pixinsight
35 news items found relating to pixinsight
IDAS Dusk to Dawn filter
Thursday, August 7, 2025 by Russ Scritchfield
The IDAS DTD, officially known as the Dusk to Dawn filter, represents a unique approach to astrophotography filtering. Unlike many filters that specialize in narrowband isolation or broadband light suppression, this multi-bandpass filter offers a hybrid experience that caters to a wide variety of celestial targets. From comets and emission nebulae to galaxies and the Mi...
Sky-Watcher HAC125DX Mini astrograph
Thursday, July 31, 2025 by Russ Scritchfield
There’s something about a small telescope that reminds me of a pocketknife in some ways. It may not look like much at first, but if it’s well built and purpose driven, it can surprise you with just how capable it really is. The Sky Watcher HAC125DX Mini astrograph falls into that category. It’s compact enough to carry under one arm and subtle enough no...
Open source software from NASA released
Tuesday, July 22, 2025 by Richard Harris
NASA recently released its latest open Software Catalog, featuring over 1,200 downloadable software codes developed by agency engineers. These tools are designed to accelerate solutions that support the space economy and stimulate innovation across industries. The catalog is part of NASA’s broader effort to place advanced technologies — including software, i...
AstroBlast 2025
Friday, July 18, 2025 by Russ Scritchfield
AstroBlast 2025 is shaping up to be an unforgettable gathering for amateur astronomers, night sky enthusiasts, and curious newcomers alike. Hosted by the Oil Region Astronomical Society (ORAS), this annual event will run from October 14th to 19th, 2025, at the ORAS Learning Center and Bruce M. Bedow Observatory in Venango County, Northwestern Pennsylvania. For over 30 y...
QHY off-axis guider coupled with Minicam 8
Tuesday, July 15, 2025 by Richard Harris
Dylan O’Donnell recently took an in-depth look at the new QHY Off-Axis Guider (OAG), highlighting its performance, installation, and impact on his astrophotography workflow (like him, I love OAG too). Working from the Byron Bay Observatory, Dylan operates two primary telescope setups: a formidable Celestron 14-inch Edge HD on an EQ8 RH Pro mount and a highly porta...
Tele Vue-85: 20 years later and still a giant in the galaxy game
Monday, July 14, 2025 by Richard Harris
The Tele Vue-85 has been a steadfast companion to astronomers for over 20 years. First introduced in the late 1990s, it quickly earned a reputation for optical excellence and rugged reliability. Many enthusiasts still treasure early 2000s models that continue to deliver crisp, pinpoint stars night after night. Remarkably, the core design has remained true to its origina...
What is a Linear Image anyway: A PixInsight overview
Thursday, July 10, 2025 by Richard Harris
Behind that magic of editing astrophotography data is a world of technical know-how that many beginners (and even seasoned imagers) rarely explore deeply. That’s why the latest video series from PixInsight feels like a good refresher - it’s not just another tutorial on pushing buttons, but a really nice guide into the very heart of how light, numbers, and so...
Chiefland Astrofest 2025
Wednesday, July 9, 2025 by Richard Harris
There’s something magical about standing under a sky so dark and clear that the Milky Way stretches from horizon to horizon, glowing like a cosmic river overhead. If you’ve ever longed for a place where the stars feel close enough to touch, where telescopes hum quietly across a field of fellow stargazers, and where deep conversations about black holes and ba...
Okie-Tex Star Party 2025
Tuesday, July 8, 2025 by Richard Harris
The Okie-Tex Star Party has long held a reputation as one of the most coveted astronomy events in North America, and in 2025, it celebrates its 42nd gathering under some of the darkest skies in the continental United States. Taking place from September 19 to 27 at Camp Billy Joe near Kenton, Oklahoma, this event draws amateur astronomers, astrophotographers, telescope e...
Adding Luminance: The missing layer for sharper astrophotography
Wednesday, June 18, 2025 by Richard Harris
On a clear night under a moonless sky, a dedicated astrophotographer sets up a high-end monochrome CMOS camera (think ZWO ASI6200MM) and wonders: will an extra luminance layer really make a difference? Deep-sky imaging is a game of photons. We spend hours capturing faint galaxies and nebulae through red, green, blue, and narrowband filters. But there’s an unsung h...
Smart telescope image processing tutorial
Wednesday, April 30, 2025 by Richard Harris
Smart telescope image processing has become one of the most exciting and accessible aspects of modern astrophotography. What was once a niche hobby requiring large budgets, heavy mounts, and advanced equipment has been dramatically transformed by compact, integrated telescopes that can capture deep sky objects with surprising clarity. The core of this transformation lie...
Alpyca 3.1.0 update
Monday, April 14, 2025 by Russ Scritchfield
The release of Alpyca 3.1.0 marks a significant milestone for Python developers in the astronomy and astrophotography communities. Built specifically for controlling ASCOM-compatible devices using Python, Alpyca enables seamless interaction with telescopes, focusers, cameras, filter wheels, and more, from any modern operating system, including Windows, macOS, and Linux....
