Struggles with Stars in Startools

Questions and answers about processing in StarTools and how to accomplish certain tasks.
xonefs
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Re: Struggles with Stars in Startools

Post by xonefs »

Yes my a7r4 is already full spectrum modded. It has the top spec kolari AR coverglass and I don’t recall halos using it previously (only adding filters). I have an astronomik clip in ir cut filter which is generally good in regard to halos.
hixx
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Re: Struggles with Stars in Startools

Post by hixx »

... it might be the clip-in. Astronomik are usually decent filters, but the clip-in method creates a 2nd glass-air borders to diffract light. Also the clip-in will shift focus slightly ( fraction of a mm) , so you might need to readjust the focal distance by 1mm or so if using flateners, reducers etc.
xonefs
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Re: Struggles with Stars in Startools

Post by xonefs »

This is completely off in a tangent now I am not using the sony for this currently or having issues with it
xonefs
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Re: Struggles with Stars in Startools

Post by xonefs »

admin wrote: Mon Feb 28, 2022 1:39 am
xonefs wrote: Mon Feb 28, 2022 1:00 am The broadband is just RGB no l. It’s an f5 system sharpstar sca260. Though ive experienced the same with my f5.2 refractor. Zwo 2600mm. I am going to try to get my a7r4 running soon it will be interesting to see how OSC compares without dealing with separate filters

If it stay clear i will try shooting more on m44 later tonight
If you have an L filter, would you be able to shoot some data with that and see if the problem happens in there as well?

If the problem is a filter-related issue, the halo size will appear similar if the focal ratio is similar (+ if distance of filter to sensor is similar as well).
The OSC is a great idea. Please keep us up to date - this sort of stuff is incredibly useful for others as well!

I think it was just not enough data and I was running into issues processing somewhere

I shot more last night along with L and combined them from both nights and was able to get it much nicer and not have the weird halos/glow. this is also binned to 35%, I think the contrast module just needed cleaner data maybe to deal with around the bright stars
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Re: Struggles with Stars in Startools

Post by admin »

xonefs wrote: Tue Mar 01, 2022 7:07 am I think it was just not enough data and I was running into issues processing somewhere

I shot more last night along with L and combined them from both nights and was able to get it much nicer and not have the weird halos/glow. this is also binned to 35%, I think the contrast module just needed cleaner data maybe to deal with around the bright stars
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I appreciate the update!

The Contrast module works on medium-to-large scale detail only, so is unlikely to be the culprit. The only modules that can possibly be coaxed into accentuating - nevertheless real, existing - detail at that scale, would be the Sharp, HDR and Entropy modules.
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Mike in Rancho
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Re: Struggles with Stars in Startools

Post by Mike in Rancho »

admin wrote: Tue Mar 01, 2022 11:51 pm
I appreciate the update!

The Contrast module works on medium-to-large scale detail only, so is unlikely to be the culprit. The only modules that can possibly be coaxed into accentuating - nevertheless real, existing - detail at that scale, would be the Sharp, HDR and Entropy modules.
Though not as severe, I think I've noticed similar issues at various times, including some of the brighter stars last month in some of my M42 processing.

It seemed to me that getting the initial AutoDev "right" had a lot to do with it, thus settings like the IFD and ROI can lead to the heightened appearance of, as you say, what is truly there in the dataset (just that you don't want it to be seen). Of course at the time I think I was trying to stretch out as much of the surrounding "dust" as I could, which was exceeding the reasonable depth of the integration time I had.

Also Contrast does have that shadow dynamic range control, no? I'm trying to remember if certain permutations of that and the locality had also halo-ized some of those stars. :think:
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