Software and Apps

Planning

Target Selection-STELLARIUM

Stellarium is a free planetarium for your computer and is my first stop when selecting objects to shoot.

Weather Conditions-CLEAR SKY CHART

The best webpage for predicting conditions. It's specifically geared for astronomy.

Taking Pictures

Acquiring Deep Sky Images-NINA

I use the open-source and free NINA software to capture my deep sky images. NINA controls every part of your scope/camera system and allows you to create instruction sequences that allow for unattended imaging. NINA is an incredible app. There are many free plugins for NINA that expand its capabilities. I think NINA is the best imaging software out there.

Acquiring Solar/Solar System Images-SHARPCAP

Creating images of solar system objects like the sun and moon requires a different approach than deep sky imaging. For me, Sharpcap is the way to go. Sharpcap has a small license fee, but it's worth it.

Autoguiding-PHD2

PHD2 is the standard for tracking stars during a night of imaging and is free software.

Pointing The Scope-ASTAP

NINA needs to interface with platesolving software to make sure the telescope is pointed where it's supposed to. ASTAP is fast, reliable, and free.

Allowing Everything To Talk To Each Other-ASCOM

NINA, PHD2, ASTAP, the telescope mount, camera, filter wheel, focuser, and guide camera all need to communicate. ASCOM runs in the background, allowing everything to work together. ASCOM is free.

Image Processing

Pre-processing and Processing-PIXINSIGHT

While it comes with a steep learning curve, Pixinsight is unmatched when it comes to astrophoto processing. Licenses aren't inexpensive, but I think everyone who's serious about astrophotography will eventually end up here.

Processing-PHOTOSHOP

Photoshop is another app with a learning curve, but nothing handles brightness, contrast, color, masks, and blending better. Photoshop license fees are a hot topic right now.

Tools I Can't Live Without-Russ Croman's XTERMINATORS

Blur, Star, and Noise XTerminators are AI tools developed by astrophotographer Russ Croman to perform deconvolution (a type of sharpening), star removal, and noise reduction, respectively. These three plugins for Pixinsight are simply indispensable and absolutely worth the money.

Removing Gradients-GRAXPERT

Pixinsight has a number of gradient removal tools, but I tend to get the easiest and best results with Graxpert, a free AI gradient removal tool. After installing Graxpert, you can either access it in Pixinsight using a script or as a standalone app.

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