Starguide - A Practical Guide to Astro-Photography

Resources: StarNet V2 Download  (link to the installation description, no download required, see StarNet V2 Installation)

Description

StarNet V2 is an updated version of the popular StarNet++ module for PixInsight, a powerful software used for astrophotography processing. Here are the key details about StarNet V2:

1. Purpose and Capabilities:
• StarNet V2 is designed to remove stars from various types of astronomical images, including landscapes.
• It significantly improves star removal compared to its predecessor, StarNet++.
• The new version provides smoother results and better preservation of non-stellar features in the image.
• It can be particularly useful for creating starless versions of astrophotographs.
2. Graphical User Interface (GUI):
• Unlike the command-line interface used in StarNet v1.0, StarNet V2 includes a standalone Windows application with a user-friendly GUI.
• This makes it easier for astrophotographers to interact with the software and achieve desired results.
3. Comparison:
• Let’s compare the results between StarNet++ (v1) and StarNet V2 using an example image of NGC 6188:
• StarNet++ (v1): The starless image lacks smoothness, and NGC 6164 (located below the dragons) was mistakenly identified as a star and removed.
• StarNet V2: The V2 image is much smoother, and NGC 6164 has been preserved correctly.
4. Acquiring StarNet V2:
• You can download StarNet V2 from the following link: StarNet V2 Download.
• Installation instructions are provided in the ReadMe.txt file within the downloaded ZIP archive.
• Once installed, you’ll find the StarNet2 process under your PixInsight All Processes folder.
5. Additional Information:
• For more details and background information, you can refer to the Cloudy Nights post.

Remember, StarNet V2 is a valuable tool for astrophotographers seeking to enhance their images by removing stars while preserving other features. Happy stargazing! 

Example: Starless Image Integration on Comets using StarNetV2

StarNet V2 Installation (on PixInsight Version 1.9 (Lockhart) and above):

in PixInsight:

1. go to RESOSURCES=>Updates=>Manage Repositories
   
   
   
2. Click on Add and enter 2 Internet links into the repository:
   https://pixinsight.starnetastro.com/
   https://pixinsight.starnetastro.com/tensorflow/
   
   
   
3. Install the updates: go to  RESOSURCES=>Updates=>Check for Updates
   

TensorFlow Version Issue

Look for the originally in PixInsight included tensorflow.dll with around 145kB (may be renamed to tensorflow_CPU.dll).  

In this case rename the 
       tensorflow.dll to tensorflow_GPU.dll 
and the 
       tensorflow_CPU.dll to tensorflow.dll
in order to work together with StarNet V2.

Installation process on PixInsight version < 1.9

1. Close PI.
2. Copy the files from this folder into PixInsight's 'bin' folder.
1.   Location should be something like 'C:\Program Files\PixInsight\bin'.
2.   Make sure that StarNet2-pxm.dll is in the 'bin' folder.
3. 3. Run PI.
1. Go to PROCESSES=>Modules=>Install Modules. 
2. Hit 'Search'. 
3. StarNet should appear in the list. Hit 'Install'.
4. You should see StarNet2 module appear under PROCESSES=><Etc> and in  PROCESSES=>All Processes
5. Please check the version of the tensorflow.dll in the C:\Program Files\PixInsight\bin folder. If it has a size above 500kB, then it's the newer version V2.1 that is incompatible with StarNet and is GPU based. 
   
   See also: 

• GPU acceleration for AI-powered tools – RC Astro
• How to Download and Use StarNet++ for Astrophotography

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