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…