Use an astronomy camera: focus, histogram, sequence
Establish focus and framing with short high-gain previews, then switch to capture settings chosen from the histogram. Record lights plus the calibration frames your workflow needs, and keep the camera configuration consistent.
Use the live guide ↓Sequence sketch
See what fits inside the night before building the sequence.
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Choose the options that fit your setup.
Separate preview from capture
Use short exposures and enough gain to see the target while focusing and framing. Return to the tested capture profile before recording science frames.
- Preview: responsive and bright
- Capture: repeatable and unclipped
- Save both profiles by name
Let the histogram answer
Keep the dark peak separated from zero with offset, and keep important highlights below saturation. Gain is a camera-specific tradeoff, not a quality slider.
- No pixels crushed at zero
- No target highlights clipped
- Avoid digital gain for data capture
Build a calibratable sequence
Record settings with every sequence. Dither when guiding supports it. Capture flats without rotating or reconfiguring the optical train.
- Log exposure, gain, offset, temperature
- Dither between groups of subs
- Capture flats before changing the train
Reliable habits
- Save tested profiles
- Watch the histogram
- Record every setting
Costly shortcuts
- Changing settings mid-series
- Clipping highlights
- Removing the camera before flats