Test rig with both cameras fitted with lenses
8 bit capture is implemented and 16 bit (12 bit in 16 bit containers) implementation is almost complete.
The monochrome QHY 5L-II-M camera was used in 8 bit mode to capture TIFF files of 20s exposures of M27, using an 5/5.5, 80mm, ED refractor, mounted on an AVX GOTO EQ mount. 30 images were stacked in Deep Sky Stacker running in Wine on a Linux Mint computer. The resulting image was post processed in the Gimp 2.9.
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Screenshot of AstroDMx Capture for Linux
Screenshot of The data stacked in Deep Sky Stacker running in Wine
The 29%, waxing, crescent Moon was imaged with the same equipment capturing two overlapping, 1000 frame SER files.
The best 400 frames of the SER files were stacked using Autostakkert! 2.6 running in Wine, stitched using Microsoft ICE running in Wine and wavelet processed in Registax 5.1 also running in Wine. The final image was post processed in the Gimp 2.9.
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A Skymax 127 Maksutov, mounted on the AVX mount was used to image Saturn using the QHY 5L-II-C camera and AstroDMx Capture for Linux.
Saturn was very low in the sky and almost setting over the mountain, producing poor seeing. A 2000 frame SER file was captured and the best 40% of the frames were stacked in Autostakkert with RGB alignment, running in Wine. The resulting image was wavelet processed in Registax 5.1 also running in Wine, and post processed in the Gimp 2.9 on a Linux Mint laptop.
Screenshot of AstroDMx Capture for Linux
When 16 bit capture has been implemented, another release will be imminent.
However, Nicola has also been working on the implementation of Atik cameras and has already extracted images from the Atik 314L camera. She has not yet decided whether to release the next version of AstroDMx Capture for Linux when the QHY camera implementation is complete, or whether to wait a little longer until the Atik cameras are implemented.
Watch this space!
