SharpCap Forums

Full resolution image here https://www.astrobin.com/full/400167/0/?nc=user. Taken 09th April 2019, around 21:00 BST.


Equipment: Celestron AVX mount, Skywatcher 127 MAK, QHY5LII-M, TS 0.5x reducer.
Capture: each panel was captured in SER format, 1280x960, MONO16, 2ms exposure, gain=6, offset=10, 1 minute (~800 frames). Sharpcap 3.2 used for capture, with histogram set to 60% saturation. Capture was at 15fps.
Processing: each panel was stacked in Autostakkert 3, best 20% with 'Sharpened' selected. The 4 panels were stitched using Microsoft Image Composite Editor (ICE). Stitched image was loaded into Nebulosity, applied Curves > Contrast and Sharpen > Laplacian sharpen filter.

Offset was set to the minimum value possible and exposure adjusted to give ~60% saturation of the histogram.
Dave

[QHY5LII-M]
Output Format=SER file (*.ser)
Binning=1x1
Capture Area=1280x960
Colour Space=MONO16
Pan=0
Tilt=0
Force Still Mode=Off
Enable Live Broadcast=Off
USB Traffic=0
Speed=1
Offset=1
Amp Noise Reduction=On
Frame Rate Limit=Maximum
Gain=6
Exposure=2
Timestamp Frames=Off
Contrast=0
Brightness=0
Gamma=1
Banding Threshold=35
Banding Suppression=0
Apply Flat=None
Subtract Dark=None
#Black Point
Display Black Point=0
#MidTone Point
Display MidTone Point=0.5
#White Point
Display White Point=1
TimeStamp=2019-04-09T19:47:32.2587683Z
SharpCapVersion=3.2.5926.0

These are the steps taken in Microsoft Image Composite Editor. Stack the SER files first, then stitch, then enhance the final image.

Step 1 > Import

Step 2 > Stitch

Step 3 > Crop

Step 4 > Export

Dave

Very nice Dave!

Cheers Wickett.

A good return on 4 minutes of capture with modest equipment. Stitching with Microsoft ICE is effortless.

Dave