Recommended Stacking software for a Mac user

[Chress]

Hi All,

I was after a little advice from people on the forum in relation to stacking software for the mac. Having done a little research Starry Landscape Stacker Stacker seems to be a popular choice due to its low cost and ease of use.

Before I pull the trigger and purchase I did have one (okay maybe a couple after reading back my post!) question for anyone that may have used this software.

According to the Restrictions and Requirements page https://sites.google.com/site/starrylandscapestacker/restrictions-and-requirements The maximum time from capturing the first frame to capturing the last frame is 20 minutes.

Has anyone used this software and known it be true?

Initially I will not be doing any deep sky astrophotography due to constraints primarily on my gear (I don't yet own a telescope or a telephoto lens for my DSLR) but eventually this is what I would like to move toward over time as I get more experienced.

For now I will be using a DSLR with either a wide 10-20mm f4.5 or a 35mm F1.4. I have invested recently in an iOptron SkyGuider Pro as my aim is to try and capture a good sharp shot of the milky way as a goal to work towards.

I will experiment in the field as I find that the best way of learning but going back to my question re stacking software...

I think for my primary objective of getting a decent sharp shot of the milky way it should be absolutely fine. In future though if I were moving to more Deep Sky work is this enough or will it become a limitation of the software? I am just wondering if Starry Sky Stacker is the one to go for and be future proof for my aims or if someone has used another mac alternative they could recommend that would be very much appreciated!

I am yet to full understand exposure lengths, no of pictures required for a stack and length of time required from start to end of stacks etc so apologise upfront that I may be getting ahead of myself or getting confused! ?  

Chris

 

 

[Cornelius Varley]

The requirements seem to be for landscape astrophotography ie taking a photograph of the night sky from a fixed tripod and including some landscape in the foreground. The restriction of 20 minutes between the first and last shots would be sensible in this situation to reduce the amount of rotation in the star field. 20 minutes would be about  5 degrees of rotation in the stars which might be compensated for in the stacking software using foreground masking. For normal astrophotography, without a landscape foreground and using an equatorial or tracking mount such as a Vixen Polarie, this restriction would not apply.

[Chress]

Thank you Peter for taking the time to respond.

That was my thought as well due to having foreground in the shot and completely makes sense. As you mentioned I was interested if no foreground if this restriction would still apply and if its a limitation of the software.

[JamesF]

Siril might be worth a look: https://www.siril.org/

James

[alacant]

55 minutes ago, JamesF said:

Siril might be worth a look

Hi. If the mac version is anything like as good as the Linux version, I'd look no further:)

We made a quick start video.

HTH.

[Chress]

Thanks Both,

I had not seen this one actually, I'll check it out - appreciate the recommendation!

[Astrosharkey]

I have used a Mac for years but after much research on software etc for AP elected to grab a second hand Windows 10 laptop just for outside and downloaded everything I need to capture, stack and process for free! Cost £45 with a dodgy keyboard and never looked back really.

[Chress]

It’s certainly a consideration Astrosharkey but I think I’ll stick to Mac and see what options there are to begin with! Alacant and JamesF suggested Siril so I’ll check that out at the weekend! ?