Pro tip: stacking 50 frames instead of 10 made my Andromeda shot way cleaner

I took two sets of the same target last month, one with 10 lights and one with 50. The extra frames cut the noise down so much you can actually see faint dust lanes now. What's the minimum number of subs you all aim for on a galaxy target?

2 comments

2 Comments

elizabethhayes6d ago

Yeah, that extra data from stacking more frames is a game changer. I did the same thing with M81 last season, went from 15 to 60 subs and the difference in the faint outer arms was crazy. I try to get at least 40-50 good ones for a decent galaxy shot now.

jana_fox506d ago

What exposure length were you using for those M81 shots, @elizabethhayes? I pushed my Andromeda data from 30 to 90 two-minute subs last fall... the extra integration time really smoothed out the background and pulled in so much more dust lane detail.