Products/Astronomy Software / Planetary Imaging Capture/Laminar

Laminar

Planetary Capture for Mac | 10 Camera Brands + iPhone Support

Astronomy Software / Planetary Imaging CaptureHouston, USAastronomymacosimagingcaptureplanetaryvideoReviewed

Our Take

Planetary imaging capture on macOS is a pretty specific niche, but if you're into astrophotography and you rock Apple Silicon, this one claims to be built native for your setup. The description here is basically just the tagline repeated so I can't tell you if it's actually any good or what it costs — but the specificity of the use case tells me this isn't trying to be everything to everyone, which is kind of refreshing.

Planetary imaging capture application for macOS with real-time frame quality analysis, SER video recording, and native Apple Silicon support.

Key Features

Real-time frame quality analysis with instant, average, and peak metrics, Automatic planet tracking keeps quality readings accurate, Surface feature tracking for Moon and Sun imaging, Weather & seeing conditions integration with Conditions (0-100) and Seeing (0-100) scores, Dynamic ROI with click-and-drag framing, Click and drag to frame capture region with resize handles and numeric X/Y/W/H input, SER video recording with metadata, timestamps, observer info, and telescope metadata, RAW8 / RAW16 capture modes, Microsecond exposure precision, Per-target memory for exposure, gain, USB bandwidth, and sensor settings, Metal GPU-accelerated Bayer demosaicing — 10-50x faster than CPU, Frame drop monitoring during capture, Temperature monitoring from supported cameras, Supports 10 astronomy camera brands: ZWO, PlayerOne, QHY, ToupTek, SVBONY, Altair Astro, OGMA, RisingCam, MallinCam, Omegon, iPhone Continuity Camera support via macOS AVFoundation, USB webcam support via macOS AVFoundation

Problem It Solves

Lack of native macOS planetary capture software — previously users had to use Windows-only tools like FireCapture and SharpCap (often via Wine) or no dedicated Mac solution existed for high-framerate planetary imaging.

Target Customer

Amateur and enthusiast astronomers interested in planetary imaging who use Mac computers.

Use Cases

Planetary imaging (Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, Venus, Mercury, Neptune, Uranus, Pluto), Moon imaging with surface feature tracking, Sun imaging with active region tracking, Spectroheliograph imaging

Pricing Details

One-time purchase, requires macOS 15 or newer and an Apple Silicon Mac

Differentiator

Native macOS app built in Swift/SwiftUI specifically for Apple Silicon — not a port, wrapper, or Electron shell. Most broadly compatible planetary capture app on macOS with 10 camera brand support. Only app with integrated weather/seeing conditions and real-time frame quality analysis.

Why Now

Built for macOS 15 and Apple Silicon, taking advantage of Metal GPU acceleration for performance-critical processing.

Traction

Notable Metrics: 5 Mac apps in development (Laminar, Strata, Meridian, Ephemeris, plus one unmentioned). Mac Software Directory listing comprehensive astronomy software for Mac.

Key Facts

The people behind Laminar

Mac Observatory Founder

profile

Creator / Developer

20+ years in design and strategy (art directed gaming magazines like XBOX Nation, Electronic Gaming Monthly, Computer Gaming World; led creative direction at SLB energy technology company). 10+ years in astrophotography. Started Mac Observatory ~10 years ago after frustration with lack of Mac-compatible astronomy tools. Operates remote observatory at DSP Remote in New Mexico (Bortle 1) and maintains planetary imaging setup in Houston.

Links

Website Source: product-hunt

Want products like this in your inbox every morning?