Noctemira
Stacking
Calibrate, align, stack – with distortion correction into the corners, photometric and local normalization and weighting by signal and sharpness. The result: one linear 32-bit TIFF per filter.
Astrophotography software for Windows
From raw frames to finished nebula. In one program.
Noctemira Stack calibrates and stacks your frames, Noctemira Edit turns them into the finished picture. Sharpening, noise reduction, star removal, background extraction and color calibration are built in – our own methods, no extra plugins. For mono and color cameras, with a guide that takes you through every step.
- Windows 10 and 11
- One-time purchase, no subscription
- 2 PCs per license
- Works offline
Title image: Lobster Claw and Bubble Nebula, SHO, 11 hours of exposure – stacked and processed in Noctemira
All built in
What Noctemira does for your images
Every tool is our own development and works directly on your data – linear or stretched, mono or color. No second program, no plugins needed.
Sharpening
Deconvolution with the star shape (PSF) Noctemira measures in your image: smaller, rounder stars and finer nebula detail – without lifting the noise.
Noise reduction
Measures the noise of the whole image and removes it, luminance and color separately. Optionally with our own neural network, trained on real subframes – running locally on your graphics card.
Star removal
Classic or with our own AI model: stars and nebula go onto two layers that add up to the original again. Stretch the nebula hard, then bring the stars back gently at the end.
Background
Removes gradients from light pollution, the moon and vignetting. The sample boxes avoid stars, nebulae and stacking edges automatically.
Color and plate solving
Photometric color calibration with a built-in color catalog (8 million stars), plate solving with 15.8 million stars and object annotation – offline, no external solver.
Mono and color cameras
Mono with Ha, OIII, SII and LRGB, one-shot color cameras (OSC) and the RAW files of DSLR and mirrorless cameras. Dual-band data is split into Ha and OIII.
Step by step
The guide in the editor leads you through the whole process, explains every step and opens the right tool. “Process All Filters” does the routine work for every filter in one click.
Before / after
Real data, processed entirely in Noctemira
Drag the slider: on the left the stack as it comes out of Noctemira Stack (auto-stretched), on the right the result from Noctemira Edit.
Every image on this page was captured by the developer and stacked and processed with Noctemira only – using the built-in tools at their default settings. No second program, no plugins, no retouching. Each caption lists the steps.
StackNoctemira Edit
StackNoctemira Edit
StackNoctemira Edit
StackSharpened
100 % – 1200 × 800 pixels
With starsStarless
How it works
From a folder of raw frames to the finished picture
The screenshots come from exactly these sessions – WR 134 in Noctemira Stack, Lobster Claw in Noctemira Edit. Click for full size.
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Drop in a folder
Lights are sorted by filter; darks, flats, dark flats and bias are recognized automatically – and so are duplicate files.
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Review and stack
Noctemira measures sharpness, signal and star shape of every frame and names blurry, cloudy or elongated frames with the reason.
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Edit with the guide
Background, sharpening, star separation, noise reduction, stretching and color – in the right order, with recommended settings.
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Export
TIFF 16 or 32-bit, PNG or JPEG with an sRGB profile – or continue in the image editor you already use.
Feature overview
Two modules, one workflow
Use them together or on their own: stack in Noctemira and finish elsewhere – or open stacks from other programs in Noctemira Edit.
Stacking Stack
- Filter groups – lights sorted by filter (Ha, OIII, SII, L, R, G, B, color)
- Calibration with darks, flats, dark flats and bias, assigned per filter group; save masters
- Registration with distortion correction – round stars into the corners, even after a meridian flip
- Normalization photometric and local – against haze, moon and changing gradients
- Outlier rejection Winsorized sigma, kappa-sigma, GESD, linear fit
- Frame review with reasons; duplicate files are detected
- Camera RAW and dual-band – color-camera stacks also split into Ha and OIII
Linear processing Edit
- Background extraction – sample boxes avoid stars, nebulae and stacking edges
- Sharpening – our own deconvolution with the star shape measured in the image
- Star removal classic or with our own AI model (beta)
- AI noise reduction – our own neural network, local; or the classic method
- Photometric color calibration against the built-in color catalog
Color and stretching Edit
- Combine Channels with a palette gallery: SHO, HOO, Foraxx, gold & blue …
- Color Assistant – diagnosis and matching looks as adjustment layers
- RGB + Ha/OIII in natural color, star colors are kept
- Stretching automatic with Curves + Levels, GHS or arcsinh
- HDR – recover bright nebula cores, multiscale, fine structure stays
- Star Stretch – small stars stay small, bright ones don’t bloat
Structure and stars Edit
- Nebula Structures – bring out fine nebula structure without bloating stars
- Dark Nebula Contrast – emphasize dark clouds and dust lanes
- Star tools reduce halos, remove color fringes, shrink stars, enhance star color
- Remove satellite trails – even afterwards, without restacking
- Plate solving and Annotate – object names, coordinate grid and compass as a separate layer
Layers and masks Edit
- Layers with masks, clipping masks and 27 blend modes, familiar shortcuts
- Adjustment layers Curves, Levels, Selective Color, Channel Mixer, Develop Filter …
- Mask Generator – masks for stars, nebula, background or brightness from one measurement
- “Apply to” in filters – whole layer, everything except stars, nebula only or background only
- Recipes – save adjustment layers and apply them to other images
Guidance and automation Edit
- Step-by-Step Guide – leads you through the whole process and opens the right tool
- Process All Filters – routine steps for every filter in one click
- Context help – F1 or “Help” opens the user guide at the right section
- Full-resolution preview for sharpening and star removal before the whole image is processed
- Automatic backup – your work survives a crash
All tools run on your PC – your images are never uploaded.
