I'm just starting out and wonder what software program will be the most satisfactory.  I have a Canon EOS Rebel TX and a Celestron NexStar 5.  I'm hoping I can get my feet wet with one piece of software that does not cost too much.

iageoman

You might want to try Iris (http://www.astrosurf.com/buil/us/iris/iris.htm). Its free, but somewhat complex to use. Other shareware to try are DeepSkyStacker and Registrax. However, the best one is AIP4WIN (http://www.willbell.com/aip/index.htm). You get the software and "The Handbook of Astronomical Image Processing". This is the best book available to learn about for processing your images in my opinion. Regards, cfb

Here is a very good package somewhat comparable to Adobe Photoshop.. It's free for the LE version, and, not too expensive for the full edition.

http://pixinsight.com/ 

It's a very extensive program and will take a while to learn how to use all its functions. There are some excellent tutorials available to aid in learning how to do everything you need to know..  It does an outstanding job on images.

For image stacking however, you will still need a seperate program for that purpose. For that I have used Registax, but currently have been using Deep Sky Stacker.. 

 

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