Moon – PekDar – Astrophotography Engineering https://astrophotography.pekdar.net Autorskie rozwiązania Hardware, Projekty 3D i Zaawansowane Poradniki Wed, 11 Feb 2026 08:53:09 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.5 https://astrophotography.pekdar.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/favicon.png Moon – PekDar – Astrophotography Engineering https://astrophotography.pekdar.net 32 32 AutoStakkert! and Lucky Imaging: The Mathematical Battle Against Atmosphere https://astrophotography.pekdar.net/en/autostakkert-lucky-imaging-moon-stacking/ Fri, 15 May 2020 06:27:12 +0000 https://astrophotography.pekdar.net/?p=9895

AutoStakkert 2

Learn the best settings and a step-by-step process to stack your Lunar light frames in AutoStakkert and achieve sharper, high-resolution Moon images.

The Seeing Problem

Why is a single DSLR photo of the Moon rarely perfectly sharp? The culprit is Earth’s atmosphere. Air masses of different temperatures mix, creating turbulence that acts like lenses with varying focal lengths. This phenomenon is called seeing. In classical photography (long exposures), seeing blurs details. The engineering solution is the Lucky Imaging technique.

Mechanism: Statistics and Video

Instead of a single photo, we record thousands of video frames with very short exposure times (milliseconds). Statistically, within a second, there are moments when the atmosphere “freezes” for a fraction of a time and becomes perfectly transparent. The role of AutoStakkert! is to analyze each of the thousands of frames, grade their quality (sharpness), and select only the “lucky” ones (e.g., the best 10-20%).

At first impression, the AutoStakkert user interface does not seem easy to use. However, after getting to know the key options and understanding how the program works, its interface not more to be a secret. We will go through the stacking procedure, processing sample of Moon light frames, which I collected in the early spring of this year.

READ MORE]]> PIPP (Planetary Imaging PreProcessor): The Essential Step Before Stacking https://astrophotography.pekdar.net/en/pipp-stabilization-conversion-astrophotography/ Wed, 22 Apr 2020 11:20:37 +0000 http://www.astrofoto.pekdar.net/?p=1119

PIPP astrophotography – Why Not AutoStakkert! Immediately?

After recording a Moon video (in SER, AVI, or other formats), many beginners skip the pre-processing step in PIPP and directly load files into AutoStakkert!. However, PIPP solves critical recording issues that significantly improve the efficiency and quality of the final stack.

Problem 1: Motion and Jitter (Dynamic Tracking)

During video recording, even with a perfectly aligned mount, subtle vibrations, tracking errors (PEC), and object shifts (e.g., the Moon drifting out of the center) occur.

  • PIPP’s Role: PIPP analyzes each frame and shifts the image so that the key object (e.g., the Moon disk) remains perfectly centered (dynamic centering) and stable in the X and Y axes.

  • Benefit for AS!: AutoStakkert! performs alignment much faster and more precisely when the target object is not moving chaotically throughout the video.

Problem 2: Optimization and Conversion (Frames Optimization)

Planetary cameras often record video in formats and resolutions that are not optimal for AutoStakkert! (e.g., 8-bit Y8/MONO format).

  • Conversion: PIPP provides fast and lossless video conversion to the most preferred formats. It allows conversion from uncompressed to efficient formats, as well as converting a monochrome Y8 signal to simulated RGB.

  • Cropping for Efficiency: PIPP allows for precise cropping of the Region of Interest (ROI). If the entire Moon disk takes up 1000×1000 pixels, but the rest of the frame is a black void, PIPP cuts out this unnecessary black area.

PIPP Step-by-Step

Usage of the PIPP program is relatively simple. It is recommended to follow the step rules – from left to right, going through all the tabs of the program, starting from the Source Files tab and ending with the Do Processing tab. We will go successively through the tabs, processing the Moon with an example light frames that I collected. I will focus only on those options that I need to use. It is not my goal, to describe every available option, that’s why the manual is available on the PIPP page.

READ MORE]]> The Moon’s First Quarter: A Theater of Shadows and Detail https://astrophotography.pekdar.net/en/moon-first-quarter/ Wed, 15 Apr 2020 15:30:41 +0000 https://astrophotography.pekdar.net/?p=4029

Moon first quarter

Why Not the Full Moon? Beginner observers often wait for the Full Moon, thinking it’s the best time for photography. In reality, a Full Moon appears “flat” because sunlight falls perpendicular to the surface, eliminating shadows. The First Quarter is a magical moment—the Sun illuminates the Moon from the side, bringing out monumental mountains and deep craters along the terminator line.

The Terminator: The Boundary of Light and Dark

The terminator is the line separating the illuminated part of the Moon from the part shrouded in night. This is where the action happens. Due to the low angle of sunlight, even small elevations cast long shadows, allowing us to perceive the three-dimensionality of the terrain.

What to Photograph During the First Quarter?

During this phase, some of the most spectacular formations appear along the light line:

  1. The Crater Triad (Theophilus, Cyrillus, Catharina): An impressive group of three large craters with varying degrees of erosion. Theophilus has prominent central peaks that cast sharp, long shadows across the crater floor during the first quarter.

  2. Albategnius Crater: A large, ancient crater with a distinct central peak that is among the first to emerge from the darkness.

  3. Mare Serenitatis (Sea of Serenity): Along its shores, systems of ridges and faults are visible, appearing like ripples on a water surface under side-lighting.

Technical Tip: Exposure Time

During the first quarter, the dynamic range of brightness is immense. Bright highlands are very high-contrast compared to the dark “maria.” During your session, try not to overexpose (blow out) the bright edges of the craters—it’s better to slightly underexpose and recover shadow details during post-processing (e.g., during the stacking process in AutoStakkert!).

Moon first quarter
Moon – first quarter

My first photo of the Moon. It took me a long time to finally snap a picture of it—I just couldn’t bring myself to dive into the topic. Once I had gathered the photo and video material, I procrastinated again when it came to processing it. Maybe it’s because photographing the Sun, Moon, or planets is a completely new subject for me. Eventually, I sat down and the fun began. While wrestling with AutoStakkert and editing the images, some side projects emerged—let’s call them… oh never mind. When they’re ready, you’ll find out right here on this page.

Light Frames:

  • 114 x ISO 12.800, 0,00025[s],
  • RAW files of .CR2 with conversion to .TIFF (16-bit) file type, 5488×3662 [px].

Processing:

  • AutoStakkert v. 2.6.8
  • RawTherapee v.5.8
  • Gimp v. 2.10.14

]]>