What are the essential Mac apps for the backyard astronomer? In this article, I've listed some of the most notable OS X apps that round out a complete technical package for the amateur astronomer.
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Dec 08, 2017 OS: Windows and Mac. This is the lowest cost raw developer and layer-based program on offer here, and has some impressive features, such as stacking images, HDR blending, and panorama stitching. However, it lacks any library or cataloguing function, so this is not a Lightroom replacement, but it could replace Photoshop. Luminar 2018. Lynkeos is a Cocoa (Mac OS X) application dedicated to the processing of astronomical (mainly planetary) images taken with a webcam through a telescope. It runs on Intel Macintoshes. It is optimized for vectorized instructions sets (SSE) and for multi-processor and multi-core machines.
The goal here is to recommend some very good, respected apps for beginners that are in typical use on the Mac. It would be impractical to list every available app, and I recognize that many advanced amateurs will have their own favorites.
I've defined six categories of apps: a sky chart that does telescope control, astronomy weather forecast, satellite look up, session planning, image processing and last but not least, a superb scientific calculator.
Oct 23, 2015 Software suitable for stacking and/or processing astrophotography DSLR images: Deep Sky Stacker. This is a free and very capable piece of software for aligning, combining and performing post processing of astrophotographs from digital SLR cameras. The best thing about this software is that it’s free, and amazingly capable for something that. Jan 04, 2017 Moon stacking software for astrophotography. By Astrophotography Telescope January 4, 2017. To get beautiful, sharp and clean (noiseless) images of the moon you have compulsory to collect many frames and then stack them in a special software. The goal is freeze the astromospheric turblence and then to reduce to signal / noise ratio.
1. Sky Chart & Telescope Control. There are several Mac apps that combine a sky chart with telescope control for compatible GoTo telescopes. They include, for example, Equinox, SkySafari, TheSkyX and Starry Night. Based on previous reviews of the Mac and the iPad versions, as well as the technical energy being put into continuous development, I have come to consider SkySafari Pro or SkySafari Plus by Southern Stars the best option for the Mac. Here's a review of the Mac version by a well-known amateur astronomer.
Image Credit: Southern Stars, SkySafari Plus for Mac.
Southern Stars also offers SkyFi, a Wi-Fi telescope controller to operate a GoTo telescope with a Mac (or PC, iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch and, with some limitations, Android.) A description and list of compatible GoTo telescopes is on the SkyFi page.
2. Astronomy Weather Forecast. Before you can start planning for an observing session, it's helpful to know what the weather is going to be that evening as well as the phase of the moon. The weather will help determine a start time and what clothing you'll need. The phase of the moon will tell you whether you'll be doing some casual observing of the moon and planets during a bright full moon or perhaps some deep sky photography at new moon or after the moon in partial phase has set.
Two sites that help with that are 7Timer! and Clear Sky Chart.
3. Satellite Info. Satellite info is good in case you'd like to try to catch one with binoculars and need the azimuth and rise time. Some amateurs have used this data to anticipate and photograph the International Space Station from the ground with stunning results.
Check the Heavens-Above website.
Mac Astrophotography Stacking Software
4. Observational Planning. Once you've figured out the weather and what you want to look at or photograph, it's helpful to have a session planning app. Your start time and the positions of the selected objects will determine when they go below the horizon, so you'll want to start in the western sky before they set. A planner will help with all that.
AstroPlanner is a well regarded astronomy session planning app for the Mac. Here's a review.
Image credit: AstroPlanner.
5. Photographic Image Processing. If you move from introductory visual astronomy, simple gazing or things that can be done visually, such as sketching or double and variable star observations to astrophotography, you'll need a collection of apps that can process your images for research or publication.
Note that astrophotography will require some extra equipment and lots of trial and error to gain experience. There are plenty of good books that will help you get started. For example, 'Digital SLR Astrophotography' by Michael A. Covington.
Here are some image processing apps, in no particular order, that are typically used by amateur astronomers.
- Photoshop. For merging photos, enhacing in various ways, creating animated GIFs to show object movement over time, and so on.
