StarTools

• Nikon D7500 stock
• Tamron 150-600 G2
• iOptron SkyGuider Pro

• Bortle 5/6 location (SQM 19.63)
• 177 lights @ 170mm, ISO 100, f/5, each 1m45s long
• 20 darks taken after the lights
• 75 flats taken the next morning using a lightbox (this one in particular: https://www.amazon.com/NXDRS-Tracing-Ut ... B07D57BQM6)
• 75 dark flats taken after the flats

• final_ST.jpg is the file just out of StarTools
• final_ST_GIMP.jpg is the file sharpened and hue-saturated using GIMP
• stacked_dss.FTS is the stacked file using DSS as per the workflow on startools.org
• stacked_astap.fits is the stacked file using ASTAP as per the workflow on startools.org
• a single raw file for each type of frame (light, dark, flat and flat dark)

autodev -> keep
bin -> 60% -> keep
crop -> keep
wipe -> do -> keep
autodev -> redo global stretch -> keep
contrast -> dark anomaly filters 3 -> do -> keep
Sharp -> next -> keep
Color -> dark saturation 3.10, saturation 240%, green bias reduce 1.98 -> keep
Life -> less=More -> do -> keep
Entropy -> Dark/Light 70%/30% -> do -> keep
Tracking off -> grain removal: grain size 2 pixels -> next

1. are my calibration frames well taken? Or did I do something wrong with darks/flats/dark flats?
2. why do I have so many green pixel in my final result? Is it because I need way more signal?
3. why do I have this dense stars bloat in my final image? Is it because of the lens/too few signal/etc? I see online pictures with way less stars, how is it achievable without using software? Or is it just post-processing stuff?
4. can I add extra data next time I will have a clear night? If yes, is it gonna be a problem if I have to re-focus because in the meanwhile I will have used my lens for other stuff? Getting the same f-ratio and focal length is not a problem, but same focus is never gonna be possible.
5. with the data I have, how is my final result? Can it be improved? If yes, how?
6. any other feedback for me?

happy-kat wrote: ↑Thu Oct 15, 2020 2:02 pm What version of DSS and startools are you using?
Did you take any bias files?

• The ASTAP stack appears to have been color balanced and there appears to be a dust donut remaining.
• The DSS stack does not appear to have been color balanced and would make for a better starting point.
• Your calibration frames do not appear to catch all the uneven lighting (and one notable smudge/dust speck remains at 9 o'clock).
• Your lens suffers from chromatic aberration. You will want to use less aggressive saturation for the highlights, use the Repair Highlights parameter in the Color module and/or use the Filter module's Fringe Killer algorithm to get rid of purple fringing.
• Overall, I think you did a nice job with the dataset at hand!

admin wrote: ↑Fri Oct 16, 2020 2:38 am Some quick observations;

• The ASTAP stack appears to have been color balanced and there appears to be a dust donut remaining.

polslinux wrote: ↑Fri Oct 16, 2020 7:53 am Hmm, that's weird. I followed exactly what I did the other time.
I have tried again, this time by modifying a setting. Could you please check whether this ASTAP stack is good?

Also, how do you determine if a stack has been color corrected? Could you tell me please? So next time I'll be able to evaluate it myself

admin wrote: ↑Sat Oct 17, 2020 2:32 am

polslinux wrote: ↑Fri Oct 16, 2020 7:53 am Hmm, that's weird. I followed exactly what I did the other time.
I have tried again, this time by modifying a setting. Could you please check whether this ASTAP stack is good?

Yep, that's better!