Dither and Drizzle and Bin, Oh My!

Submitted by AstroPhoto Insight on Fri, 02/01/2008 - 13:00.
This article was original published in the September 2006 issue of AstroPhoto Insight™ Magazine. No portion of this article may be copied, reposted, duplicated or otherwise used without the express written approval of the author and AstroPhoto Insight. © 2006 Professional Insight

On the corner of Astrophoto Avenue lies Warren’s World. Let’s call this new planet IP4AP- Image Processing for Astrophotography. I’m Warren Keller and I’m thrilled to be with you in this quarterly column for AstroPhoto Insight.

IP4AP is a source for learning image processing visually. My photographs are displayed at
http://www.billionsandbillions.com, and check out in my biography not because you’ll be dizzled…uh dazzled, but because you won’t- no PhD, no career in science. In this first column, I’d like to address the guys like me- the ones who get dithered by drizzle and other technical concepts.

There are many brilliant guys in our hobby. The best images often come from those with impressive credentials. Besides being fine processors, some are also innovators and producers of star-ware. Along with this comes a budget for top equipment. Though eager to bag trophies for ourselves, we more-average minds fear our work won’t measure up, and this can lead to ‘Why Bother Syndrome.’

There will always be someone smarter. And how many of us will ever own a 12” RCOS in NM? So it’s imperative to do it because we love it. It’s also important to remember that the learning curve is steep and imagers who knock your socks off have been at it for years.

My bio says, “You need only your love of the night sky to accomplish anything you want in amateur astro-imaging.” I truly believe that. Don’t get discouraged. Seek out the fabulous resources available both online and in print. Get Ron Wodaski’s The New CCD Astronomy and begin today. Refine your equipment until you get well-tracked and fine-focused data. With that foundation you can practice processing until you get where you want to be.

Whatever your chosen method of photon capture, you don’t need to be expert in technical aspects. So long as you boil down the harder concepts into practical steps that work for you, you’ll do great. While I teach, I continue to learn from the best. I own a $1,500 scope, a $2,000 mount, and I barely know the difference between drither and dizzle.

Dither and Drizzle and Bin, Oh My? Courage- you can do it! I look forward to seeing you next time at IP4AP.

Warren uses his ability to reduce difficult concepts to the essentials and effectively communicate it to others with his desire to convince the technically challenged that they too can accomplish anything they want in astrophotography. He also tries to stress the importance of artfulness in this largely left-brained hobby. His Astrophoto tutorial business http://www.ip4ap.com was named a Sky & Telescope Magazine 'Hot Product' in 2007.