Tried stacking 200 raw moon shots with free software, shocked at the detail
I've been taking single shots of the moon for like 3 years with my old Celestron 130mm. Last Tuesday I finally tried stacking, just downloaded AutoStakkert and used 200 frames from a 2 minute video I shot in my backyard in Tucson. The crater detail around Tycho came out way sharper than any single photo I've ever taken, even ones at prime focus. Has anyone else had that moment where free software beat what you thought your gear could do?
My first stacking attempt was with Jupiter, maybe 150 frames from a 3 minute clip. The Great Red Spot showed up like a bruise, and I got the bands so clean I could count five of them. Thing is, my mount shakes like a leaf in the wind here in Michigan, but that software just ate the bad frames and spit out gold. Now I shoot video of everything, even the sun with my cheap filter.