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Old 19-01-2021, 09:38 AM
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using Plate solve to goto the same framing as the night before?

I am pretty sure you can use plate solve to make it quick and easy to go to the same framing of an object from earlier imaging sessions.

I am just not sure of how you do that. Perhaps a plate solve using Image Link and an image from a previous image session. Then I am not sure how you get that plate solved image to be a go to point.

I spent half an hour last night aligning the framing of the current image with the night's before. Way too slow.

Any suggestions?

Greg.
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Old 19-01-2021, 09:48 AM
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I am using CdC to control my OnStep mount.
So the procedure is simple and accurate - I just place the finder circle/frame on the map and GoTo the center of it (from known & Sync bright star).
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Old 19-01-2021, 10:03 AM
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What software are you using to Image Greg? Many (APT, SGP, Voyager, Kstars/Ekos/Indi) can be configured to use plate solving to automate the pointing, or you can do as bojan mentions, get it all set up, do a goto on a known, bright object near the real target, sync on that object and then your goto on the target will be much closer. Aside from automating the pointing, plate solving has the added advantage that you can use it to get camera angle feedback so you can manually or automatically set your rotator precicely, if you have one.
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Old 19-01-2021, 11:08 AM
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Wilsil (Wilco)
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Very simple in APT.
You load the image from the previous session/night.
Plate solve the image.
Use the solved RA/Dec in GOTO++ and you are ready to go.
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Old 19-01-2021, 12:45 PM
TrevorW
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Hi Greg, you are not alone here, I'm trying out a very good piece of free software called N.I.N.A to automate everything, although time consumig without a permanent setup
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Old 19-01-2021, 06:31 PM
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I am using The SkyX Pro.

I am hoping to do what Wilsil mentioned. Load the previous night's image and plate solve and then go to the coordinates from the plate solve. Not 100% sure how to do that last step.

Greg.
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Old 19-01-2021, 11:11 PM
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Joshua Bunn (Joshua)
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H greg.

This is how you do it in TSX.


Load your previous nights image (or any image you want to replicate the location of) into image link. Plate solve that . Once Platesolve, and the platesolve image is displayed on the sky chart, left click on it, it should say something like "image link". Now, right click on it (same place), to bring up the drop down menu. In there, you should see the option to "close loop slew". Click on that option and TSX will slew to that point, photograph it, plate solve that image, compare the pointing error, then take a second image and you should be within a few pixels of where you want to be.


Now, the Bit to watch out for is this. The BIN mode that is used in image link, whatever you have set that up to be, needs to be entered into the image link dialogue box (more like the image scale), otherwise image link will use the image scale of your plate solve for the image that you wanted to replicate the location of. To make it easier, I keep the image scales the same for image linking and the reference image.


Cheers
Josh
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Old 20-01-2021, 09:49 AM
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Brilliant, thanks Josh that was exactly what I was after.

Greg.


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Originally Posted by Joshua Bunn View Post
H greg.

This is how you do it in TSX.


Load your previous nights image (or any image you want to replicate the location of) into image link. Plate solve that . Once Platesolve, and the platesolve image is displayed on the sky chart, left click on it, it should say something like "image link". Now, right click on it (same place), to bring up the drop down menu. In there, you should see the option to "close loop slew". Click on that option and TSX will slew to that point, photograph it, plate solve that image, compare the pointing error, then take a second image and you should be within a few pixels of where you want to be.


Now, the Bit to watch out for is this. The BIN mode that is used in image link, whatever you have set that up to be, needs to be entered into the image link dialogue box (more like the image scale), otherwise image link will use the image scale of your plate solve for the image that you wanted to replicate the location of. To make it easier, I keep the image scales the same for image linking and the reference image.


Cheers
Josh
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Old 20-01-2021, 09:08 PM
I.C.D (Ian)
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Hi Greg i have been using plate solve astap with nina for 3 years now and within 30 s and i am imaging
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  #10  
Old 20-01-2021, 09:16 PM
DJT (David)
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Great question Greg
For those using Maxim DL with pinpoint lite.
Load image from prior session
Plate solve the image using pinpoint lite which is standard with Maxim DL
Right click the image and select Slew to Pinpoint centre

Scope will slew, take an image, check and adjust, slew to adjusted position, check again. All done
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  #11  
Old 24-01-2021, 12:40 PM
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marc4darkskies (Marcus)
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Why don't you use CCD Autopilot? It maintains a database of all the targets you've ever chosen (via TheSkyX). See attached pic of a portion of my DB. Even if you have a rotator it will rotate and do a precision slew to within a couple of arcseconds at the press of a button. Forget this nonsense of having to use an image from the night before!

Cheers,
Marcus
Attached Thumbnails
Click for full-size image (CCDAP Targets.jpg)
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Old 24-01-2021, 04:32 PM
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Actually Voyager has a similar functionality to that though it is not a database of chosen targets. Via the virtual field of view in it's web dashboard, you can frame up what you think will be a good target and save the details (RA-Dec and rotation) and you can load that up at any time afterwards to go back to the same framing.
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Old 24-01-2021, 05:08 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by I.C.D View Post
Hi Greg i have been using plate solve astap with nina for 3 years now and within 30 s and i am imaging
I have Nina. I'll check that out. Voyager is the other pgm I have heard is good.

