Stacking Signal-to-Noise Calculator Formula

Understand the math behind the stacking signal-to-noise calculator. Each variable explained with a worked example.

Use the Stacking Signal-to-Noise Calculator

Formulas Used

Stacked SNR

snr_stacked = snr_single * sqrt(num_frames)

Improvement Factor

improvement_factor = sqrt(num_frames)

Variables

VariableDescriptionDefault
snr_singleSingle-Frame SNR5
num_framesNumber of Frames100

How It Works

Signal-to-Noise Improvement from Stacking

Stacking multiple exposures averages out random noise while the signal adds coherently.

Formula

SNR_total = SNR_single * sqrt(N)

  • *N* = number of stacked frames

    • Doubling the SNR requires four times as many frames. This is the square-root law of signal averaging.

    Worked Example

    Stack 100 frames each with SNR = 5.

    snr_single = 5num_frames = 100
    1. 01SNR_total = SNR_single * sqrt(N)
    2. 02SNR_total = 5 * sqrt(100)
    3. 03SNR_total = 5 * 10 = 50

    Ready to run the numbers?

    Open Stacking Signal-to-Noise Calculator