I am currently saving my DSI II images as FITS files. I thought registax could handle these but it won't load them. I may be doing something wrong but if not, do any of the other reputable stacking programs allow editing and stacking of FITS images?

Kind regards
Matt

A free one is IRIS. It will make the process of darks, and flats simple then stack the results. It handles most of the processing as well. I found it hard to learn however so don't use it. Of commercial programs AIM4Windows works and isn't too expensive. Doesn't the software that came with your camera do this? I've never used a DSI camera but if they allow you take such images I'd think they'd calibrate and stack them as well.

Rick

Registax v4 can handle FITS (according to the manual: I don't use it myself). They may need to have .FIT as the file extension, I'm not certain.

__________________
"What do you care what other people think?" -- Richard Feynman
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled." -- Feynman, at the conclusion of his Challenger report

Parejkoj is right. I went to my other laptop that I used for planetary work before I stepped on my web cam. Flat web cams don't work well I found out. It loaded a FIT image just fine and its version 3 of Registax. Not sure what your problem is.

There are variations in the extension. One program I have uses FIT another FTS but either reads the other just fine and will save with the other. Just that it defaults to one or the other. Since there were no FIT images in that computer I moved one with that extension. I don't save using the FTS extension so had none to try. It did load the file upside down. A common problem as there's no standard here.

I didn't like it for working with them however. No way I'll use it over the software I already use. CCDSoft for calibration. Stacking is done in CCDSoft if using average. If using add I use AIM4Windows and if using a sigma reject routine (needs 6 or more) I use Gralak's free Sigma combine Beta 10 (after checking for asteroids which it would remove along with satellites, cosmic ray hits etc.). Color frames are calibrated in AIM4Windows as I prefer its math routines. CCD sensitivity through the filters isn't linear so adjustment is needed. Also Blue is scattered by the atmosphere. The lower the object the more blue it loses so I adjust for that as well. Then I move them to Photoshop CS via FITSLiberator for everything else. CCDStack would do all this preliminary stuff and likely better but I haven't taken the money plunge as yet. I hate learning new software. Probably one reason I didn't like Registax for FIT files in my quick try.

Rick

The DSI software will stack on the run but as a result there is no control over those occasional bad images which sneak through the quality filter. It can stack after the fact but image preview is VERY cumbersome. As a result I have been using Registax but saving BMP files. Too much data loss as you know. Well Registax won't accept DSI's FITS at any rate. I will have a play with the settings. I have tried Deep Sky Stacker and it works fine but it doesnt seem to de- rotate. I will give IRIS a try. Thanks so much for the advice.

Kind Regards
Matt

If you send me a couple of the FITS files you are using, I can do a couple sanity checks on them.

If you can't put them on a website, you can find my e-mail address from my website (linked from my profile page).

__________________
"What do you care what other people think?" -- Richard Feynman
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled." -- Feynman, at the conclusion of his Challenger report

Parejkoj, I have sent two of my FITS files to your e-mail adress. Thanks for your interest.

I have noted that the file type which appears in properties is Astro_Image despite Meade's software stating that it is saving as FITS files. This may be the problem.

Kind regards
Matt

Possibly related - I've found that the StarShoot imagers will save 3-color images in FITS files, but FITS files with the 3 bands done in a stacked way that not all software (including MIRA, oddly enough) can unscramble. My own solution (which I recommend to very few) is passing them through an IRAF script. (I told you I wouldn0't recommend that...)

Curiouser and curiouser. I'm afraid that it is all getting a bit past me now as I had thought that FITS was basically a monochrome TIFF which I thought most programmes could handle. In the mean time I must confess I have gone back to saving data as BMP despite the loss as I don't do hard copies and, as I understand it, most monitors won't show much of a difference.

Kind regards
Matt

As far as I'm aware, FITS has nothing to do with TIFF (it certainly predates it). If you want to learn more about the FITS standard, you can look at the FITS website which also has a FITS tester (which I had forgotten about).

I was able to open both files you sent me without trouble in DS9 (a fairly standard FITS viewer), and I verified the first one at the FITS tester above.. The header gives -32 bits/pixel, which is a bit odd, considering it appears to actually be 16, but shouldn't be a problem for most FITS readers.

You might try e-mailing the author of registax, or ask on the Cloudy Nights forums. There are a lot of people there who could probably know more.

Sorry I couldn't be of more help!

Oh, also: nice images! It looks like your focus is just a tiny bit off, though.

Oh, and just ignore the IRAF "advice" above... That's just mean!

__________________
"What do you care what other people think?" -- Richard Feynman
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled." -- Feynman, at the conclusion of his Challenger report

I have yet to find a malicious intention on this forum. Thanks so much for your advice. I may just try converting to 16 bit and then see what Registax does. By the way, come to think of it, I rejected those particular frames for the stack.

Kind regards
Matt