Recommended software

These are some of the programs I use or have tried and recommend:
  • WcCtrl: helps to control the settings of several webcam models (freeware).
  • WcRmac: edits the firmware of several webcam models (freeware).
  • SkyChart: Sky map (freeware).
  • AutoStar Suite: Sky map from Meade.
  • Messier Marathon: generates a list of Messier objects visibles from your location (freeware).
  • NGC Observer: generates a list of objects from several catalogs (Messier, NGC, etc.) visibles from your location.
  • AstroPlanner: observation planner, much more more sophisticated than the previous. Free version with some limitations.
  • Bahtinov Grabbber: helps focusing using a Bahtinov mask (freeware).
  • EQAlign: scope polar aligning, periodic error analysis and autoguiding (freeware).
  • Desire: long exposure imaging with modified webcams (freeware).
  • K3CCDTools: photo and video acquisition, planetary image processing (freeware version). See my image processing video tutorial using this software.
  • Envisage: image acquisition, calibration, aligning and stacking for Meade DSI cameras.
  • MaxIm DL: image acquisition, calibration, aligning, stacking and post-processing.
  • DeepSkyStacker: image calibration, aligning and stacking specific for deep space astrophotography. See my image processing video tutorial using this software.
  • RegiStax: image calibration, aligning and stacking specific for planetary astrophotography. It can also be used for deep space astrophotography (freeware).
  • IMerge: makes astrophotography mosaics (freeware).
  • Focus magic: improves images focusing and contrast.
  • PixInsight LE: image post-processing (freeware version).
Other software quite popular but which I have not tested yet:
  • Photoshop: image post-processing.
  • Iris: image calibration, aligning, stacking and post-processing. (freeware).

Monitor calibration

Monitor calibration
Adjust your monitor to see all grey boxes