Distributed computing for image processing?

[ShinAce]

I recently asked about interesting distributed computing(think Seti@home) programs. I've decided to run a single project for now, Einstein@home. A separate thread, about the 2.5 meter scopes transferred to NASA got me thinking. Are there any examples or attempts to do image processing via distributed computing? (edit: I don't mean detection as in Seti@home or PlanetQuest or even Einstein@home. I specifically am referring to stacking.) Having done some simple takes of the moon and Jupiter, I know full well how CPU intensive the stacking procedure can be.

So, could a set of images be cut into a mozaic with each CPU stacking a tile? Then we can combine the tiles to get the fully stacked image.

I say this because it seems that the biggest delay in astroimaging is processing. If a person could spend the rainy nights going over processed images instead of processing them, we`d have a lot less wasted 'exposures`.

[glappkaeft]

Astrophotography processing is manpower limited not CPU limited. My desktop computer can stack thousends of images in just minutes.

[RickJ]

What software are you using? I spend several hours processing an image, less than a minute of that is for stacking. Sounds like you need different software. I don't follow the wasted exposure comment. How does stacking time relate to that?

Rick