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Old 14-02-2016, 09:55 AM
glend (Glen)
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Returning to the same image night after night?

Excuse this pretty basic question (well basic to the experts, which i am not). My imaging has been limited to what I can collect in a single night, but I have concluded that I need to learn how to return to exactly the same object location/orientation over multiple nights to build up signal. Can someone point me to some sort of tutorial on the mechanics and software needed to allow this? I assume I need plate solving, but I don't have the mount ASCOM connected right now (have the ASCOM, EQMOD, and Stellarium software loaded and the cable, and have got it to work a couple of times, but just have not bothered with it yet as my wifi setup was so easy to use). Right now the mount (NEQ6Pro) is driven by my Sky Safari Pro tablet using wifi connection through the Synsan hand controller (star alignment is still through the hand controller); NEQ6 is pier mounted and closely polar aligned, this is fine for getting me to a target object and then I guide for all imaging during that session.
Can I just plate solve one of the previous night's image and get back to the same spot, and how do I tell the mount where to go through the hand controller/Sky Safari?

Last edited by glend; 14-02-2016 at 10:20 AM.
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Old 14-02-2016, 10:23 AM
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codemonkey (Lee)
Lee "Wormsy" Borsboom

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I use Sequence Generator Pro. It can use a few different plate solvers (I use a local astrometry.net server). Basically you hook up your mount, imaging camera and plate solver and SGP will take images, solve them and then adjust the mount until it gets to within a (user-specified) distance of the target. Simple as, and SGP is very reasonably priced.
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Old 14-02-2016, 11:33 AM
ericwbenson (Eric)
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Hi,
I used to simply write down the guide star coords (I was using Maxim) after the first night, and manually put the star back near the same coords night after night. It didn't have to be exact since Maxim was dithering the position anyways.

I used the Maxim Move dialog accessed from on the CCD guider pane, or the joystick controls of the G11+Gemini mount with the guider cam in a quick refresh cycle. This was back with Maxim v2. Have you already tried something to that effect?

As long as the OAG stays fixed with respect to the camera, and the camera goes on the OTA about the same, no problem. I made cylindrical position angle markers by sticking a paper strip with pencil markings on the focuser, this was before getting a rotator.

Of course automation software will do this better without human intervention, but does require more software setup/complexity. (Disclosure: I'm using ACP expert to do remote imaging without any intervention, I don't even turn on/off the equipment or software! That required a lot of system setup to say the least...)

EB
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Old 14-02-2016, 12:26 PM
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Shiraz (Ray)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by codemonkey View Post
I use Sequence Generator Pro. It can use a few different plate solvers (I use a local astrometry.net server). Basically you hook up your mount, imaging camera and plate solver and SGP will take images, solve them and then adjust the mount until it gets to within a (user-specified) distance of the target. Simple as, and SGP is very reasonably priced.
agree. I use the ELBRUS plate solve through SGP by giving it an image from the web of the target I want to image. It then plate solves the web image and after that will automatically go to that point in the sky whenever told to. dead easy and accurate - you can set up a whole bevvy of targets and sequences and let SGP keep track of everything. On an EQ8, it usually needs one iteration to get within a few arcsec of the specified target.
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Old 14-02-2016, 12:39 PM
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Camelopardalis (Dunk)
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Glen, you need to jump in and use EQMOD now you're setup on a pier. I use it when mobile. Don't remember the last time I used the handset.

As I've mentioned before, I use APT...it not only controls my DSLR and CCD, but integrates with EQMOD and PHD for dithering and includes a function called PointCraft which uses plate solving for precise goto...and you can choose a previous image to goto. There's even a framing guide so you can orient the camera correctly... best $20 I ever spent in astro
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