We have just released a new version of PixInsight: 1.9.4 Lockhart build 1695. This release provides stability improvements and bug fixes on all supported operating systems.
Refer to the official announcement of version 1.9.4 Lockhart for complete information on new features, changes, and known problems in the current versions of PixInsight. See also the previous 1.9.4 build 1693 announcement for information on recent changes and improvements.
Installation
Installation packages for PixInsight 1.9.4 Lockhart build 1695 are now available to all licensed users for Linux, macOS (ARM64 and x64 architectures), and Windows:
https://pixinsight.com/dist/
As with all PixInsight core application updates, this version cannot be downloaded as an application update. You must install version 1.9.4 manually:
Bug Fixes
The following list describes the main bug fixes implemented in this release.
MosaicByCoordinates 1.4.2
AlignByCoordinates 1.5.2
New Development Resource: PlotManager
PlotManager is our new general-purpose 2-D plotting component, available in our C++ and JavaScript development environments. It renders one or more plots onto a single drawing surface, where each plot can include line and scatter graphs, any number of independently configurable X and Y axes (linear or logarithmic), grid lines, a legend, and a title, all with a large number of configuration options.
ImageIntegration: Weight Overshoot Protection
Breaking Changes
JavaScript Runtime
The
Although this is very unlikely to affect existing scripts, the new
Thank you for your attention,
The PixInsight Development Team at Pleiades Astrophoto.
Refer to the official announcement of version 1.9.4 Lockhart for complete information on new features, changes, and known problems in the current versions of PixInsight. See also the previous 1.9.4 build 1693 announcement for information on recent changes and improvements.
Installation
Installation packages for PixInsight 1.9.4 Lockhart build 1695 are now available to all licensed users for Linux, macOS (ARM64 and x64 architectures), and Windows:
https://pixinsight.com/dist/
As with all PixInsight core application updates, this version cannot be downloaded as an application update. You must install version 1.9.4 manually:
- Linux: The installation packages are xz-compressed tar archives (.tar.xz). To install one of these archives, extract its entire contents into a new directory, preferably one located under your home directory. Then, become root and run the installer program from a terminal. Typically, you should type 'yes' and press Enter to accept the default settings. Run ./installer --help for detailed information on command-line installer arguments.
- macOS ARM64/x64: If you have a previous version of PixInsight already installed, you must uninstall it by removing the /Applications/PixInsight folder. Run the .pkg installation package and follow the instructions. All our macOS installation packages are digitally signed with our latest corporate Apple developer certificate and have been notarized by Apple.
- Windows: Run the new installation package and follow the instructions. The installer will automatically remove a previous version, so there is no need to uninstall it first. All executable files in the PixInsight distribution for Windows, as well as our Windows installation packages, have been signed with our latest corporate Extended Validation (EV) code-signing certificate.
Bug Fixes
The following list describes the main bug fixes implemented in this release.
MosaicByCoordinates 1.4.2
AlignByCoordinates 1.5.2
- Mosaic astrometric solutions no longer use FITS coordinate conventions internally. We are now consistent with our native XISF linear and spline-based solutions during the entire mosaic generation process.
- Fixed a minor loss of coordinate precision when the source mosaic images have largely different rotations or scales. Centipixel accuracy is now guaranteed in all cases, including 180-degree rotations and specular transformations.
- Fixed wrongly formatted console progress information during the drizzle integration process.
- Inverse Fourier transforms were not working due to wrongly acquired FITS keywords. Now these processes use XISF properties exclusively. Compatibility with previously generated FT component images is also guaranteed. Original bug report.
- The
String.currentUTCISO8601DateTime()andString.currentLocalISO8601DateTime()methods were ignoring their optional parameters, which can be specified to control different date and time representation options.
New Development Resource: PlotManager
PlotManager is our new general-purpose 2-D plotting component, available in our C++ and JavaScript development environments. It renders one or more plots onto a single drawing surface, where each plot can include line and scatter graphs, any number of independently configurable X and Y axes (linear or logarithmic), grid lines, a legend, and a title, all with a large number of configuration options.
| Here you can see some examples generated with the C++ implementation. You can integrate PlotManager and its auxiliary classes very easily in JavaScript scripts and PCL-based modules as specialized graphical controls that can be rendered on the screen or exported in PDF, PNG, and SVG formats. For complete documentation, see the dedicated section on the PCL Reference documentation. PlotManager was originally designed and implemented by PTeam member Roberto Sartori. |
ImageIntegration: Weight Overshoot Protection
| In this version, we have implemented a new feature in the ImageIntegration process: weight overshoot protection. When this parameter is enabled and the mean normalized image weight is smaller than the protection threshold parameter (see the figure), normalized weights larger than the quantile determined by the protection limit parameter will be replaced either with the robust mean weight or zero if the remove abnormally weighted images option is enabled. This is useful when there are abnormally high weights in a data set that are not real, that is, that don't correspond to better data according to measurable properties of the raw data. In general, this may occur when the dataset includes erroneous images or when the metadata does not provide reliable estimates of image quality and/or noise. For example, this may occur when integrating incongruent datasets, where some weights must be evaluated for registered/interpolated frames due to partially missing or invalid metadata. Another case is when the data set includes incorrect images, such as wrongly registered frames or frames from different fields. If the integrated data set has been reviewed to ensure the validity of the images and metadata, this feature is unnecessary. However, when the necessary checks cannot be implemented, or data validity cannot be guaranteed, using this feature can achieve acceptable results by automatically removing the influence of spurious data and metadata. |
Breaking Changes
JavaScript Runtime
The
ImageWindow.astrometricReprojection() method has changed its signature:void ImageWindow.astrometricReprojection( ImageWindow source[, Point sourceOffset[, Boolean onTargetBounds = false]] )Although this is very unlikely to affect existing scripts, the new
sourceOffset parameter can invalidate existing code that passes the onTargetBounds parameter, since sourceOffset is now in the second position. This new parameter allows us to correct for systematic displacements in reprojected images that cannot be resolved by modifying astrometric solutions.Thank you for your attention,
The PixInsight Development Team at Pleiades Astrophoto.
