Frequently Asked Questions
Blueshift Unlimited is new astrophotography software built for one job: bringing order to your FITS files. Spending years and untold hours shooting light frames and calibration frames with NINA, SharpCap, APT, ASIAIR, or Sequence Generator Pro, we've all generated the same mess: mismatched headers, misnamed targets, and a veritable wealth of FITS data that is pretty much impossible to access, let alone catalog effectively.
What's the best way to organize astrophotography files?
Folders and filenames only get you so far, because one typo can orphan a sub forever. A dedicated astrophotography file management tool reads the FITS headers themselves, fixes what's wrong, and catalogs every frame so you can search by target, filter, camera, date, or quality instead of digging through folders. That's exactly what Blueshift was built to do.
Is there a FITS header editor that can fix files in bulk?
Yes. Blueshift works as a batch FITS header editor. It finds errors across thousands of files at once, groups them by type, and lets you correct an entire group in a couple of clicks. The changes are written to clean copies in your Blueshift Archive, never to your originals.
Does Blueshift work with files from NINA, SharpCap, APT, ASIAIR, and Sequence Generator Pro?
Yes, as long as the files are saved as FITS. Each capture program writes its headers a little differently, and normalizing those differences is the core of what this new astrophotography software does, so subs from different programs land in one consistent library.
How do I fix the wrong object name in hundreds of FITS files at once?
Blueshift scans every header on import and flags missing or misspelled object names, sorted by error type. You pick the correct name once, and Blueshift applies it to every affected frame in about two clicks. The fix is written to clean copies in your Blueshift Archive, so your original files are never touched.
I slewed to a new target and forgot to change the object name. How do I find those subs?
A misnamed batch looks just like a good one in a folder listing. Blueshift groups frames by their header values, so a run of subs carrying the wrong target name stands out as its own batch, and you can rename the whole batch in one step.
Why are my filter names different in NINA, SharpCap, and my other capture software?
FITS lets every capture program write headers its own way, so "Ha," "H-alpha," and "HA 7nm" can all describe the same filter. Blueshift maps every variation to one name you choose, so all your hydrogen-alpha frames show up together no matter which program captured them.
How do I combine subs of the same target shot on different nights, or with different names?
M31, M-31, "M 31," and "Andromeda" are the same object, but most software treats them as four. Blueshift reconciles them against a reference catalog of more than 21,000 deep-sky objects, so every frame of a target lands in one place and you can build a stack from any combination of nights.
What FITS header errors does Blueshift catch?
It checks the five fields that matter most for organizing and stacking: telescope, camera, object, filter, and image type (light, dark, flat, or bias). Missing, blank, or inconsistent values are quarantined for review instead of slipping into your library.
How can I tell good subs from bad ones before stacking?
Every frame is measured for FWHM, eccentricity, and PSF signal-to-noise, and gets an overall image quality score compared by object and by filter. You can filter on any of those, see the batch's signal-to-noise before you export, and cull the junk from both the database and the archive.
How do I organize years of FITS files from different cameras and capture programs?
Blueshift builds two things: a clean, consistent folder structure of normalized copies of every frame, and a searchable database of every frame's header values and quality metrics. Your originals stay exactly where they are.
Does Blueshift organize calibration frames?
Yes. Darks, flats, bias, dark flats, and their masters are cataloged and matched by the settings that matter, such as camera, gain, temperature, exposure, and filter.
How do I send hundreds of subs to PixInsight, Siril, or other stacking software without copying gigabytes?
Blueshift exports using pointers to the frames you selected, so an export of thousands of files copies zero bytes. Point your stacking software at the export folder and go.
Does Blueshift find duplicate FITS files?
Yes. It detects duplicates by observation time, so the same sub copied into two folders is caught even if the file was renamed.
I've only got a few hours tonight. How can Blueshift help me plan what to shoot?
Pull up a target in Blueshift and you'll see every frame you already have, counted by filter and exposure length. If your Ha is solid but your OIII is thin, you know exactly where to spend tonight's few hours, instead of guessing or digging through folders.
How do I combine subs from friends or a star party with my own?
Swap thumb drives, then tag each person's files during import, like "eric_". Everything lands in one library, so a few hundred subs each can become a thousand-sub stack. If one person's subs aren't up to par, just exclude their tag when you export your imaging run.
Can I delete bad subs in bulk without losing the good ones?
Yes. Query your frames by FWHM, eccentricity, air mass, or image quality score, review the list, and delete a whole batch or just part of one. You choose whether to remove them from the catalog only or from disk as well, and you can still throw out files one at a time if you prefer.
Can I use my favorite AI as a Blueshift help desk?
Yes. Blueshift includes a complete guide to the program, written specifically for AI assistants to read. Click the help icon on any Blueshift screen, then copy the guide to your clipboard or save it to a file, and hand it to ChatGPT, Claude, Grok, or whichever AI you use. From then on, your AI knows how Blueshift works, and you can ask it questions in plain English, like how to fix a batch of misnamed subs or what an image quality score means, and get answers grounded in the actual program.
My smart telescope doesn't export all the information my imaging software needs. Can Blueshift help?
Smart telescopes are a relatively new entry into the market, and they're evolving quickly. Forum posts and user reports suggest that some of them don't always write all the FITS header information your imaging software expects, such as the camera name, filter, or exposure time. That is exactly the kind of chaos Blueshift was designed to address. Blueshift flags what's missing and lets you fill it in for a whole batch at once. You will need to know the correct values yourself, though, such as your camera name, filter, and exposure time, so Blueshift can write them into your archive copies.
Can I rename, move, or delete files in the Blueshift Archive with Windows File Explorer?
Please don't. Think of the Blueshift Archive as a library and Blueshift as its card catalog. If someone moves a book to a different shelf, renames it, or throws it out without updating the catalog, the catalog still says it's there, and nobody can find it again. Changes made in Explorer work the same way: Blueshift no longer knows where those frames are, and your library breaks. Make every rename, move, or delete inside Blueshift, so the archive and the catalog stay in step. Your original files are a different story. Blueshift never touches them, so you can do whatever you like with those.