Processing software and online data sources

[Trikeflyer]

I want to test if AP is Something to consider investing time and money into. 😂😱🤔

Before I get into image capture and all the financial, emotional and time investment that entails, I thought it’d be a good idea to try processing first to see if I get the same “buzz” that others do. I know that this isn’t full AP and that for true imagers, the capture is part of the experience and fulfilment. That said, it is for me a potentially low cost and interesting way to enter the world of AP. I believe there is a wealth of online raw data from many sources these days? Including NASA! I have no experience of anything AP related whatsoever though so can anyone recommend good raw data sources and secondly, the “simplest” processing software to start with that comes with a free trial and reasonable youtube (or other explanatory) lessons and that would allow me to test out whether AP is something I want to invest time and money into. 

Thanks

Steve 

[Ronclarke]

Try APT, free trial and runs everything and plenty on You Tube too!

 

Ron

[Helen]

For data you could try the LCOGT site.  This has data from scopes (2m, 1m and 0.4m) located around the world.  You can download freely, either reduced data (already had flat fields, darks, bias applied) or raw and calibration files if you want to go the whole hog on processing from scratch.

https://archive.lco.global/?q=a&RLEVEL=&PROPID=&INSTRUME=&OBJECT=&SITEID=&TELID=&FILTER=&OBSTYPE=&EXPTIME=&BLKUID=&REQNUM=&basename=&start=2019-06-01 00%3A00&end=2019-12-02 23%3A59&id=&public=true

Guidance here:

https://lco.global/documentation/archive-documentation/#ui-download

 

Downloading and decompressing is a bit of a pain, but easy if you do it the way set out in the attached word document.

Have fun!

Helen

Unpacking fz files.docx

[rickwayne]

Likewise The Forum That Dare Not Speak Its Name* has plenty of downloadable data in the Beginning And Intermediate Imaging forum.

 

 

*Cloudy Nights. Shhhh!

Edited October 1, 2019 by rickwayne