Lee,
If you are remote imaging then you will be using the tools that allow you to plan and manage your remote imaging session
So you are selecting your guide star in the planning stages rather than trying to find one by trial and error on the night.
For example - if you are using TheSky with an OAG/guide camera - you either download (if its a standard known arrangement like SBIG cameras) or create from scratch your own camera Field of View Indicator (FOVI) use the create tool
This is a little scaled diagram of the geometry of your main camera and guide camera that has the correct relative positions, sizes and correct image scale for your system - OTA, Flattener, camera etc
Once enabled in TheSky, the good thing about this is that providing you are using ASCOM compliant hardware, the rotator is calibrated to astronomic North, It not only shows you what you are pointing at and what stars the guide camera can see by the overlay on TheSky's planetarium view, it also allows rotation information to be sent from TheSky to your planning software and in real time from the rotator back to the TheSky.
You use the GSC catalog to select a suitable star based on your experience with system - eg magnitude and exposure time and now your imaging session is able to be planned on the desktop beforehand.
There is plenty of info on this availble on the SB site that can guide you through the process.
The difference is you will know before you start - exactly which star you intend to guide on before you do the image session and you will have already calculated the centre of field position and the camera angle of rotation for both composure and for the selection of a suitable guide star - now everything is known and planned
This assumes of course that your mount is polar aligned and calibrated and doesnt suffer from any significant backlash.
A friend of mine was doing this on his EQ6 - so its quite possible.
But if you are remote imaging I am not sure how you would be doing it on an EQ6 - you ideally want a mount that is capable of remote imaging - has a home position and accurate homing process or absolute encoders.
Rally
Quote:
Originally Posted by codemonkey
. . . .
Yep, fair point Rally. The reason I was thinking one such that I described would be useful is for those of us who have to rotate to find a guide star. How would you do that remotely?
. . . .
|