Software

You can find some really exhaustive comparisons of astrophotography software online, but here are the ones that work for me.

Software for the telescope

  • Data collection: Sequence Generator Pro. This controls everything including exposures, focusing, filter selection, plate solving, sensor temperature, guiding, meridian flips, framing, mosaic planning and more. Adopting this system changed everything for me.

  • ASCOM (Astronomy Common Object Model): Compatibility software that enables different parts of the rig to speak to each other in a common language.

  • EQMOD allows my PC to communicate directly with my SkyWatcher mounts. Not needed for the ZWO AM5n.

  • ASTAP: Library of the night sky for plate solving.

  • PhD2: Guiding software

  • Windows and Primalucelab proprietary software in the on-board computer (Primalucelab Eagle 4) accessed by laptop via wifi.

  • PoleMaster software for polar alignment

Software for processing

  • PixInsight - the best processing and stacking software for astrophotography. Good to combine with Photoshop.

  • Photoshop - powerful sprocessing oftware

  • Deep Sky Stacker (Windows only) alternative for stacking deep sky objects

  • Astro Pixel Processor alternative for stacking (Mac + Windows)

  • Starry Sky Stacker (Mac only) for stacking Milky Way

  • Starry Landscape Stacker (Mac only) for stacking Milky Way combined with Landscape

  • AutoStakkert for stacking moon images (Windows only)

  • RC-Astro GradientXTerminator. For PixInsight and Photoshop

  • RC Astro RC-Astro StarXTerminator. For PixInsight and Photoshop

  • RC-Astro BlurXTerminator (for PixInsight only): Excellent software for sharpening.

  • Adobe Lightroom - limited use but good for Milky Way and Moon for example

  • TLDF (Timelapse Deflicker) to cut out flashing frames and noise in timelapse sequences

  • StarStax for star streaks

Plate Solving

The biggest step forward I made with new software was the ability to plate solve. It was actually more of a giant leap and has revolutionised my sessions under the sky, saving so much time.

I started out using three-star alignment to tell the telescope where it was pointing before directing it to slew to a target. This was fiddly and took up valuable minutes that could be spent capturing sub-frames. Matching the exact framing with a previous session on the target was a real headache. And when it came to meridian flips and re-framing, even more time was wasted.

Plate solving takes all that hassle went away. I was intimidated by the learning curve installing this feature and it was initially a bit fiddly. But now my telescope takes a single 10-second image of the sky and cross references that pattern of stars to an on-board library, establishing exactly where it is pointing. It reads the stars. From there it can move to any predetermined target with the perfect framing, either a new field of view or matching a previous session. This whole process can take less than a couple of minutes, leaving more time to grab images. Or sleep!