PixInsight Workflows book
Sunday, March 23, 2025 by Richard Harris
PixInsight, a sophisticated software platform designed for astrophotography image processing, has garnered both admiration and trepidation within the astronomical community. Its extensive capabilities are often accompanied by a steep learning curve, prompting many users to seek comprehensive guides to harness its full potential. Among the resources available, "PixI...
EAGLE6 computer for telescopes and astrophotography
Tuesday, March 18, 2025 by Richard Harris
Alright guys, today we’re gonna take a look at the PrimaLuceLab Eagle 6, an all-in-one powerhouse that’ll seriously level up your astrophotography rig. If you’re looking for a way to streamline your setup, reduce cable clutter, and control everything remotely - this thing is an absolute game-changer. So, what is the Eagle 6? It’s bas...
EkosLive cloud review
Friday, March 7, 2025 by Richard Harris
EkosLive is an online cloud astrophotography platform that provides astronomers with the ability to control remote observatories from any location at any time. This cloud-based application offers a comprehensive suite of tools for scheduling capture sequences, viewing images, and engaging with the astrophotography community. Recent updates have introduced a range of new...
Green Swamp Server guide
Wednesday, March 5, 2025 by Russ Scritchfield
Green Swamp Server (GSS) has emerged as a powerful alternative to EQMOD for mount control, offering modern updates and strong community support. This guide provides a deep dive into GSS, its configuration, and how it can improve your astrophotography workflow. GSS is a mount control software and ASCOM-compliant driver designed for telescope mounts, particularly Skywa...
PixInsight 1.9.3 Lockhart released
Friday, February 28, 2025 by Russ Scritchfield
A new version of PixInsight, 1.9.3 Lockhart, has been officially released. This update introduces significant stability improvements, bug fixes, and new features across all supported operating systems. PixInsight 1.9.3 Lockhart released - New features and improvements For a detailed overview of new features, platform recommendations, and known issues within the Pi...
Graxpert AI denoising tutorial
Saturday, February 8, 2025 by Russ Scritchfield
Jeremiah, also known as AstroOnBudget, recently put out a video showing how to use AI denoising in GraXpert. It’s a quick tutorial, but it covers exactly what you need to know if you’re looking to clean up your astrophotography images. GraXpert is a tool designed to process astronomical images, and this feature uses AI to remove noise from stacked images. Th...
PixInsight 1.9 Lockhart
Saturday, December 21, 2024 by Richard Harris
Pleiades Astrophoto PixInsight 1.9 "Lockhart" introduces major updates to the astrophotography processing platform, featuring improved performance with AVX2 and FMA3 optimizations for modern x86 processors. The release integrates the Multiscale All-Sky Reference Survey (MARS), offering advanced tools for gradient correction and background modeling, significant...
Top 10 astrophotography FAQs
Tuesday, October 29, 2024 by Russ Scritchfield
Sascha Wyss, the creator behind the YouTube channel "View Into Space," recently addressed the most frequently asked questions in astrophotography, providing valuable insights for both novice and experienced astrophotographers. The session, which encapsulates the top ten questions he encounters regularly, serves as a comprehensive guide to tackling common chall...
Astrophotography contest winners announced by nPAE
Tuesday, October 8, 2024 by Richard Harris
nPAE proudly announces the winners of the 2024 Southern Hemisphere Astrophotography Competition, showcasing the remarkable talents of astrophotographers from around the globe. After careful consideration by a panel of expert judges, the winners have been selected based on originality, technical proficiency, and creative execution. 2024 Southern Hemisphere Astrophotog...
Southern Hemisphere astrophotography competition opens to public
Monday, September 30, 2024 by Richard Harris
nPAE has announced the public voting phase for its 2024 Southern Hemisphere Astrophotography Competition, offering enthusiasts an opportunity to select the best from nine exceptional entries. Each of these final images showcases the unique talent, skill, and dedication of astrophotographers who have meticulously captured celestial wonders from the Southern Hemisphere, u...
Stephans Quintet and IFN captured by Francesco Meschia
Wednesday, September 25, 2024 by Francesco Meschia
Three years ago, and three months after getting my first astro-camera, I imaged this field with RGB filters from my backyard. Knowing nothing better, I did not collect L data at all. But in the last month I revisited this target and decided to go as deep as my sky and patience would allow. I ended up adding more than 36 hours of L, more than twice the time I had sp...
Jailbreaking Seestar S50 or ASIAIR
Thursday, August 15, 2024 by Richard Harris
When considering advanced modifications to astronomy devices like the Seestar S50 or ASIAIR, one topic that often arises is the idea of jailbreaking. This process allows users to unlock the full potential of these devices by gaining access to their underlying operating systems. While the concept may seem appealing to those looking for greater control, it's important...
