From: "doodlebun" <gbleser@bellsouth.net>

Date: April 22, 2008 9:10:53 AM MDT

To: Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com

Subject: Manual Stacking question

With Astro IIDC set for manual stacking the program first does an 

analysis and then presents a subset of frames that meet the Confidence 

Interval set by the user. 

Then each frame of the subset can be examined for retaining or not. How 

important is it at this point to select the best frame you can find and 

then check the box for the best frame? If unchecked does this mean that 

that the software simply picks the first image for alignment?

I've had the experience of going through the tedium of manual selection 

of frames only to have the program fail to align the images when I'm 

done. When I first started imaging I thought the largest selection box 

should be used for image comparison as the Mac I use is quite fast. But 

I seemed to get into trouble. After OK'ing the confidence interval 

screen, the program would give me a stacked image composed of only the 

fifirst image.  This seemed to be less likely to happen when I used a 

96 X 96 grid.

When imaging Saturn I can have the planet oriented so the rings are 

horizontal along the long (640 pixel) axis or any other way I want. Is 

there a preferred way that allows the software to do the most accurate 

stacking?