a V-bracket on my Nomad setup?"

What you’ll find in Eric's blog:

• The Physics of the Sweep: Why the rotational axis (not just the camera) must be level.
• Tracker vs. Pano: How to maintain perfect polar alignment while achieving a flat horizon.
• The V-Bracket Hack: A simple setup to make judging rotation and overlap immeasurably easier.
• Side-by-Side Comparisons: Real-world examples of leveled vs. non-leveled sweeps shot at 20mm.