- GIMP. An open source Photoshop alternative.
- Pixelmator. Another strong image editing app. Some people, including me, prefer Graphic Converter.
- Lynkeos Often, a better image can be obtained by digitally 'stacking' or combining several shorter duration photos on a Mac/PC rather seeking to obtain one long duration photo. This app does a good job of that for individual images.
- Keith's Image Stacking. This app can stack multiple frames from a single video file.
Image Credit: Lynkeos.
6. Scientific Calculator. Many astronomers have a good, physical scientific calculator or two handy, such as the HP-35s from Hewlett Packard. However, if you prefer to have one on your Mac, I give my highest recommendation to PCalc by James Thomson.
Amateur astronomy is an enormous field that encompasses a long scientific history, huge choices for equipment and a great many books on the subject. As I mentioned above, it's virtually impossible to cover the possibilities in a single article of this size. However, if you want to get started or already have some initial experience with a telescope, the links here should be helpful.
Next up: a similar look at iOS Astronomy apps for the iPad.
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Starry sky teaser image via Shutterstock.
Focus stacking is very important in photography. There are times when one shot of the subject isn’t enough, or maybe the shots look good, but they’re a bit out of focus. To correct that, there are focus stacking software available and some HDR Camera Apps as well.
Related:
If you’re an aspiring photographer or if you just like taking photos and editing them in a way you haven’t done before, then our suggestions below will definitely work for you. Get your cameras ready and take those shots. These software will do the rest and improve the image’s quality to the best.
Picolay
Chasy Draw IES
Enfuse
Helicon Focus for Windows
ImageJ for Mac
Lights, Camera, Edit!
- Picolay
Picolay is a focus stacking software with multiple uses. It can perform image processing, create slide shows, make animated GIF images, and more. - Chasy Draw IES
Chasys Draw is capable of providing super-resolution image stacking, supports icon editing, can convert multiple files images, and many more. Runs on Windows XP, 2003, Vista, 7, 8, and 10. - Enfuse
Enfuse makes images more compelling with its image blending tools. You can take shots with different exposures or angles and merge them into one unique picture. Supports Mac OSX 10.4 or higher and Windows XP, 2000, Vista, and 7. - Helicon Focus for Windows
Helicon Focus was designed for macro and micro photography. Helicon has accurate color renditioning, state-of-the-art algorithm processes, and more. - ImageJ
Built for scientific multidimensional images, ImageJ is an open source image processing software. It’s capable of performing a wide range of tasks and is highly flexible. It can also be used along with other software like MATLAB, KNIME, and ITK, to name a few. - Stacking Photo for Android
Stacking Photo is one of the Camera Apps for Samsung Galaxy S6. Designed for those who can’t bring their laptops everywhere and would opt to use their smartphones for stacking images instead. - Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is easy to use, has stock assets like design templates, graphics, images, etc., helps you design your business cards or brochures, and it can remaster photos, remove objects, and combine images. - TuFuse
TuFuse is a focus and exposure blending software that generates focus blended and exposure blended images. It’s also an open source software and is free of charge. It’s compatible with any Windows OS. - Photoacute studio
PhotoAcute Studio improves image resolution, increases the depth of field, corrects geometry distortions, and a whole lot more. Compatible with Mac, Linux, Windows Phone, and Windows. - Zerene Stacker
Zerene Stacker has amazing retouching capabilities, clean handling of bristles and hairs, advanced stacking algorithms, and a lot more. Supports Linux, Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10, and Mac OS X.
Stacking Photo for Android
Astrophotography Stacking In Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop- Most Popular Software
TuFuse
Photoacute studio
Zerene Stacker
Focus stacking software and apps are very useful. It lets us bring out a new kind of image from the picture we just took. We could make it brighter, darker, shinier, and a bunch of other things we could do. When we are using them, our imaginations are truly the limit.
They have the same value as Mobile Camera Apps, which lets us edit our faces into funny-looking images. Lets us enhance our facial features, lighten our skin, etc. Today, we’re not just taking pictures anymore. We are now enhancing them to the fullest and making them the best.
