// software
Software
The other half of the rig — the programs that drive the mount, point the camera, fix the focus, stack the photons, and shape the final image. 5 in active rotation.
// 01
Acquisition
2 tools
- KStars / EkosLinux acquisition stack — KStars planetarium + Ekos imaging module + INDI server. Used for end-to-end sessions from the Raspberry Pi 5 at the mount: alignment, polar align, plate solving with astrometry.net / ASTAP, guiding via PHD2-equivalent internal guider, autofocus, scheduler.↗ kstars.kde.org
- N.I.N.A. (Nighttime Imaging 'N' Astronomy)Windows acquisition platform. Sequencer, advanced sequencer, autofocus, framing assistant, plate-solve-on-the-fly, dithering, meridian flip, target scheduling. Primary capture tool when running from the laptop.↗ nighttime-imaging.eu
// 04
Stacking
2 tools
- DeepSkyStacker (DSS)Lightweight Windows stacker, used for DSLR work and quick first-look stacks before bringing data into Siril for serious processing.↗ deepskystacker.free.fr
- SirilCalibration + stacking + linear post-processing (background extraction, photometric color calibration, deconvolution, stretching). Open-source — primary stacking tool for both mono LRGB / narrowband and OSC sessions.↗ siril.org
// 05
Processing
1 tool
- GIMPFinal post-processing: curves, levels, selective sharpening, star reduction, noise smoothing, layering of mono / narrowband channels. Reaches the canvas after Siril has produced a stretched, color-calibrated linear-to-non-linear image.↗ www.gimp.org