What software do you use?

[04Stefan07 (Stefan)]

Hello!!

I thought it would be a good idea to start a thread with a list of software packages everyone uses when either imaging or navigating around the sky as well as any questions you might have about it. This will be a big help to beginners as well.

Computer
Dell Latitude E7440 (got a ripper deal on this from GraysOnline store on eBay and I mean ripper!)
- i5-4300U
- 8GB DDR3 RAM
- 128GB mSATA SSD + 500GB Samsung Evo 850 SSD as secondary (video capture)
- 14" 1920x1080 resolution
- Around 1.6kg, quite light for a good spec.

Telescope/Mount Control
- ASCOM
- EQASCOM
- Stellarium Scope

Planetarium
- Stellarium
- SkySafari (iPad & iPhone)

Imaging
- FireCapture (for my ZWO/Planets/Sun)
- Possible SharpCap?
- Looking at using Sequence Generator Pro for Deep Sky with my DSLR

Guiding (need to experiment with both and see what is best, never used before)
- PHD2
- Open PHD Guiding

Stacking/Photo enhancement
- Autostakker2 (used to use Registax but found Autostakker to be much better and more user friendly)
- Photoshop CC with Topaz filters

Planning
- AstroPlanner (starting to use it)

A few questions about my software.
Q) Which autoguiding software out of the above would you choose?
Q) Thoughts on Sequence Generator Pro? It looks to have more functions than Backyard EOS.

and thoughts about my revised setup would be appreciated!

Feel free to list yours! It will help everyone .

Cheers,
Stefan.

[Atmos (Colin)]

Computer:
15" Macbook Pro but all my astro stuff runs via Parallels and Windows 10.

Telescope/Mount
- ASCOM
- TheSkyX
- MaximDL 6
- Sequence Gen Pro
- Autoslew (the mount control software)

Planetarium
- TheSkyX

Imaging
- TheSkyX
- MaximDL 6
- Sequence Gen Pro

Stacking
- PixInsight

Planner
- TheSkyX
- Sequence Gen Pro

At the moment I am swapping a bit between using Sequence Gen Pro and MaximDL for image capture. I prefer using Maxim DL BUT Sequence Gen Pro is easier to use for setting up automated sequences.

As for guiding, someone may be able to correct me here but I believe that PHD2 is the upgrade of Open PHD. Sequence Gen Pro is very easy to use, no idea how it compares against BYEOS; the latter is designed for DSLR control so it MAY be more friendly for that.

[traveller (Bo)]

Currently using EQMOD, Stellarium, PHD2 and BYEOS.
I use Images Plus for CCD capture and image stacking.

I am doing a bit of research on the following
Nebulosity v4.1 $99
Sequence Generator Pro 2.5 $99 plus $39 for their framing and mosaic add on
APT € 18.70 plus €6 for upgrading to latest versions
Pixel Insight €230
Maxim DL 6 $499
The dollars are in US of course.

Based on my limited read so far, I think Sequence Generator Pro is the way to go. Also saving up for ZWO ASI1600MM-C and filter kit (around $3000 excluding delivery and GST).

Cheers
Bo

[04Stefan07 (Stefan)]

Good to see what is being used.

TheSkyX and other expensive software look great but I can't really justify spending that much at this point.

Sequence Generator Pro looks to be reasonably priced and will be looking into that more.

AstroPlanner is very reasonably priced as well and looks great.

[DJT (David)]

My two penneth worth

LAptop
Dell xps. Awesome , touch screen, ssd etc but fatal flaws when using pixinsight which requires uninstalling dell bloatware. A known DELL issue

Image acquisition and telescope control including plate solving
Maxim DL6 ( note, using this because no one else seems to handle dual chip ccd's or blooming removal)

Focussing
Focusmax/robofocus

Image processing including calibration and integration as well as linear and non linear processing

Pix insight

Image planning
None.

At the ANSW meeting tonight there was a demo on SGP and odds are I will move over to that at some point IF it can handle dual chip CCD's

Collimation...Als Collimation aid (search on Ice)

[RickS (Rick)]

Planning: Astroplanner, SkySafari Pro

Set up: PoleAlignMax, Astrotortilla (for blind plate solves)

Capture: MaximDL, FocusMax4, ACP

Processing: PixInsight

[Merlin66 (Ken)]

For spectroscopy my needs are slightly different:

Planning: Astroplanner, CdC

Set up: CdC/ EQmod/ AA6 plate solving (if needed)/ PHD (- for electronic finder)

Capture: AA6 - slit guiding, camera control, JMI focuser

Processing: AA6

Based on a C11 at f10 on a NEQ6pro mount.

