Comet Academy
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Introduction and Primer
Plate scale
Published 2024-01-24 This video explains what the plate scale of an image is, lists some important examples and demonstrates three calculations using a simple…
Comet Motion
Published 2024-01-28 An understanding of the motion of comets is critical to proper planning and acquisition to achieve world-class captures. This video highlights some…
JPL Horizons
Published 2024-01-28 JPL Horizons is THE tool for generating positions and other information concerning solar system objects. A time table of this information is…
Comet Alignment Explanation: Important information about PSF Fits
Published 2024-09-28 This is an important demonstration of how PSF Fits works. It is shown in the OSC Comet processing example… but it is…
Comet Alignment Explanation: Explanation of comet subtraction alignments
Published 2024-01-28 The video offers an explanation of how reference frames are utilized in the dynamic CometAlignment process. Specifically this video shows to operand…
DSLR Comet Example (C/2023 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS Guide and Processing Demonstration)
DSLR Acquisition and Workflow Guide
Published 2024-10-18 Comet Academy: DSLR Acquisition and Workflow Guide
Acquisition Demonstration
Published 2024-10-21 This video highlights the simple steps you can do when in the field and taking pictures of comets with a tripod, star…
Comet Academy: C/2023 A3 from 2024-10-14 Tips and Techniques
Published 2024-10-17 This video is an overview of some of the important elements both in acquisition and processing of this image of comet C/2023…
Part 1 : From Calibration Through Normalization
Published 10/22/2024 This video demonstrates an AdamBlockStudios innovation for DSLR imagery showing that in the case of bright twilight (and ever changing gradients), NormalizeScaleGradient can…
Part 2 : Stacked Star Aligned Masterlight through CometAlignment
Published 10/22/2024 Once the images are normalized, in this DSLR example, we can proceed to remove stars from them and ultimately stack them together.
Russ Croman XT software
Standard Comet
Workflow PDF DATA
Published 2024-01-28 Below the processing workflow for processing a star-tracked comet using comet subtraction to maintain the background. Many other important considerations are included…
Comet Tracked Star Streaked
Comet Tracked (simple) Workflow Guide
Published 2024-01-28 This PDF outlines the processing workflow for a comet-tracked data set. The key element here is the innovative use of StarXTerminator. This…
Introduction and WBPP
Published 2024-10-23 This video introduces the method of Comet-Tracked image processing. This is a new innovation for comet acquisition and processing- an AdamBlockStudios exclusive. Images…
WBPP Results and SXT
Published 2024-10-23 This section shows the WBPP results of comet tracked images. We blink them to see the results then turn our attention to…
Quicker Comet Alignment (new!)
Published 2024-10-30 This video is an AdamBlockStudios exclusive that offers a faster and perhaps better way to align starless comet data by using FFTRegistration.…
CometAlignment, LN and ImageIntegration
Published 2024-10-23 In this section we use CometAlignment on the starless comet-tracked images. Then we set up and run Local Normalization and finally integrate…
Structure Removal and NXT
Published 2024-10-23 In this video we use the Adam Block method of structure removal (which is particularly useful in comet image processing for more…
SPCC and Final Blend
Published 2024-10-23 In this final video the star-aligned masterlight (RGB) is color calibrated with SPCC. This becomes a color reference for the comet-aligned starless…
Standard OSC Comet
OSC Comet Data Download
Download Dan Bartlett’s C/2021 A1 Leonard data. What a bright comet and amazing data! Visit Dan’s Astrobin gallery to see more of his comet work.…
Intro and Debayer Test
Published 2024-02-07 This video introduces the data for OSC comet processing. The data is generously provided by Dan Bartlett. Please visit his AstroBin Gallery to…
WBPP
Published 2024-02-07 Of course everything begins with preprocessing and WBPP. OSC processing is a bit different in monochrome in that WBPP is set up for…
CometAlignment
Published 2024-02-07 In the course of OSC comet processing the path to creating a comet-only master begins with the CometAlignment dynamic process and debayered…
Batch StarXTerminator
Published 2024-02-07 StarXTerminator is use in a batch mode to remove stars from each frame with a mask in place to protect the nucleus…
LN and Stacking (Comet)
Published: 2024-02-07 This video highlights the use of Local Normalization (LN) and subsequent stacking of OSC comet data.
DBE and Cleanup
Published: 2024-02-07 This video demonstrates the care that is necessary at each step to get to a high quality final result. A central idea…
Comet Comet Subtraction from StarField Images
Published: 2024-02-07 Comet subtraction is the secret sauce to obtaining the best possible image as it retains the background that might be filled with stars,…
Stacking of Starfield Images with Cleaning
Published 2024-02-07 This video demonstrates the twist in the tale of two images necessary to do OSC comet imagery as COMPLETE as possible. As…
Color Calibration with SPCC
Published: 2024-02-07 At this point we have three images (two starfield masters and one comet-only master). SPCC is used on the CFA Drizzle Stacked…
Stretching Masters and HDRMT
Published 2024-02-07 This video continues the preparation of blending the OSC comet data together…
ImageBlend Script and Final Adjustments
Published: 2024-02-07 Final adjustments to the images are made and merged together using the ImageBlend script.
