People looking at software for astrophotography have a wide range of options, these days. So, you might ask, why Nebulosity? Nebulosity takes a different approach than many packages. You’ve got a number out there that are trying to be the be-all and end-all package. As a result, they’re often very large (and therefore tougher to navigate), and very expensive. In general, this doesn’t make for something well-suited to someone just getting going in this hobby. In addition, though, much of what you get in larger packages isn’t used by some of those doing the best work out there. You’ll find top imagers that use their astro package to control the camera, get the images, pre-process and stack them, and they’ll then shift entirely (or nearly so) over to Photoshop. With Nebulosity, you can do all that for a fraction of the cost and with a far simpler user interface. In fact, you can pick up a used copy of Photoshop CS2 (which Photoshop guru and tutorial master Warren Keller of IP4AP fame still uses) and a Nebulosity license for about $200. This simpler interface has led many advanced users to abandon other packages and use Nebulosity in the field and for at least their initial processing. Why? Try it and find out.
Nebulosity currently exists in two versions. The original Nebulosity (v 1.8.0) and Nebulosity 2 (v 2.2.1). The price for Nebulosity 1 is $45 and the price for Nebulosity 2 is $60. Users with a valid version 1 license can upgrade to a version 2 license for $15. You can find a brief run-down of the differences here, but keep in mind Nebulosity 1 is no longer being updated.
Nebulosity 2 supports a wide range of cameras on both Windows and OS X with more often being found in pre-release versions. They are:
* Canon DIGIC II / III / 4 EOS DSLRs (1000D/Rebel XS, 500D/T1i, 450D/Rebel XSi, 400D/Digital Rebel XTi, 350D/Digital Rebel XT, 50D, 40D, 30D, 20D/20Da, 5D Mark II, 5D, 1D Mark III, 1D Mark II N, 1D Mark II, 1Ds Mark III and 1Ds Mark II)*.
* Fishcamp Starfish
* Meade DSI, DSI Pro, DSI II, DSI II Pro, DSI III and DSI III Pro.
* QHY8 / CCD Labs Q8 (Mac support only on Intel-based Macs running 10.5 - special download)
* QSI 500 series (Mac support only on Intel-based Macs running 10.5 - special download)
* SBIG
* Starlight Xpress SXV / SXVF / SXV-R USB cameras (including those converted to USB 2 via the SX adapter)
In addition, on Windows, the following cameras are supported
* ASCOM-5 compliant cameras
* Apogee cameras
* Atik 314, 4000, 16, 16IC, and 16HR / Artemis cameras (all 16-series and “Generation 3” series)
* CCD Labs Q8-HR / Q453, Q285M / QHY2 Pro
* FLI cameras
* Orion StarShoot Deep-Space Color Imager**
* OpticStar DS-335 series, DS-142, DS-145, and PL-130
* QHY8 via Tom van Den Eede’s “libusb” drivers and via QHY’s drivers
* QHY8Pro
* QHY9
* QSI 500 series
* SAC10
* SAC7 / SC1 long-exposure modified webcams / Atik 1 and Atik 2 cameras.
* Any camera with a version 5 compatible ASCOM driver (Note: The ASCOM camera driver is still evolving and support in Nebulosity will evolve with it).
* Earlier DIGIC I Canons (e.g. the 300D) are not supported. If you’re looking for a nice focus / capture tool for the Mac and earlier cameras, try iAstroPhoto.
** The Orion StarShoot II and Pro are not supported directly but are supported via their ASCOM drivers
For a full run-down, have a look at the feature list in the full manual (PDF), or download it (see Release Notes for updates). All features are enabled when you download it, but saved images will be degraded (diagonal lines superimposed) until you purchase a license. Thus, you can evaluate the software extensively prior to purchase.
Purchasing
If you're ready to purchase Nebulosity, version 1 is still available for $45 and version 2 for $60. Purchase of the license code entitles you to free upgrades within that version (e.g., a 2.0 license will get you free upgrades to any 2.x product). Simply download the current version, submit your payment via the PayPal icon below (you do not need a PayPal account - credit cards without PayPal accounts are just fine). The license code will be automatically e-mailed to you (please check the e-mail account associated with your PayPal account (or entered in at time of purcahse) and ensure that the e-mail was not labeled as SPAM. The code should arrive within minutes).| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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Windows and OS X Support
Nebulosity is a cross-platform application. It runs natively in Windows (Win2k, XP, and Vista) and in OS X 10.4-10.6 (Intel and PowerPC, G4 or better). While Nebulosity itself is fully cross-platform, many of the camera drivers required for image capture are not. Under OS X, camera control and image capture is supported for a limited set of cameras (see above) and some cameras are supported under 10.5/10.6 on Intel Macs only. All processing features are currently supported and license codes purchased for the Windows version of Nebulosity will unlock the OS X version as well. You are free to download both Windows and OS X versions and use the same code for each.Note: Windows 9x is not officially supported.
