---
title: First Launch Setup
description: "Five minutes of setup makes everything else in Astro PM work: visibility charts, the scheduler, moon avoidance, and weather all depend on knowing *where* you image and *what* you image with. ### 1. Add Your Observing Site In the Equipment…"
url: "https://astro-pm.com/docs/first-launch-setup/"
updated: "2026-07-12"
category: "Installation & Setup"
---

# First Launch Setup

Five minutes of setup makes everything else in Astro PM work: visibility charts, the scheduler, moon avoidance, and weather all depend on knowing *where* you image and *what* you image with.

### 1. Add Your Observing Site

In the Equipment section, create your observing site with its **latitude, longitude, and elevation**. These coordinates drive twilight times, target altitude, moon position, and the weather forecast for that location. If you image from multiple locations (backyard plus a dark-sky observatory), add each one as its own site. See [Observing Sites](/docs/observing-sites/) for every field in depth.

![](https://astro-pm.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-12-084246.png)
Screenshot: the site editor with coordinates

   **Tip:** If your site has trees or buildings blocking part of the sky, you can add a custom horizon later so the scheduler never plans imaging behind an obstruction. See [Custom Horizons](/docs/custom-horizons/).

### 2. Add Your Telescope, Camera, and Filters

Add each telescope (focal length, aperture) and camera (sensor, pixel size) you own, plus your filters. Astro PM derives field of view and image scale automatically from the telescope + camera combination. The deep dives: [Telescopes](/docs/telescopes/), [Cameras](/docs/cameras/), and [Filters & Exposure Plans](/docs/filters/).

### 3. Create an Imaging System

An **Imaging System** is a named rig: one site + one telescope + one camera (for example, “Dome A – EdgeHD 8 – ASI2600”). Projects and the nightly scheduler are organized around imaging systems, and each NINA installation identifies itself as one of them. See [Imaging Systems](/docs/imaging-systems/).

### Where Your Data Lives

Astro PM stores everything in a local database on this computer. Updates never wipe it, and the schema upgrades itself automatically with new versions. Cloud sync shares your *active targets and settings* with NINA and the phone app, but the master copy of your planning data is always local.