These are the best Leica lenses for astrophotography, chosen for how they combine fast apertures, disciplined off-axis control (low sagittal coma/astigmatism), neutral color, and robust handling across modern SL/L bodies and the classic M, R, and S platforms. Night work is about three levers—speed to keep ISO sane, clean corners so stars stay round, and mechanics you can set by feel with gloves or in the dark—plus coatings that resist veiling flare around the moon, airglow, and city glow. On SL, start with the Summilux-SL 24mm f/1.4 ASPH for blue hour and Milky Way frames where speed and tight coma control matter; add the APO-Summicron-SL 28mm f/2 ASPH when you want rectilinear calm, crisp micro-contrast, and tidy points to the edges at slightly longer exposures, and the Summicron-SL 35mm f/2 ASPH for tele-MW panels, star fields over silhouettes, and tracked constellation work with minimal breathing for video timelapse pulls. For an adaptable ultra-wide path, pair SL with proven rectilinear wides via L-mount adapters: the Leica R Elmarit-R 19mm (both versions) is a legend for straight lines and surprisingly calm off-axis stars stopped a notch; the Super-Angulon-R 21mm (late) and Elmarit-R 24mm f/2.8 offer characterful but controllable rendering for night cityscapes and moonlit landscapes, and long, silky focus throws that make infinity “touch-and-back” focusing precise. M shooters have compact night heroes: Summilux-M 28mm f/1.4 ASPH is the fast, clean edge performer for core-over-land arches; Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH (FLE) balances speed with disciplined sagittal coma for city-astro and tracked tiles; Summilux-M 24mm f/1.4 ASPH pulls in more sky with strong coma control; and the APO-Summicron-M 35/2 and 50/2 ASPH bring artifact-free stars if you’re stacking or tracking at slower apertures; EVF/live-view focusing (on SL or M with Visoflex) makes micro-tweaks at infinity painless. Medium-format S shooters reach for the Super-Elmar-S 24mm f/3.5 ASPH for rectilinear integrity and clean stars on trackers or stacks, the Elmarit-S 30mm f/2.8 ASPH for a versatile wide with tidy corners, and the Summarit-S 35mm f/2.5 for tele-MW layers; CS leaf-shutter variants aren’t needed for astro but help when blending flash-lit foregrounds at dusk. For video astro and timelapse, SL’s IBIS steadies foreground plates, while APO-Summicron-SL primes (28/35/50/75/90) offer minimal breathing and neutral color that grades smoothly across night sequences. Image priorities across Leica astro picks are clear: low sagittal coma and astigmatism so off-axis stars don’t sprout wings, restrained axial CA for white stars without magenta/green bleed, coatings that manage bright resorts and moon halos, and tactile focus with firm damping or infinity detents; modest vignetting wide open is fine if the corner geometry stays clean and flats handle the rest. Workflow multiplies results—use magnified live view on a bright star, roll to hard infinity then micro-back off, start around f/1.4–f/2.0 at 24–35mm (or f/2–f/2.8 on APO crons) by the NPF rule, and consider a lightweight tracker to drop ISO or extend to 60–120s for cleaner constellations; carry a slim dew heater, tape the focus ring after confirming, and shoot a lower-ISO land frame to blend with a higher-ISO sky; for panoramas, lock exposure/white balance and rotate around the entrance pupil or shift on a movements platform to minimize parallax. A practical kit recipe is simple: on SL, anchor with Summilux-SL 24/1.4 for speed, add APO-Summicron-SL 28/2 or 35/2 for clean-edged tracked/stacked work, and adapt Elmarit-R 19 for rectilinear ultra-wide discipline; on M, run 28/1.4 Lux + 35/1.4 FLE (add 24/1.4 Lux when you need more sky) and use EVF for precise focus; on S, pair 24 S for hero wides with 30/35 S for versatile nightscapes. Whether you’re shooting the core arcing over desert arches, aurora above coastal stacks, city-astro with pin-straight lines, or tracked mosaics under alpine skies, the best Leica lenses for astrophotography deliver speed, edge cleanliness, and night-friendly ergonomics that turn clear nights into crisp, cinematic images.