[ChrisV (Chris)]

For live video astronomy:

Controlling my mount: sky safari pro - via bluetooth. And the stuff I want to observe I have saved in sky safari. Or I just hunt around the region I'm observing in SS pro - just to see what else I might look at.

For my analog camera & ASI224MC - sharpcap - for live stacking. Sometimes I muck around with the stacked images in fitswork later (if I have saved them as unstretched raw images).

For my DSLR -: collect images using EOS Utilities, then stack and process live in astrotoaster.

[rustigsmed (Russell)]

Laptop Capture: atleast a 10 y/o laptop with ancient AMD chip inside. in more recent times upgraded from 2gb Ram to 8gb ram - HUGE difference in performance.

Capture Programs: PHD2 guiding. EZcap for live view alignment and initial focus, SG Pro for capture and focuser control.Synscan handset for alignment.


PC Editing
Screen 4k sony HDR tv.
i5 4690k @ 4.6ghz, 32gb ram, gtx 1080 gpu etc
Deep Sky Stacker for stacking, RegiStar for aligning different stacked channels automatically, Photoshop CS6 editing,

When I used a dslr I used backyard eos. planetary Registax 6.

[04Stefan07 (Stefan)]

I am looking at AstroPlanner as it's very good value for money and the features look great.

I am now looking at TheSkyX but they don't offer a trial version so I am very hesitant to spend that kind of money if I can't even try it out.

What is the differences between TheSkyX Pro and Serious versions?

[sil (Steve)]

I'm currently limited to DSLR on tripod.

Nikon D800e (with mostly 70-200 f2.8)

PixInsight

SkySafari, Starry Nights

[rmuhlack (Richard)]

Planning - Stellarium
Capture - Sequence Generator Pro, PHD2, CdC, Firecapture (for lunar and lucky deep-sky)
Processing - Pixinsight, Autostakkert

Planning and Processing is done on Linux, whilst Capture software runs on Win 8.1 Pro

[Slawomir (Suavi)]

Inspiration: Images by other astrophotographers (IIS, Astrobin etc)

Planning: SkySafari

Capture: SGP (camera, focuser, rotator, plate solving), CdC (planetarium) PHD2 (guiding, PA until recently), PemPro (now using for PA), AP ASCOM V2, APCC (mount control and soon (hopefully) point modelling)

Processing: PixInsight and occasionally Fits Liberator (for experimenting with different data stretching)

[DarkKnight (Kev)]

Hopeful to start imaging and guiding next week when the two mounting plates arrive.

Will be starting with a basic set-up, imaging with a DSLR and guiding with a WO 50 x 200 and ZWO ASI120MM-S.

Laptop: El cheapo Toshiba Satellite, downloaded a clean ISO of W10 and got rid of the Toshiba bloatware which improved start-up hugely. Also swapped the 2GB of RAM for 8GB and put in a 128GB SSD and moved the existing 500GB drive to the optical drive bay for additional storage.

Software:
Control my Nikon (Best of the four I tried)
DSS
Sharpcap (Came with the ZWO Camera)
PHD2
Stellarium
Photographers Ephermis
Photoshop CS6-CC

The thing that has caused me the most frustration in my short journey to date has been focusing. Have acquired a Bahtinov mask so will see if that improves things.

I intend to try a few software programs to see what works for me.
Push Here Dummy2 sounds like it's just right for me.

[Garnimoa (Gerald)]

Computers:
27" iMac 3.2GHz 2013
MacPro 2.6Ghz 2009
MacAir 1.6Ghz 2011
HP 2.2Ghz 64bit laptop
iPad Pro 12.9"

Telescope/Mount:
ASCOM
PHD2

Planetarium:
Stellarium
Starry Night v6
Sky Safari Pro v5

Imaging:
BackyardNikon
Sharpcap
Adobe Lightroom
Adobe Photoshop

Stacking:
DSS
Register
Autostakert

Remote Control:
via Team viewer

[Astrofriend (Lars)]

Hi,
I run my computer on Windows, I have done a list of what software I use and also hardware:
http://astrofriend.eu/astronomy/equi...equipment.html

Now I try to rebuild my astroserver from Windows to Unix with Indi.

/Lars