Saturday, April 2, 2011

RegiStax 6 - Astrophotography Saturn - Testing new version v6

In April 2011, RegiStax 6 was officially released — and I immediately downloaded it to test on one of my favorite planetary targets: Saturn.

For planetary astrophotographers, RegiStax has long been one of the most important free tools available. The new version introduced major improvements in alignment, wavelet sharpening, and processing speed — making experimentation much easier and more intuitive.

What Was New in RegiStax 6?

Release date: April 2, 2011
Platform tested: Windows Vista

Installation was simple and smooth. Compared to Version 5, the interface became noticeably more intuitive and streamlined.

One of the biggest improvements for me was the multi-alignment feature. In Version 5, I occasionally experienced alignment issues. In RegiStax 6, alignment worked flawlessly — almost like magic.

The introduction of Linked Wavelet Layers was a game-changer. This allowed more controlled sharpening adjustments across layers, producing smoother yet detailed planetary surfaces.

Processing speed was significantly improved, allowing more experimentation with parameters — essential when trying to extract fine details from stacked planetary frames.

Equipment Used for Saturn Imaging

Telescope: Celestron NexStar 4SE
Barlow Lens: 2× Barlow
Camera: NexImage planetary webcam
Location: Brooklyn, New York
Target: Saturn

This setup represents classic early-2010s webcam planetary astrophotography — recording AVI video files and stacking thousands of frames in RegiStax.

Saturn astrophotography using Celestron NexStar 4SE and NexImage webcam processed in RegiStax 6

Webcam Astrophotography - Celestron 4SE NexImage - Brooklyn Astronomy

Processing Workflow in RegiStax 6

The video above demonstrates the full workflow:

Loading AVI video file
Setting alignment points
Frame quality analysis
Stacking selected frames
Wavelet sharpening (linked layers)
Final image optimization

Stacking video frames dramatically improves signal-to-noise ratio and reveals planetary details such as Saturn’s ring structure and atmospheric banding.

Why RegiStax Was (and Still Is) Important

In the early 2010s, RegiStax was one of the most accessible tools for amateur planetary imaging. It allowed backyard astronomers — even from urban environments like Brooklyn — to capture detailed images of planets.

Even today, many astrophotographers use RegiStax for final wavelet sharpening after stacking in AutoStakkert.

Huge thanks to the developers of RegiStax for creating and maintaining such an incredible free tool for the astronomy community.