For star photography, the focus point is essentially at infinity. If you can’t see stars clearly enough to focus through the viewfinder, use a bright distant object first—such as the Moon, a far city light, or a lit tower—and manually focus on that. Then leave the focus set there for your star shots.

If there isn’t a suitable bright object, set the lens close to the infinity mark. On many lenses, the true focus point for stars is slightly before the hard end stop, so don’t assume turning the ring all the way is perfect. Take a test exposure, zoom in on the image, and fine-tune if needed.

Once you find accurate focus, avoid touching the focus ring.