Hi Axel,

Sorry, no, there is no 'manual' alignment mode in Charon.

Getting the 'auto' alignment to work tends to be tricky. Once done,
though, you are usually all set to process one image after another.
So the extra initial work is offset by the fact that you do next to no
work after that.

"...It finds noise within the galaxies, but never finds the stars!"

That can be a problem. When I wrote the program, I was thinking
astrometry and photometry; adding images of DSOs was something of an
afterthought. With sufficient fiddling with the settings, Charon can
usually be coaxed into accepting DSO images.

My standard offer to Charon users applies: please send me an example
image or two, along with data such as the target name, focal length of
your scope, and CCD camera type. Given that, I'll figure out the settings
you should use and e-mail them to you.

-- Bill