📍 Location Strategy: Kirchbach-Glatzau

## Roadmap for **March 2026 – February 2027**.

This plan integrates your location challenges (light pollution/fog), your current gear, future upgrades, and your chosen software workflow.

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### 🌌 Core Workflow Summary
*   **Deep Sky (Nebulae/Galaxies):** **Siril** (Calibration/Stacking) $\rightarrow$ **GraXpert** (Gradient Removal) $\rightarrow$ **Siril** (Stretch/Color) $\rightarrow$ **GIMP** (Final Touches).
*   **Planets/Moon:** **Nikon D500 (Video Mode)** $\rightarrow$ **AutoStakkert!** (Stacking) $\rightarrow$ **GIMP** (Sharpening).
*   **Milky Way (Widefield):** **RawTherapee** (Lens Correction/Color Grade) $\rightarrow$ **Siril** (Stack) $\rightarrow$ **GIMP** (Stitch/Edit).

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### 🗓️ SPRING 2026: Galaxy Season
*Targets are high in the sky after sunset. Nights are getting shorter.*

#### **March 2026**
*   **Target:** **Markarian’s Chain (Virgo Cluster)** & **M81/M82 (Bode’s Galaxy)**.
*   **Direction:** South-East to South (Darkest skies).
*   **Equipment:**
    *   *Current:* Nikon D500 + Sigma 150-600mm (at 600mm) on Tripod.
    *   *Ideal:* ZWO ASI2600MC Pro + 80mm APO on Star Adventurer GTi.
*   **Capture Settings:**
    *   ISO 800 | f/6.3 | 4-5 seconds (Static Tripod limit).
    *   *Technique:* Take 200+ frames (Lights). Take Dark frames (cover lens cap, same settings) to reduce noise.
*   **Processing:** Use **Siril** to stack. Use **GraXpert** heavily to remove the glow from Graz/Night sky gradient.

#### **April 2026**
*   **Target:** **The Whirlpool Galaxy (M51)** & **The Needle Galaxy (NGC 4565)**.
*   **Direction:** South-West.
*   **Equipment:**
    *   *Current:* Fuji S5 Pro + Sigma 50-150mm f/2.8.
*   **Capture Settings:**
    *   ISO 1600 | f/2.8 | 10-15 seconds.
*   **Processing:** In **Siril**, use the "Green Noise Reduction" tool. M51 is small; crop heavily in **GIMP**.

#### **May 2026**
*   **Target:** **Rising Summer Milky Way (Core)** & **Venus**.
*   **Time:** 2:00 AM – 4:00 AM (Pre-dawn).
*   **Equipment:**
    *   *Current:* Fuji S5 Pro + Sigma 17-55mm f/2.8.
*   **Capture Settings:**
    *   ISO 3200 | f/2.8 | 20 seconds.
    *   *Planetary:* Venus sets early in the evening. Use Nikon D500 + 600mm lens. Video mode (60fps) to capture the crescent phase.
*   **Processing:** Panorama stitching in **GIMP**. Use **RawTherapee** to correct lens distortion before stacking.

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### 🌻 SUMMER 2026: The Milky Way & Planets
*Focus on the Galactic Core and brighter nebulae. Nights are very short.*

#### **June 2026**
*   **Target:** **The Milky Way Galactic Core** & **Globular Clusters (M13, M92)**.
*   **Direction:** South (Avoid Graz/NW).
*   **Equipment:**
    *   *Current:* Nikon D500 + Nikon 50mm f/1.4.
*   **Capture Settings:**
    *   ISO 1600 | f/2.8 | 10 seconds.
    *   *Tip:* M13 (Hercules Cluster) is small but bright. Try 600mm lens if you have a clear night.
*   **Processing:** Use **Siril’s** "Asinh" stretch to show the faint stars of the cluster without blowing out the core.

#### **July 2026**
*   **Target:** **The Lagoon Nebula (M8)** & **Trifid Nebula (M20)**.
*   **Direction:** South.
*   **Equipment:**
    *   *Current:* Fuji S5 Pro + Sigma 50-150mm f/2.8 (Ideal for H-alpha sensitivity).
*   **Capture Settings:**
    *   ISO 1600 | f/2.8 | 15 seconds (Static).
*   **Processing:** Use **GraXpert** to separate the nebula from the light-polluted background. Boost Red saturation in **GIMP**.

