These are the best Zeiss lenses for astrophotography when you want clean star points, low coma/astigmatism, disciplined vignetting, neutral color, and rock-solid manual focus for Milky Way arches, tracked mosaics, blue-hour blends, star trails, and astro-time-lapse—and here’s what to look for as you buy: prioritize strong wide-open performance with controlled sagittal coma (ƒ1.4–ƒ2.8 depending on focal length), flat fields, minimal focus shift, long, silky focus throws with hard stops (or reliable AF you can override), declickable apertures for time-lapse (Loxia) or clean half-stop nudges in the dark, and weather-sensible builds that accept heater bands; pick focal lengths in the 14–25 mm range for big skies, 28–55 mm for mosaics and nightscapes with compression, and prefer threaded fronts to run NDs for twilight blends and an anti-dew filter ring if you have one. Full-frame nightscape heroes: Otus 28mm ƒ1.4 (reference-grade stars with gorgeous micro-contrast—wide enough for arches, fast enough for low ISO), Milvus 25mm ƒ1.4 (fast, disciplined corners—stellar for single-frame Milky Way and tracked panoramas), Milvus 21mm ƒ2.8 (rectilinear legend—stop a touch for tack corners), Milvus 18mm ƒ2.8 (clean, low coma UWA), and the Distagon 15mm ƒ2.8 (dramatic reach with that Zeiss pop); mirrorless AF/UWA picks: Batis 18mm ƒ2.8 (light, sharp, honest corners—great for hike-to sites) and Batis 25mm ƒ2 (blue-hour storyteller that transitions to stars nicely). Manual-focus E-mount gems for timelapse and video: Loxia 21mm ƒ2.8 and Loxia 25mm ƒ2.4—compact, declickable, long throw, beautiful sunstars for day-to-night sequences. Fast normals that double for astro portraits and mosaics: Otus 55mm ƒ1.4 and Milvus 35mm ƒ1.4—use for tracked sky + untracked foreground blends with creamy micro-contrast and restrained coma when nudged down. APS-C shooters: Touit 12mm ƒ2.8 (tiny, sharp UWA for Milky Way cores and tight interiors) pairs well with a fast normal (Touit 32/1.8) for compressed nightscapes. Practical buyer tips: build a two-prime spine (Milvus 18/2.8 or Distagon 15/2.8 for scale + Otus 28/1.4 or Milvus 25/1.4 for speed) and add Loxia 21/2.8 if you live on sliders/time-lapse; if you want AF convenience while hiking, the Batis 18/2.8 is the featherweight carry; standardize filter sizes with step-ups so one set of NDs/soft grads fits your twilight work, bring a slim heater band for dew and a rigid L-bracket for multi-row panos, and if you track, confirm image circle and back-focus clearance on your mount. Astro-shooting tips: start around ƒ1.4–ƒ2.8, 10–25 s, ISO 3200–6400 (or use the NPF rule for pinpoint stars), focus via magnification on a bright star then tape the ring, consider stopping down 1/3–2/3 stop if corners need discipline, expose for the sky and blend a longer low-ISO foreground, kill long-exposure NR (stack instead), set WB ~3800–4200 K and shoot RAW, and keep hoods/heaters on to fight dew; for tracked images run 1–3 min subs at lower ISO and dither/stack, for time-lapse de-click the aperture, lock a 180° shutter for video segments, and avoid stacking filters that invite ghosts; whether you’re framing galactic cores over desert arches, stitching tracked mosaics at high altitude, or building silky day-to-night sequences, the best Zeiss astro choices—Otus/Milvus for speed and corner discipline, Batis for lightweight AF, and Loxia for declicked timelapse—combine low coma, trustworthy mechanics, and neutral color so your stars stay pin-sharp, your gradients stay clean, and your night images feel luminous straight out of camera.