Pricing
Buy once, use it for good
No subscription. Try every feature for 14 days first.
Trial
€0
14 days, every feature
- Every feature, nothing locked
- No account, no payment details
- Afterwards you can still open, view and edit
Noctemira license
one-time, incl. VAT · regular price afterwards:
- Noctemira Stack and Noctemira Edit
- Active on 2 PCs at the same time, e.g. desktop and laptop
- All 1.x updates
- Works offline after activation
- License key by e-mail right away
Sales start soonThe launch price applies from day one. Want to hear when it starts? A short e-mail is all it takes.
Notify me at launchPayment, invoice and VAT are handled by our reseller Lemon Squeezy (merchant of record). Prices include VAT for buyers in the EU; local taxes may be added elsewhere at checkout.
From launch, payment, invoice and VAT will be handled by a reseller (merchant of record). Prices include VAT for buyers in the EU; local taxes may be added elsewhere at checkout.
Download
Try it free – 14 days, no account
The trial is coming soon – 14 days, no account
Noctemira for Windows
Download the trialComing soonNoctemira is almost ready. Write to us and you’ll get an e-mail at launch – with the link to the trial.
Notify me at launch- Run the installer – no administrator rights needed.
- Open Noctemira: the trial starts and every feature is unlocked.
- If you like it, buy a license key and enter it under Help → License – your work is kept.
System requirements
- Operating system
- Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit
- Processor
- 64-bit processor; more cores stack faster
- Memory
- 8 GB, 16 GB or more recommended
- Graphics card
- Optional. The AI functions (star removal, noise reduction) run through DirectML on any DirectX 12 capable graphics card, otherwise on the processor.
- Disk space
- approx. 1 GB for the program and star catalogs, plus space for the cache – roughly the size of all lights as 32-bit images (100 frames of 26 megapixels ≈ 10 GB)
- Internet
- Once for activation, then works offline
- Cameras
- Mono and color astro cameras (FITS) and camera RAW from DSLR and mirrorless cameras: CR2, CR3, NEF, ARW, ORF, RW2, PEF, DNG and more
- Files
- FITS, camera RAW, TIFF · export as TIFF 16/32-bit, PNG, JPEG
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Do I need extra plugins or programs?
No. Stacking, background extraction, sharpening, star removal, noise reduction, stretching and color calibration are built in. Noctemira installs with everything it needs – including the star catalogs for plate solving and color calibration.
Were the example images really made with Noctemira only?
Yes. Lobster Claw and Sh2-216 were stacked in Noctemira Stack, and so was WR 134 – from 84 files, 18 of which Noctemira recognized as duplicates. Everything was processed in Noctemira Edit with the built-in tools at their default settings; the steps are listed under each image. The screenshots come from the same sessions.
What does “AI (beta)” mean?
Star removal and noise reduction come in two flavors: computed the classic way, and with our own neural networks, trained from scratch on the developer’s own images. The AI runs entirely on your PC – faster with a graphics card, otherwise on the processor. “Beta” means the models keep improving with updates. The classic method is always available.
How fast is Noctemira?
An example from the developer’s PC (8-core processor, mid-range graphics card): Noctemira Stack reviewed the 66 frames of WR 134 at 26 megapixels each in under a minute and stacked them in just over a minute. “Process All Filters” for the three filters of the Lobster Claw – background, sharpening, star removal, noise reduction and stretch – took about three minutes.
Does Noctemira work with my camera?
It works with mono astro cameras (FITS, filters such as Ha, OIII, SII, L, R, G, B), one-shot color astro cameras (OSC) and the RAW files of DSLR and mirrorless cameras (CR2, CR3, NEF, ARW, ORF, RW2, PEF, DNG and more). Cameras with a Fujifilm X-Trans sensor are not supported yet.
Which languages does Noctemira support?
The program and the user guide are in English. The step-by-step guide in the editor explains every step in plain words, and F1 opens the matching section of the user guide in every tool.
What happens after the 14-day trial?
Without a license you can still open, view and edit images. Stacking, saving and exporting need a license key again. Nothing you made is lost: enter your key, save, done.
On how many PCs can I use Noctemira?
One license is active on 2 PCs at the same time – for example your desktop PC and the laptop at the telescope. When you move to a new PC, you free the old activation with one click.
Do I need a permanent internet connection?
No. Noctemira needs the internet once to activate and then works offline – also out in the field. When your PC is online, the license is checked in the background now and then. Only if no check was possible for 60 days does Noctemira need to go online briefly.
Is it a subscription? Are updates included?
No subscription – you pay once. All version 1 updates are included. A later version 2 will be available to license holders as a discounted upgrade.
Are my images uploaded anywhere?
No. All processing, including the AI functions, runs on your PC. Noctemira only connects to our payment provider's server to check the license.
Can I continue in another program?
Yes. Noctemira Stack saves linear 32-bit TIFFs that open correctly in, for example, Siril or Adobe® Photoshop® software. Noctemira Edit also opens stacks from other programs (TIFF, FITS).
Can I use tools I already own?
Yes, optionally: if you own StarXTerminator, NoiseXTerminator or BlurXTerminator by RC Astro with your own license, Noctemira Edit can use them through their command-line version instead of the built-in tools. You don't need them – the examples on this page were made without. Noctemira is an independent product and not affiliated with RC Astro.
Is there a Mac or Linux version?
Not at the moment – Noctemira runs on Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit).
Can I get a refund?
Please try Noctemira for 14 days before you buy. [Your refund policy, e.g.: within 14 days of purchase we refund the full price, no questions asked.] For your statutory right of withdrawal see the cancellation policy (in German).
Contact
Questions? Write to us.
Before buying, with a problem or an idea for a new feature – you'll get an answer within 2 working days.