From: "David Illig" <yag@davidillig.com>

Date: November 9, 2005 10:03:18 PM MST

To: Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com

Subject: Re: Camera for guiding

David wrote:

Photoshop? But I agree -- the Mac needs a Registax, but with a  

human interface; using Registax is a torturous process.

Milton Aupperle: 

I take that Astro IIDC is no use to anyone for stacking then? I'd  

like to know because I'll stop all development of it if no one is  

using that aspect of it. I don 't like wasting my time on features if  

no one uses them and does not provide any constructive feedback.

I have clearly put my foot in my mouth. That didn't come across the way I meant it. How 

can I prove that? Well, in addition to a Windows XP Pro laptop equipped with all kinds of 

commercial and free astronomy software -- including Registax -- I have six Macs running 

OS X. I bought Astro IIDC just a week ago to replace all other capture and stacking 

software, and after using it to photograph Mars I think it's a great program. I installed it 

on two Macs for a single camera. My FW webcam is an iBot, and I know that you are right 

about the iBot being a low-end camera. My Mars images weren't great, but the problem 

was almost certainly my lack of experience and atmospheric turbulence, not the iBot and 

certainly not Astro IIDC. I captured about 3,000 frames for each exposure; perhaps more 

were needed.

Even with my limited experience with the program, I can see that versitility and ease of use 

make Astro IIDC the clear choice for capturing and aligning QuickTime movies. I have 

never used Windows by choice, and in fact I have not used the Windows laptop for quite 

some time. I was experimenting with guiding with a webcam and Equinox, but I have 

suspended that for now. I have a new Losmandy G-11 mount for my LX200, and I expect 

to install it in my observatory as soon as an adapter plate arrives from LeSueur Astro-Pier.

You made one remark earlier in this thread with which I take issue. You wrote "The entire 

'Mac Astro Guiding Market' isn't more than 100 users..." and I know it's much bigger than 

that. I know that because I know three Mac astronomers within 20 miles of me who are 

interested in autoguiding, and I know another in New Jersey. That's five, including me. I 

also know it because of the amazing e-mail response to my little page about "The 

Macintosh in Amateur Astronomy" at <http://www.davidillig.com/astromac.shtml>. This 

is a personal web site that was intended mainly for distant friends and family, but it 

started getting hits -- and I started getting e-mails -- by the hundreds from Mac users 

who were grateful to learn that the Mac can be used in amateur astronomy, as well as from 

Windows users who said, practically in unison, "That's it, I'm switching. I've been fed up 

with Windows for a long time, but I didn't know the Mac could be used in astronomy."

Now, one question. What do you mean by "...has preliminary support for Auto Guiding on 

stars..." What else is needed -- given that I have the necessary hardware (Keyspan Serial 

Adapter) and cables for telescope control?

Thanks. Is my foot out of my mouth yet?

David