#### **August 2026**
*   **Target:** **Saturn** (Approaching Opposition) & **Perseid Meteors**.
*   **Time:** Late Evening.
*   **Equipment:**
    *   *Current:* Nikon D500 + Sigma 150-600mm.
*   **Capture Settings:**
    *   *Saturn:* Video Mode 1080p/60fps (Lucky Imaging).
    *   *Meteors:* Wide angle (17mm), ISO 3200, 20s intervalometer (shoot continuously for 2 hours).
*   **Processing:** Stack Saturn video in **AutoStakkert!**. Composite meteors into a single background image in **GIMP**.

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### 🍂 AUTUMN 2026: Nebulae & Outer Planets
*Nights get longer and darker. Great for faint nebulae.*

#### **September 2026**
*   **Target:** **Saturn at Opposition** (Sept 8) & **North America Nebula (NGC 7000)**.
*   **Equipment:**
    *   *Current:* Nikon D500 (for Saturn) & Fuji S5 Pro (for Nebula).
*   **Capture Settings:**
    *   *Saturn:* Video 60fps.
    *   *NGC 7000:* ISO 1600 | f/2.8 | 20s (Wide field).
*   **Processing:** **AutoStakkert!** for Saturn. For the Nebula, use **Siril’s** Background Extraction to handle the gradients from surrounding light pollution.

#### **October 2026**
*   **Target:** **The Soul Nebula (W5)** & **The Andromeda Galaxy (Return)**.
*   **Direction:** East.
*   **Equipment:**
    *   *Current:* Fuji S5 Pro + Nikon 50mm f/1.4.
*   **Capture Settings:**
    *   ISO 1600 | f/2.8 | 15 seconds.
*   **Processing:** The Fuji sensor excels here. Push the "Red" channel in **Siril** or **GIMP** to bring out the hydrogen gas.

#### **November 2026**
*   **Target:** **The Pleiades (M45)** & **Uranus**.
*   **Direction:** East.
*   **Equipment:**
    *   *Current:* Nikon D500 + Sigma 150-600mm.
*   **Capture Settings:**
    *   ISO 400 | f/5.6 | 2-4 seconds (Pleiades is bright! Don't overexpose).
*   **Processing:** The blue dust requires careful noise reduction. Use **RawTherapee** for initial NR before stacking in **Siril**.

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### ❄️ WINTER 2026/27: The Jewels of the Sky
*Long, dark nights. Best time for faint objects and planets.*

#### **December 2026**
*   **Target:** **The Orion Nebula (M42)** & **The Horsehead Nebula**.
*   **Direction:** South-East.
*   **Equipment:**
    *   *Current:* Fuji S5 Pro + Sigma 50-150mm f/2.8.
*   **Capture Settings:**
    *   ISO 800 | f/2.8 | 4-8 seconds (Short exposures to preserve the bright core of M42).
*   **Processing:** Use **GIMP** to create an "HDR" blend if you take sets of different exposure times (e.g., 2s, 8s, 15s).

#### **January 2027**
*   **Target:** **The Rosette Nebula** & **Jellyfish Nebula**.
*   **Direction:** South.
*   **Equipment:**
    *   *Current:* Nikon D500 + Sigma 150-600mm (at 600mm).
*   **Capture Settings:**
    *   ISO 1600 | f/6.3 | 3-4 seconds.
*   **Processing:** These are faint. You will need 2+ hours of data. Stack everything in **Siril**. Use **GraXpert** to remove sky glow.

#### **February 2027**
*   **Target:** **Mars at Opposition** (Feb 19) & **The Winter Milky Way**.
*   **Direction:** Mars rises East/North-East.
*   **Equipment:**
    *   *Current:* Nikon D500 + Sigma 150-600mm (Ideally with 2x Teleconverter for Mars).
*   **Capture Settings:**
    *   *Mars:* Video Mode (High FPS). Mars will be relatively small, so "Drizzle" integration in **Siril** or stacking at 2x in **AutoStakkert!** helps.
    *   *Winter Milky Way:* 17mm, ISO 3200, 20s.
*   **Processing:** Sharpen Mars heavily in **GIMP** (Unsharp Mask).

---

### 🛠️ Software Checklist for Your First Year
1.  **Siril:** Download scripts (OSC_Preprocessing) for your color cameras.
2.  **GraXpert:** Install to tackle the Kirchbach light pollution gradients.
3.  **AutoStakkert!:** Essential for your planetary photos (Jupiter, Saturn, Mars).
4.  **GIMP:** Install the "Dark Theme" for easier night-time editing.
5.  **RawTherapee:** Use for initial lens correction and RAW development before stacking widefield shots.

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