2024 was a busy year for me. I did a lot of research focused on the multistar guiding algorithms in Open PHD2. Lots of interesting details in this algorithm and a wish list of issues I would like to “tweek”. I decided to download the Open PHD2 source files and figure out how to compile it using Visual Studio 2022. I was able to do this and I put together my own version of Open PHD2 that has several “tweeks” which address issues in the multistar algorithm that I consider in need of improvement. I used 2024 to test and refine my version. It has proven itself to be very robust. I hope to generate posts outlining what issues I found and what changes I made to resolve these issues. All of my 2024 astrophotos were acquired using my version of the PHD2 Multistar algorithm.
Forest fire smoke is now a big summer time issue. Lots of evenings were a waste of time. I did get some good astrophotos. I am still struggling with how I digitally develop my astrophotos. I use Startools which has lots of capability and a significant learning curve. I still feel that, too many times, when I adjust something I don’t know what to expect…so I end up stumbling my way through each development process. I have thought about switching to PixInsight but I believe it also has a steep learning curve…perhaps even steeper. Considering the time I have already invested in learning Startools, I will stick with Startools for now.
Enjoy my 2024 crop of astrophotos…
Hi Peter ,
Imagine my surprise at seeing a 2024 entry in your Astro Photos Tab . All the images look very good . Congratulations on wrestling Star Tools for that kind of result . I’ve downloaded the latest Seti-Astro Suite Software and I hope to start practicing with it on some old Images . Try and see if I can improve them . Frank does post a lot of Videos with each addition to the Suite and has OSC Tutorial up now . Very inclusive and powerful Software . Also , looking forward to hearing all about your version of PHD2 . Very intriguing . Cheer !
Scott……….
Scott,
Good of you to contact me. My 2024 images do look better. The fine details still need polish so I had to limit the amount of time spent of each image. Some of the improvements are due to changes in CaLIGHTs. The noise filter is optimized to cater for Poisson noise which helps. I also made some improvements to Star Stat Guard. The image viewer now has a 3D plot feature which is great for examining the pixel values for individual or groups of stars. Not sure when I will make it public. I am now starting to develop my 2023 images. My work on PHD2 totally derailed any chance of working on them until now. I don’t want to release any details here but when I do release some posts about the PHD2 multistar algorithm they should make interesting reading. I am sticking with Startools for 2025. All of these programs have learning curves and I only develop my astrophotos over the winter months so I don’t progress very quickly. With all the other things I get into with astrophotography… I am not bored.