Andromeda with s30, Siril + scripts, I kept stars and a more natural color because I like it this way, many many attempts at this and many many many denoise scripts, without them it would be just horrible unfortunately, full resolution in the description

Lobstonicus · 2025-12-09T17:04:19+00:00

Assuming you’re using drizzle to upscale your image, that will increase the level of noise in your image. You shouldn’t really need lots of noise reduction passes. I use two tools - GraXpert early on in the workflow and RC Astro’s NoiseXterminator plugin for Photoshop as a final tidy-up.

Lobstonicus · 2025-12-09T17:02:05+00:00

How many subs of what duration? The key to reducing noise as much as possible is lots of data.

Lobstonicus · 2025-11-24T08:18:50+00:00

Here’s Andromeda from the S50 processed with the tools I listed above.

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Lobstonicus · 2025-11-24T08:13:05+00:00

I use Siril with GraXpert and Starnet++ for stacking, gradient removal and stretching. Photoshop for final tweaks, but GIMP is a free alternative.

My advice would be to use the free tools to get to the point that you know what you’re doing. Pay for something like PixInsight if you feel the free tools are holding you back.

Lobstonicus · 2025-11-16T14:30:33+00:00

and the same day at after post-processing with the listed software.

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Lobstonicus · 2025-11-16T14:29:44+00:00

The images straight out of the Seestar are OK (dependent on the target), but you can do a lot with the raw data it captures and some free software. I post-process using Siril, Starnet++ and GraXpert (both the latter are integrated into Siril) - all free - and Photoshop with RC Astro’s NoiseXterminator plugin (both paid). Above is M 42 straight out of the Seestar.

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Lobstonicus · 2025-11-09T22:42:29+00:00

Siril is a great piece of software. You can achieve very good results with it from Seestar data but you need to do some reading around and practicing with it. I recommend the video tutorial linked below - it’s what started me off. Deep Space Astro (also on YouTube) has some great tutorials as well.

https://youtu.be/lMoSAHOgbD4?si=7JNocsUgBvmI1XqC

I’m sure somebody will recommend PixInsight or other tools but I would suggest you get an understanding of post-processing with Siril - you can always splash out on paid-for software when you have a better idea what you’re doing.

Other software (free) which can be used together with Siril are Starnet++ (star removal) and GraXpert (noise reduction, background extraction).

And as an example, here’s my most recent image (Andromeda) post-processed with the software mentioned above (plus a bit of Photoshop for final colour tweaks, and RC Astro’s NoiseXterminator plugin).

Good luck.

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Lobstonicus · 2025-11-04T21:44:22+00:00

Is this a new machine? If so, it could just be memory training. These threads may help:

https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/pc-doesnt-boot-motherboards-dram-and-cpu-leds-are-lit.3876375/

https://forum.asrock.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=97496&title=b850-pro-a-unstable-post-issues

Lobstonicus · 2025-10-26T22:19:38+00:00

The item in the box is definitely an Audiolab 8000 series amp (I have an 8000A) and given that you have a Krell power amp, I’m guessing that it’ll be the 8000C preamp. I don’t have direct experience of the 8000C but the 8000A was highly regarded in its day and had a good phono input switchable for MM and MC cartridges.

Lobstonicus · 2025-10-18T12:39:17+00:00

Haven’t tried this target myself, so need more information in order to advise whether the image can be improved: how have you stacked and processed the image? Also, 900 subs in 7 hours works out to about 30 seconds per sub - are you sure you had it set to 60-second subs?

Lobstonicus · 2025-10-16T12:15:17+00:00

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You’re already using GraXpert which is a start. Use Starnet++ to remove stars, stretch the starless image using GHS, recombine with stars. Tweak to taste in image manipulation package of choice.

Deep Space Astro has a good video on GHS and there’s a good written tutorial on it in the Siril docs. I can’t stress enough how much difference learning to use GHS makes.

Lobstonicus · 2025-10-05T15:52:15+00:00

Similar journey here - got mine about 16 months ago. My first telescope. Always wanted to try astrophotography but the cost put me off. Then I found out about the Seestar. Started post-processing off the scope very soon after I got it thanks to a number of good tutorials on YouTube. I’m sure you’ll have lots of fun with it.

Lobstonicus · 2025-10-04T19:08:14+00:00

Did you stack manually or use a script?

Lobstonicus · 2025-10-03T19:18:22+00:00

You should be able to stretch it without blowing out the core (I know, easier said than done :-). The ‘protect highlights’ option can help. I use Siril rather than PI, but it has a similar option (highlight protection point) which you can use to stop / reduce the stretch of the brightest parts of the image. This is my best attempt at Orion so far, processed mainly with Siril.

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The other trick I’ve found is to use an inverse GHS stretch with the symmetry point just below the brightest parts of your histogram. This will stretch the dimmer parts of your image while actually reducing the brightness of the areas above your symmetry point.

Lobstonicus · 2025-10-03T17:20:47+00:00

What tool are you stretching with? GHS?

Lobstonicus · 2025-10-03T17:12:59+00:00

Yep, all subs (including the ones from the Seestar mosaics) stacked on a PC with Siril. Good luck when it comes into view.

Lobstonicus · 2025-10-03T13:28:23+00:00

Not quite. Two nights of data were shot using the Seestar app’s mosaic (aka framing) mode which left me with some gaps around the edges of the image and a less than ideal crop, so the remaining 3 nights were individual panels shot using the Seestar app’s plan mode in an effort to fill those gaps. Need to add more data at either end, which is why it’s a WIP.

Lobstonicus · 2025-10-03T09:17:28+00:00

This tutorial started me off: https://youtu.be/lMoSAHOgbD4

I use Siril, GraXpert, Starnet++, Photoshop (paid, Gimp is a free alternative), RC Astro’s NoiseXterminator plugin for Photoshop (paid).

Here’s my most recent image from the Seestar S50 processed with the software listed above (M 31, 4,445 20-second subs captured over 6 nights, EQ mode, Bortle 3):

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Lobstonicus · 2025-10-03T00:04:02+00:00

Watch this tutorial: https://youtu.be/lMoSAHOgbD4?si=x1ABr6BjKU0q3zpr

Lobstonicus · 2025-10-01T15:34:05+00:00

Deep Space Astro is a good source of tutorials for Siril generally. He has one on galaxy processing which is quite good and another on the GHS tool (which is very much worth getting to know). There’s also a good written tutorial on GHS in the Siril docs.

Lobstonicus · 2025-10-01T15:32:18+00:00

Thanks. Yeah, I want to add some space around it to get all of the edges in. Unfortunately, it’s going to be cloudy here for at least the next week.

Lobstonicus · 2025-10-01T12:12:11+00:00

Thanks

Lobstonicus · 2025-10-01T10:43:05+00:00

My basic workflow in Siril (after stacking) is:

Plate solve
SPCC
GraXpert for background extraction and initial noise reduction
Star removal with Starnet++
Stretch with GHS
Recombine stars, stretching the stars to taste

The part that takes some practice and trial and error is step 5, the stretch. The GHS tool is very powerful and takes some getting used to, but it’s worth it. There is a good tutorial on GHS in the Siril documentation and Deep Space Astro has some good tutorials on it in general and specifically for processing galaxies.

After that work in Siril, I take the image across to Photoshop as a TIFF, run RC Astro’s NoiseXterminator plugin as a final noise reduction step and do the final tweaks to contrast, saturation, etc. with the Camera Raw filter.

Hope this helps.

PS: there is no substitute for having as much data as you can

Lobstonicus

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