SGP - Image Capture Software

For anyone looking for image capture software - SGP is one great package, although for me CCDAP still my favorite, its compatible with TheSkyX, and Maxim DL making it a excellent imaging capture team difficult to beat, true you need to spend good money compare to SGP.

 SGP has developed over the past couple of years, easy to use and for a beginner you can developed your skills using it as it has grown. (The developers are very active on the forum - answering questions and taking suggestions on board).

SGP like CCDAP is compatible with other astronomy software like PHD2 for guiding (if you need to guide), with Astromi for Model-Creator or Model Maker for modelling the sky and MBox  for GPS and temperature control, all excellent software that works perfectly with 10Micron mounts, a mount which is top in my list for amateur astrophotographers.

The mount of course needs good polar alignment as always but I do not have to align on any stars - plate solving tells the scope exactly where it is pointing. When it reaches the meridian - the scope will flip guided by this software and resume on the other side without any input from me at the time of flip. It works in tandem with PHD2 guiding software and as well as when not using guiding scope only with the sky modelling.

I  recommend this combination for anyone wanting to control your astro-image capturing, I have mentioned above the mountl, It also controls the camera (obviously) and the filter wheel (if used) along with the focuser (again if you have a PC controllable set-up)......along with a couple of other things.

I don,t think you can go wrong with SGP for the money, like you can't go wrong with Pixinsight or PS for post processing for the money you pay for them. You should buy software and  learn to use it and resist the temptation to buy something "else" unless there is a specific capability that you cannot get with what you already have - say "mutliple targets". Knowing how a package works will outweigh anything else over time, and  it's for this reason that I prefer CCDAP over SGP.

 I use MaximDL all the time without serious problems. In last years I have had exactly few problem that had me flummoxed and cost me imaging time, but what program is free from it.

 I've used CCDAP, MDL with TheSkyX it with a 250 Tak and the 106ed,  It works fine with my SX694 and FLI16 and the Moravian 11000, my 10Micron Mount, my AP 11000. It gives me a vast array of different capabilities to examine the data I am collecting, QA it, stack it and due on the fly digital development. It handles meridian flips, has auto shutdown capabilities, etc etec. I have NEVER seen a "guide star" problem when the guide star was present in the sub frame. I have seen hot pixels a lot though and very few people who understand how to handle them. It could use better hot pixel detection for the MDL.