Tools / Stacking

Toolbar tool

Stacking

Turn a folder of raw sub-exposures into one clean master — graded, aligned, and integrated. No separate stacking app needed.

Nocturne's Stack dialog with a per-frame grading table and a frame preview
Point it at a folder of subs — it grades every frame, flags the poor ones, and integrates the rest. Click to enlarge.
3things graded
3strictness levels
2integration methods

What it does

Turns a folder of individual sub-exposures into a single clean master. It grades every frame — measuring star count, sharpness (FWHM) and background — and flags the ones hurt by cloud, wind or soft focus. It rejects the duds, registers (aligns) the rest — handling the field rotation an alt-az mount like the Seestar introduces — and integrates them into one image.

How to use it

  1. Click Stack in the toolbar and choose your folder of subs.
  2. Pick a Strictness (Relaxed / Normal / Strict) — how picky the automatic frame selection is.
  3. Choose an Integration method: Average, or Sigma-clipped (with a κ of Low / Medium / High) to reject satellites, planes and hot pixels.
  4. Let it grade, review the table — rejects are flagged, and you can override any frame by hand — then Stack. The finished master loads straight into the editor.

If you already have a stacked master — from the Seestar app, say — you can skip stacking entirely and just Open FITS.

When you do not need this tool

Tips

More subs mean a cleaner master with less noise. Sigma-clipped integration is the safe default — it rejects the odd satellite trail automatically.

Download for macOSfree · beta