Veil Nebula captured with a Takahashi FSQ-106 EDX4
Wednesday, August 14, 2024 by Russ Scritchfield
Astrophotographer Richard Harris recently produced a stunning image of the Veil Nebula, utilizing a Takahashi FSQ-106 EDX4 telescope and a ZWO 6200 monochrome camera. The photograph captured both the Eastern and Western segments of the nebula. The observation was conducted from August 3rd to August 8th, 2024, in Strafford, Missouri, with a precise observation direc...
Remotely controlling SkyWatcher mounts with PLAY
Tuesday, August 6, 2024 by Richard Harris
PrimaLuceLab has recently released a comprehensive guide on how to remotely control SkyWatcher equatorial or alt-azimuth (alt-azi) mounts using their PLAY astrophotography software. This detailed tutorial is designed to assist astrophotographers in connecting their SkyWatcher mounts to a Windows computer, enhancing their remote control capabilities through the use of AS...
Picastro image-sharing platform secures funding
Thursday, August 1, 2024 by Richard Harris
An innovative image-sharing platform designed specifically for astronomers and astrophotographers has been launched by Ayrshire entrepreneur Tom McCrorie, following a significant investment. Named Picastro, the platform is the brainchild of McCrorie, who has blended his passion for astrophotography with his expertise in creative design. After securing initial funding...
Okie-Tex Star Party 2024
Monday, July 29, 2024 by Richard Harris
The Okie-Tex Star Party, taking place from September 27 to October 5, 2024, at Camp Billy Joe, offers a week filled with astronomy activities. Attendees can participate in seminars like "PixInsight Image Processing," enjoy observing sessions, and engage in swap meets. Pre-registration costs $110, with at-the-door registration priced at $160. Meals provided by ...
Whats in my image script for PixInsight
Wednesday, July 24, 2024 by Franklin Marek
The Whats in my image script for PixInsight aims to streamline the process of identifying celestial objects in images, integrating multiple search tools directly into PixInsight (PI). Previously, astrophotographers relied heavily on various platforms such as astrometry.net, Aladin, and Simbad to locate and identify objects in their images. Marek's new script co...
Find true background in astrophotos with FindBackground
Thursday, June 13, 2024 by Richard Harris
Gerrit Erdt and a fellow developer Frank have introduced a script designed to significantly improve the process of finding background regions in astronomical images. This tool, called FindBackground, addresses a common challenge faced by astrophotographers, particularly when working with dense star fields or nebulae. Find true background in astrophotos with Find...
Adirondack Astronomy Retreat registration opens for 2024
Tuesday, May 14, 2024 by Richard Harris
The New Jersey Astronomy Group, in partnership with the College Auxiliary Services at SUNY Plattsburgh, announces the opening of registration for the 2024 David H. Levy Adirondack Astronomy Retreat. The event will take place at the Twin Valleys Outdoor Education Center in Lewis, New York. David H Levy Adirondack Astronomy Retreat registration & event details...
Cherry Springs Star Party 2024 schedule and speaker lineup
Monday, May 13, 2024 by Richard Harris
The 2024 Cherry Springs Star Party is scheduled for June 6th to June 9th, hosted at Cherry Springs State Park, one of the darkest International Dark Sky Parks in the eastern United States. This annual gathering attracts amateur astronomers and stargazing enthusiasts who engage in night sky observation and photography, enjoy lectures on astronomical subjects, explore ven...
Mid-South Stargaze and Astronomy Conference set for May 2024
Saturday, May 11, 2024 by Richard Harris
Rainwater Observatory is hosting the annual Mid-South Stargaze and Astronomy Conference from May 8th to 11th, 2024. The event, renowned for drawing amateur and professional astronomers nationwide, will be held near French Camp, Mississippi, under some of the darkest skies in the southeastern U.S., just off the picturesque Natchez Trace Parkway. Mid-South Stargaze and...
Almost Heaven Star Party 2024 event schedule
Thursday, May 9, 2024 by Richard Harris
The Night Owl Star Party registration is live! This May time event at Spruce Knob started during COVID and is the barebones sister star party to our late summer AHSP. The core is still the same which is camping, food, facilities and observing. We basically save the outdoor and astronomy events and talks for AHSP. This gives us an additional time to be together to ...
University of Arizona chooses OVNI night vision eyepeices
Tuesday, May 7, 2024 by Richard Harris
The University of Arizona has made history as the first university in the U.S. to introduce OVNI Night Vision eyepieces at the Biosphere 2 Space Domain Awareness Observatory. In the USA, the Biosphere 2 Space Domain Awareness Observatory will have OVNI Night Vision eyepieces. This cutting-edge observatory boasts a diverse collection of telescopes, notably a 36-inc...