Combining Data from Multiple Sessions Question

[Sarek]

I'm now getting to the point where I've got data from multiple sessions on the same target.

If I wanted to combine these data sets in Pixinsight do I need to include all the calibration frames I took after each session or just include the latest session ones?  I guess the variation in temperature and gap between sessions might influence this?

 

 

[ollypenrice]

I don't use Pixinsight for this task but you clearly need to use the right calibration files for each sub. You can't use last year's darks on this years lights, so to speak. From what I've glimpsed on here, I think PI makes this a simple enough task - by PI standards. 

Olly

[Elp]

Don't use PI. Its easy in Deep Sky Stacker. Your individual calibrated and stacked light per session, you just load each stacked image, and as long as your optical or camera or image resolution settings weren't changed between the images, it recognises each images integration time and stacks them for a total time image.

[GoldTop57]

Hi you need to include all the calibration frames for each session. Presumably you are using the WBPP script in PI which will allow you to group the appropriate files together by using a keyword prefix. I prefix all the files with "SESSION_YYMMDD_" for each session and WBPP groups the files accordingly. Adam Block has an excellent YT video on this. Eg.:

[Sarek]

Thanks all.  That's given me some leads to follow up

To this point I've mostly been using DSS to stack but have recently started using the Autointegrate script in PI.  I've not yet tried WBPP on its own.  

[Elp]

Siril works well too.

[wimvb]

23 hours ago, Sarek said:

I've not yet tried WBPP on its own

Adam Block has a whole series of videos on WBPP on his YouTube channel, including on how to combine data from multiple sessions.