Astrophotography Explained: Decoding Signal to Noise Ratio and Number of Sub Frames

I've been making videos about signal to noise ratio. I even have a free app that you can use to estimate it! But what does a good signal to noise ratio look like? The results may surprise you!

For those interested, here is the gear I use (or equivalent; Orion has discontinued some of their products, so the equivalent skywatcher products are listed). Most of the links are Amazon Affiliate links. Thanks!

From Amazon:
Skywatcher HEQ5 Mount https://amzn.to/3NVrVQi
Skywatcher 80mm F7.5 Doublet https://amzn.to/47mbfZi
ZWO EFW mini filter wheel https://amzn.to/48OxhoN
Optolong LRGB Filter Set (1.25") https://amzn.to/47r23Tw
Orion 0.8x Reducer https://amzn.to/47s64a4
USB RJ45 Cable for Controlling Mount https://amzn.to/4aPlIzu
Raspberry Pi to control mount https://amzn.to/48mTBWH
R Pi case with touch screen https://amzn.to/3HvdNKl
ZWO Autofocuser https://amzn.to/3Skg0hX

From Agena Astro:

ZWO 294MM Pro Camera: https://bit.ly/3tZmjOo
HEQ5 Mount: https://bit.ly/3O7VQVz (mine is Orion Sirius, which is equivalent)
ZWO Filter Wheel: https://bit.ly/3Soo5lw
Optolong Filters (LRGB, SII, Ha, OIII): https://bit.ly/3SlEPtJ (the Ha and OIII narrowband filters are better than what I have)
Skywatcher Evostar 80mm: https://bit.ly/4bfVjev (equivalent lens)
USB RJ45 Cable: https://bit.ly/48FRj50 (connects mount to laptop directly; mine is a different brand, but this should do)
ZWO Autofocuser: https://bit.ly/425XUDB
0.8x Reducer: https://bit.ly/3tQlbg7 (mine is Orion, but this should be equivalent)


Here is the link that compares Bortle 7 to Bortle 4:    • Let's measure the SNR! How much bette...  

I made a free SNR app that can help you know how much integration time you need. It's simple to use! Check it out here: https://deepskydetail.shinyapps.io/Ca...

#astronomy #astrophotography #neuralnetwork #gimp #rstudio #photography #machinelearning #free #celestron #zwo #siril

Drankin Song by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...

Try the sharpening tool I made (AstroSharp)! Download it from GitHub here:

https://github.com/deepskydetail/Astr...

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