| article: the astroScopius - astronomical real time image stacking, processing, web publishing with FTP |
What is the astroScopius?
The astroScopius will run on Windows and in parallel to your imaging software or camera control software.
It will wait for the files of the camera and perform an “on the fly” image processing and stacking to enhance faint detail and colour.
You can also check the quality of the acquired images in the quality plot window.
Its able to send the stacked frame to any WebServer so it is a kind of astronomical deep sky WebCam software...
Relax next to your telescope and watch a high quality preview of your observation getting better and better over time...
Main Features of the astroScopius
- "on the fly" stacking and nonlinear filtering to enhance faint detail whenever a new frame will arrive
- Automatic publishing of the resized and cropped image to the Web to create a "WebCam" of the current observation. Click here for an example.
- JPG, BMP, TIF, PNG a.s.o. input for 24 bit processing
- Bayer Matrix FITS and Digital Camera Raw for 48 bit processing
- R G B - fits export of colour decoded raw frames for Registax
- Automatic skipping of low quality frames (tracking errors)
- Very fast algorithms, all in C++ language
Example M31 / IC1311 taken with a Canon 300D in JPG mode, no darks, no flats
 
raw frame as from camera
 
1 frame filtered
 
16 frames filtered and stacked
Workflow
Compatibility
| Camera | Control Software | Mode |
| All cameras with 24 bit output | any | jpg, bmp, tif, tga, pcx, all resolutions |
| Canon raw files | RemoteCapture | crw |
| Canon 2 raw files | EOS Capture | cr2 |
| Casio raw files | - | bay |
| Nikon Coolpix 4300 | - | TIFF, all resolutions |
| Nikon raw files | - | nef |
| Olympus raw files | - | orf |
| SBIG ST-7, ST-8, ST-9 | Maxim 4 | monochrome, FITS |
| Starlight Xpress SXV M8C | AstroArt | full frame FITS |
| Starlight Xpress SXV H9C | Starlight Xpress | full frame FITS in continous mode |
| Starlight Xpress SXV M25C | Starlight Xpress | full frame FITS in continous mode |
License
The astroScopius is almost freeware. You just have to place at least one link from your site to http://www.licha.de.
Donnations are welcome.
Please download the latest version and the manual for free from here:
download the astroScopius
Bug Reports
click to report bugs
Compatibility Reports
Please report if the astroScopius does work with your equipment and it is not listed above.
Please tell us the camera manufacturer, model, the camera control software.
click to report compatability
More Screenshots
Version and Changes
Version 0.98 released: not yet
* "50% size" switch for inferior optics, smallest pixels or bad seeing
* Darkframe also for 24 bit files (BMP, JPG, a.s.o.)
Version 0.97 released: 26.11.2005
* Sharpen Filter recoded for much better response to astronmical images
* The intermediate files are losless now and deleted from incoming directory after usage
* The fine-tuned Contrast Stretch is giving now a much darker sky and brighter midtone detail
(the setting is now not a true gamma anymore, lower values are needed)
* Quality: cloud or fog detection
* Last quality status written to stacked.txt for FTP upload
Version 0.96 released: 21.11.2005
* Improved Contrast Stretch with more faint detail and less noise
* Switch on/off RGB FITS write to disk
* Improved GuideStar registration and quality measurement
* 16/48 bit dark frames for FITS and DigiCams in all supported formats
* Olympus ORF reading in raw format (not E500)
* Starlight M8C support
* configuration name (=camera) included into FTP upload text
* Canon CR2 reading in raw format
* save to disk of last stacked frame to publish directory
* Improved Reset, less crashes, but still not perfect (press ignore several times in case it crashes)
Version 0.95 released: 07.11.2005
* Starlight M25C support
* Blue colour correction for jpg was wrong - fixed
* no more "missing dll" problem
* Canon CRW reading in raw format
* Nikon NEF reading in raw format
* Casio BAY reading in raw format
Version 0.94 released: 02.11.2005
* improved handling of mixed sized multiple groups of files
* crash for ST-7 monochrome FIT - fixed
* files not accepted when no number before '.' - fixed
* easy reset for reprocessing
* FITS Camera selector: monochrome, Bayer Matrix RGB
Version 0.93 released: 26.10.2005
* Exposure Peak Value Display
* Improved Auto Contrast Stretch
* Contrast Stretch can be exported to FITS now
* Menu: View/Display Final Frame
* Improved stacking with sharper stars
Version 0.92 released: 18.10.2005
* adjustable quality criteria for skipping bad frames
* bayer-decoded exported FITS are same size as input now to force Registax to perform 2x superresolution
* internal 2x superresolution stacking for FITS input
* guide star click crashed after reset - fixed
* memory leak during processing - fixed
* bug during stacking (wrong registration) - fixed
Version 0.91 released: 11.10.2005
* initial release
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