Quote:
Originally Posted by DJT View Post
Great question Greg
For those using Maxim DL with pinpoint lite.
Load image from prior session
Plate solve the image using pinpoint lite which is standard with Maxim DL
Right click the image and select Slew to Pinpoint centre

Scope will slew, take an image, check and adjust, slew to adjusted position, check again. All done
Sounds good. I don't have Maxim DL and no plans to buy it though.

Quote:
Originally Posted by marc4darkskies View Post
Why don't you use CCD Autopilot? It maintains a database of all the targets you've ever chosen (via TheSkyX). See attached pic of a portion of my DB. Even if you have a rotator it will rotate and do a precision slew to within a couple of arcseconds at the press of a button. Forget this nonsense of having to use an image from the night before!

Cheers,
Marcus
Thanks Marcus. That could be very handy when you want to add to last year's data.



Quote:
Originally Posted by The_bluester View Post
Actually Voyager has a similar functionality to that though it is not a database of chosen targets. Via the virtual field of view in it's web dashboard, you can frame up what you think will be a good target and save the details (RA-Dec and rotation) and you can load that up at any time afterwards to go back to the same framing.
I'll have to check out Voyager.

Some great responses here thank you for your help.

Greg.
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Old 24-01-2021, 07:31 PM
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If you have a look at Voyager, there are two modes of interest before you buy, demo mode which won't let you run a sequence longer than an hour and I think, has dragscripts disabled (Which provide a lot of flexibility) and then a trial you can sign up for (45 days I think) which is fully functional.

The learning curve is relatively steep as a few concepts are different to the likes of SGP. If Voyager will appeal can depend on how invested you are in the SGP/NINA (I put them together as they have similar workflows) working concepts. I would suggest using the demo mode until you have all your gear connected and working (Usually pretty seamless) and get your head around the differences, the activate the trial so you can really dig in.
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Old 25-01-2021, 06:17 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The_bluester View Post
If you have a look at Voyager, there are two modes of interest before you buy, demo mode which won't let you run a sequence longer than an hour and I think, has dragscripts disabled (Which provide a lot of flexibility) and then a trial you can sign up for (45 days I think) which is fully functional.

The learning curve is relatively steep as a few concepts are different to the likes of SGP. If Voyager will appeal can depend on how invested you are in the SGP/NINA (I put them together as they have similar workflows) working concepts. I would suggest using the demo mode until you have all your gear connected and working (Usually pretty seamless) and get your head around the differences, the activate the trial so you can really dig in.
Thanks for the advice Paul. I currently am only using the Sky X Pro.
But some extra automation could allow some earlier nights. Particularly meridian flips. They tend to keep you up waiting for them to be done.

Autofocussing is not really needed as my RHA has an Atlas focuser with temp compensation and that seems to work well. I don't see later subs being out of focus. My CDK17 once the mirror is close to ambient does not shift focus at all with changing temperatures.

Greg.
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Old 25-01-2021, 10:45 PM
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Used APT before and worked a treat. Now running it on Indi with Ekos and works just as well. Very accurate
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  #17  
Old 27-01-2021, 07:42 PM
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seeker372011 (Narayan)
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Another vote for NINA. i dont have a rotator but I love the “manual rotator” feature

Once I am on the target -by plate solving-and ask it to start taking photos-it tells me how many degrees i have to rotate -if i am off - and in which direction -to be within 1 degree of my reference image

Bit hit an miss if the scope doesnt have a graduated scale but piece of cake it does (eg a RedCat51).

If it doesnt you can always adjust the tolerance - to say 2 degrees r something
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Old 27-01-2021, 09:13 PM
AdamJL
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TrevorW View Post
Hi Greg, you are not alone here, I'm trying out a very good piece of free software called N.I.N.A to automate everything, although time consumig without a permanent setup
Can't upvote NINA enough.

One of a handful of software in all of astrophotography that has a GOOD user interface.
Everything else looks like it was designed in the 1980s.
The people who make these things are incredibly smart, but an eye for design? no.

If you want tips on setting up NINA, this YouTube channel basically did it all for me. Very detailed, to the point, but overly technical either.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC65...Yt-Bb1g/videos

^ check out his NINA playlist

To the OP, NINA should do this for you via the framing wizard.
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Old 27-01-2021, 10:16 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by seeker372011 View Post
Another vote for NINA. i dont have a rotator but I love the “manual rotator” feature

Once I am on the target -by plate solving-and ask it to start taking photos-it tells me how many degrees i have to rotate -if i am off - and in which direction -to be within 1 degree of my reference image

Bit hit an miss if the scope doesnt have a graduated scale but piece of cake it does (eg a RedCat51).

If it doesnt you can always adjust the tolerance - to say 2 degrees r something

Thanks for your advice I will check it out.



Quote:
Originally Posted by AdamJL View Post
Can't upvote NINA enough.

One of a handful of software in all of astrophotography that has a GOOD user interface.
Everything else looks like it was designed in the 1980s.
The people who make these things are incredibly smart, but an eye for design? no.

If you want tips on setting up NINA, this YouTube channel basically did it all for me. Very detailed, to the point, but overly technical either.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC65...Yt-Bb1g/videos

^ check out his NINA playlist

To the OP, NINA should do this for you via the framing wizard.

Great, I'll check it out. Thanks for your reply.

Greg.
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  #20  
Old 31-01-2021, 02:50 PM
chromus (Phil)
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For users of Sharpcap - the 3.3 beta is out and its a game changer, native ASTAP solving, sequencing, polar align and dithering all in one place.
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