Traditional Comet (No SXT)
DSLR with Landscape (Overview)
DSLR Intro
Published 03/21/2024 This video is an introduction to some of the considerations concerning DLSR imagery (with the landscape) of a comet near the…
WBPP and Registration
Published 03/21/2024 In this video the setup for WBPP is discussed. It is necessary to think about each of the parts of the pipeline and…
Post Processing Walk Through
Published 2024-03-21 This video shows processing steps including ImageIntegration (stacking), DBE, Image Solving, SPCC and more for the 12P/ Pons-Brooks DSLR example.
Final Processing (Photoshop)
Published 2024-03-22 This video shows the final processing steps for creating this image. The compositing and other adjustments were completed in Photoshop.
C/2021 S3 (PanStarrs)
Workflow PDF DATA
Published 2024-01-28 Below the processing workflow for processing a star-tracked comet using comet subtraction to maintain the background. Many other important considerations are included…
Additional Ination!
Comets, Asteroids, etc How the Solar System and Images Work
Published 2024-02-15 This wide ranging video is simply an explanation of everything from comets, asteroids, how to interpret data and much more.
Removing Residuals/Streaks with MMT/MLT
Published 12/10/2021 Shown in this video is a method of removing star streaks/residuals. The current processing methods shown in Comet Academy generally yield better results.…
Comet At Standstill (standard comet)
WBPP
Published 2024-02-21 This video series highlights the processing of 62P/ Tsuchinshan when it was at near standstill on February 12th 2024. This lack of…
Comet Alignment
Published 2024-02-21 Comet Alignment is used to prepare for the eventual creation of a comet-only image. However, I discovered that my camera was loose…
SXT, LN, ImageIntegration (Stacking)
Published 2024-02-21 The stars are removed (with a mask) and the resulting starless images are normalized (LN) and stacked (ImageIntegration) to make comet-only masters.
Comet Cleanup and Comet Subtraction
Published 2024-02-21 The comet only images are cleaned with a combination of DBE and the clone stamp process. Then the master comet-only images are…
Starfield LN, Stacking and Cleaning
Published 2024-02-21 The now comet subtracted starfields are normalized, stacked and cleaned (LN, ImageIntegration, DBE, Clone Stamp).
Color Correction (SPCC) and Stretching
Published 2024-02-21 This video shows SPCC being used to color correct the starfield image and then transfer this information to the comet only master…
Final Adjustments (ImageBlend) and more
Published 2024-02-21 This video concerns the final blending of the starfield with the comet only image. As mentioned in the beginning this data is…
12P/ Pons-Brooks 2024-03-02
Introduction
Published 2024-03-05 Comet Academy was created in 2024 and inspired by comets 12P/ Pons-Brooks and C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS). The former is the subject of…
WBPP
Published 2024-03-05 This video sets up the preprocessing of the comet data in WBPP. Due to the wind-blurred data, only the calibrated output is…
Batch BXT, WBPP, CometAlignment, Batch SXT
Published 2024-03-05 The processing of a challenging 12P/ Pons-Brooks continues with an attempt to rectify wind-blur with BXT. Batch BXT is performed on the…
LN, DBE, Gradient Correction and Cleaning
Published 2024-03-06 This video highlights the important relationship between LN and gradient correction. In addition both DBE and the new process “Gradient Correction” (a…
Star Field Generation and Comet Correction
Published 2023-03-06 In this video the star field is worked on in preparation for blending with the comet-only image. The color calibration on the…
Final Adjustments and Blending
Published 2024-03-06 This final video makes some final adjustments and blends the stars and comet-only images together.
DSLR Comet A3 Tips and Techniques (Overview for 2024-10-12)
Tips and Techniques
Published 2024-10-13 (less than 20 hours after taking the image!) In this video I highlight the processing I did for this DSLR image of…
Comet Tracked Star Streaked
Comet Tracked (simple) Workflow Guide
Published 2024-01-28 This PDF outlines the processing workflow for a comet-tracked data set. The key element here is the innovative use of StarXTerminator. This…
PreProcessing with WBPP
Published 2023-11-23 This video begins the processing of Comet Lemmon (C/2023 H2 Lemmon). As the title suggests, this is a new innovation on the…
CometAlignment, Batch SXT, ImageIntegration
Published 2023-11-24 This video demonstrates using CometAlignment on a comet not moving in a line with fixed points. Batch SXT is subsequently used and…
reate Starfield, DBE, SPCC, NXT
Published 2023-11-24 In this video we turn our attention to the starfield and create a home for the comet data. DBE followed by SPCC…
Screen, Comet Masking, Blend, WrapUp
Published 2023-11-24 Here we work to understand how to screen together two images with different backgrounds. Then in order to minimize the residual artifacts…
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Description
Comet Academy is the most comprehensive and unique course of its kind—dedicated entirely to the art and science of comet image processing. As one of the most complex challenges in astrophotography, comet imaging demands specialized techniques, and this course delivers detailed, step-by-step workflows you can follow using included data. From sidereal- and comet-tracked processing to DSLR, OSC, and monochrome variants—including an image featured as a NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day—this course leaves no tail unexplored. You’ll also gain practical guidance on how to prepare for comet observations, complete with up-to-date information on currently visible comets.
The latest updates for Comet Image Processing can be found in the Infinity Subscription!
