Stacking comet images in DSS?

[Ant]

I'm almost certain that it's possible...

Even over a few minutes the Comet has moved enough to nice suring stacking...

But I cannot for the life of me find any sort of setting or tick box that says "Comet", or a box that allows you to delect manual alignment points.

Can anyone help?

Cheers

Ant

[SteveL]

http://deepskystacker.free.fr/english/technical.htm#cometstacking

[Ant]

Ah yes thank you :oops:

Helps if you have a version after they create the Comet stacking part!

I had V2.6

Cheers Steve!

Ant

[Psychobilly]

Ah yes thank you :oops:

Helps if you have a version after they create the Comet stacking part!

I had V2.6

Cheers Steve!

Ant

And I thought I was out of date... see my copies nagging that theres an upgrade out there better see what it does...

No chance of capturing any comet data here tonight though .. so good luck Ant or have you got it already ?

Billy...

[Ant]

I have a hell of a time lately.

This is a bit of a story, but it does lead (eventually to me taking some comet images - honest)

Since Xmas, I've had trouble with IC Capture, trouble with PHD Guiding, trouble with everything is seems (you know the feeling).

I've been running out of disc space on the laptop - almost every imaging session. So decided to buy a new HDD.

Got the new HDD and started to re-install the software - you forgot how much you have till it's time to reinstall!

Then went outside and hooked up to the scope and everything seemed to be working ok.

First proper night out, PHD freezes everytime I try to guide, IC Capture doesn't want to work with the DMK.

Same thing happens for three hours the next clear night as well.

And a third... each time I'm trying to find whats wrong, different leads, connecting things in different order etc etc etc.

Fourth clear night and I manage to get the DMK to talk to PHD and it goes though OK - FANTASTIC finally. So I sit out there with it for 10 minutes or so just making sure that it guiding and the camera's taking pictures etc.

After an hour and a half I go out to check and find that it isn't guiding OK and all but three images have long star trails...

Finally ask for help on the www.theimagingsourceforums.com (DMK people) forum, get a new driver for the DMK and install it and everything seems to be working ok, haven't managed to try it in the "Field" yet, but I managed to record some 4 and 5 Gb AVI's at 60 fps without hitch - I've never managed that before.

So the comet data is from that night, 3 frames, 2 minutes each, slightly out of focus. But I'm going to process it come hell or high water! Will try again tomorrow.

Ant

[Psychobilly]

If every night was a cloudless night these things wouldn't be so frustrating merely annoying... but with the weather we have been getting its really frustrating... as we all feel we need to make the most of every second...

I have resorted to a checklist stuck to the laptop... my favourite trick is leaving the focusing mask on the scope..

Any good guides to lunar imaging with a webcam...and processing using Registrax... if I don't make progress soon - the love affair will come to an abrupt end... and i'll start cursing luna again...

Billy...

[Ant]

Focus, focus then focus again.

When setting exposure times, go slightly dark - it can be brightened up in processing, if you over exposre to start with you can't undo it.

Get lots of frames.

Sounds really simple, but bad seeing will screw up the focus part which is the most important part.

In registax I pic an alignment point with the highest contrast (around the middle if possible).

Once stacking is complete I usually ajust the sliders on the left. Start from the last one ad work my way up. Usually I halve the value each time I move up - but that's only a guide!

Ant

[Psychobilly]

Cheers Ant I probably have the frame rate way to high as well so I am getting compression artefacts...

I suppose i could dig out the ETX105 as that used to give what look like better images...and the CPC800 need re-collimating ... i dont bohter with it becuse its nearly always just used as a guidescope...

Or would the Webcam ont he Megrez72 give an useful image scale for starters...

Sorry for the Hijack I need to post and admit my failings in the lunar section I suppose...

Rather than try and glean info from within these cosy confines

Billy...

[Ant]

This is the Imaging Tips, Tricks and techniques section

If your using a ToUcam or SPC900 or other webcam, then a frame rate of 5fps it the highest you can go without compresion artifact.

When Imaging a planet you can make the movie size smaller - make it 320x 240 and it leaves the image scale the same but halves the size. This means that you can quadruple the frame rate without compression. But it has to be exactly half the size or it just scales down the movie size (without altering the scale).

Does that make sense?

The megrez should give some nice crisp images - maybe go for a couple of full disc mosaics - with that image scale maybe 4-6 frames should be a full disc I guess. Add in a barlow for a little more scale.

HTH

Ant

Ant

[Psychobilly]

Cheers Ant,

I was mistakingly thinking higher frame rate was better - doh....

I have admitted my failings in the Lunar section as well ...

Got to face your demons....although a pint of port and lemonade is helping...

Billy...

[Ant]

I'm a million miles away from being a great lunar imager but I'll always help out where I can.

Ant

[Psychobilly]

Need to get my head round lunar planetry and perhaps narrow band imagign ... you cant guarantee clear skies only on relatively moonless nights for my fav DSO stuff so need to make the most of every clear night...

And people keep asking awkward questions ... like where are your pics of the moon... :oops:

Billy...