wxAstroCapture

Cameras aren’t just used to take pictures of landscapes, friends, or yourself. With a device that’s powerful enough, even the sky can be a target. In this regard, wxAstroCapture allows you to hook up a camera for astronomical studies, with built-in trackers, and different customizable tasks.

First of all, a capture device needs to be connected to the PC you’re running the app on. Sure enough, integrated webcams can be selected as well, but it’s not really the device you want to use in order to track, and monitor celestial bodies. Device is easily selected from a list of items, with additional settings to configure capture formats, frame font, and container to define quality.

Additional options can be managed so the application exports the file under specific parameters, which are set from the container, and file name tabs. In case you use the application with a telescope, calibration controls allow you to define subframe size, lower cutoff level, image scale, and camera angle, or let the application decide what’s best through auto calibration.

Real time preview is generated so you can clearly see what’s going on. You can set the object name you’re currently tracking, as well as the type, which can be dark, light, flat, or bias. What’s more, a zoom option helps you analyze the preview area in greater detail.

There are three recording options, such as manual, guided, and batch. The first is a common type of recording, where you need to manually hit start, and stop, with additional options to show reticle, enable exposure log and meter. When recording stop, the video file is automatically saved to a preset location.

Guided recording allows you to track a specific object, according to the light it emits. RA and DEC aggressiveness values provide more object tracking accuracy. Last but not least, batch conversion is nothing more than a scheduled recording session, which can be set to capture multiple tasks of a specific number of frames.

All things considered, we can safely state that wxAstroCapture is sure to be a useful partner when stargazing becomes a passion, rather than a pastime activity. Device is easily recognized and selected, with multiple exposure and calibration options to configure. Moreover, different recording methods can be used to capture custom regions, or track a specific object.