StarTools

I just came back to deep sky work after a few years. I tried my usual workflow of Autodev>Wipe> etc on some DSS fits and got results like shown in the attached screenshot. Images were shot on a Canon 1100D with a 300mm lens at f11 and iso 1600, 11 shots at 180s each. The camera was guided with PHD2 so I don't think it was a tracking artefact. Any ideas on what is causing the letterboxing effect which I have never seen before?

It bears all the hallmarks of stacking artifacts. I think I can indeed see some near the borders. Zoom into the edges and see if you can see any. Cropping a couple of pixels and trying Wipe again, will also help determine whether you are dealing with stacking artifacts.

admin wrote:It bears all the hallmarks of stacking artifacts. I think I can indeed see some near the borders. Zoom into the edges and see if you can see any. Cropping a couple of pixels and trying Wipe again, will also help determine whether you are dealing with stacking artifacts.

Great call, Ivo. I cropped 50 pixels all round and StarTools is now working as it used to. I should have read the artifacts warning that came up when I loaded the image. My workflow is now Load>Crop>Autodev>Wipe>etc...

Changes since I last used ST is that I now have a guide camera, new primary lens and the 64bit version of DSS. Maybe one of these upset my workflow? Anyhoos, problem solved

Many thanks
Dave

Good to hear! Congrats on the guidecam and primary - hoping you're getting plenty of clear skies!