★ Stellar Backyard
Home Gallery About Equipment Blog Contact
Home / Blog

Blog & Processing Tips

Techniques, workflows, and lessons from imaging deep space in the suburbs.

Processing M42
Processing

My Workflow for Processing the Orion Nebula in PixInsight

A step-by-step walkthrough of how I processed 4.2 hours of narrowband data into the final image, from calibration to color mapping.

January 15, 2026 8 min read
Autoguiding Setup
Technique

Autoguiding Tips: Getting Sub-Arcsecond RMS on the EQ6-R

How I achieved consistent 0.5" RMS guiding through balance optimization, PHD2 settings, and flexure management.

December 28, 2025 6 min read
Light Pollution Filters
Gear Review

Fighting Light Pollution: Comparing the L-Pro, L-eNhance, and SHO Filters

A practical comparison of three Optolong filters from my Bortle 6 backyard — when to use each and what to expect.

November 10, 2025 10 min read
N.I.N.A. Sequencing
Software

Setting Up N.I.N.A. for Unattended All-Night Imaging Sessions

My complete N.I.N.A. configuration for hands-off imaging: sequence planning, autofocus routines, meridian flips, and safety protocols.

October 5, 2025 12 min read
Planetary Imaging
Technique

Beginner's Guide to Planetary Imaging with a SCT

Everything I've learned about lucky imaging with the EdgeHD 8" — from collimation to stacking the best frames.

September 18, 2025 7 min read
Noise Reduction Techniques
Processing

Noise Reduction Without Losing Detail: My PixInsight Approach

Balancing noise reduction with detail preservation using a combination of MultiscaleLinearTransform and TGVDenoise.

August 22, 2025 9 min read
Stellar Backyard
Gallery About Equipment Blog Contact

© 2026 Stellar Backyard. All astrophotography images are original work.