Using MaxIm DL
MaxIm DL is software that is very popular among the amateur community, and by extension, can often be found in classrooms. It is not free software. One of its primary purposes is controlling telescopes (which is one reason why it's popular in the amateur community), but it also has some tools for viewing and manipulating FITS images, and doing simple photometry. At least as of 2009, it does not allow as much control over photometry parameters (or transparency as to what it's doing) as most professional astronomers want, but apparently (as of 2012) for simple, straightforward, point source photometry, it still gives reasonably reliable results.
In 2011, NITARP teacher John Blackwell developed and kindly donated many training videos for learning how to use MaxIm DL.
- MaxIm DL 5 - Introduction Opening and Viewing FITS Files -- http://youtu.be/3i-WZ8IPxvc
- MaxIm DL Training 2: The FITS header and Information Window -- http://youtu.be/ditzdO8zB9U
- Image Signal and Noise -- http://youtu.be/JENmm8uX2FQ
- MaxIm DL: Dark Frames -- http://youtu.be/XqicMzZ8cI0
- MaxIm DL: Bias Frames -- http://youtu.be/ZC7AtGz0Y2A
- MaxIm DL: Flat Fields -- http://youtu.be/r7CPvZg4fBU
- MaxIm DL: Total Calibration the Easy Way -- http://youtu.be/PD3tXJ1Yqak
- MaxIm DL: Stacking Images -- http://youtu.be/yBQ81rv3XT0
- MaxIm DL: Color Stacking -- http://youtu.be/edcMZ3h4UM0
- MaxIm DL: Luminance Layering Color Images Part I -- http://youtu.be/0hh8xfDKwMQ
- MaxIm DL: Luminance Layering Color Images Part II -- http://youtu.be/DRARrlN0yvU
- MaxIM DL: Photometry Time Series -- http://youtu.be/wCM7835SnwU
- MaxIm DL: Full Width Half Maximum -- http://youtu.be/UnnxzqMJuts