First multi-target run :-)

OK, I have quite some way to go but this afternoon I did a test run in daylight. The camera doesn’t know its daylight and no analysis was happening but I wanted to do a first check that (1) the different targets were imaged, (2) the scope slewed correctly and (3) imaging didn’t start before it had settled.

Everything happened correctly :smile: There were some ‘anomalies’ - down to me. It didn’t park at the end of the session (and I can’t recall the other oddment) but I am climbing the learning curve.

Had the night been clear I could have run the prepared sequence.

Using Skywtcher HEQ5 Pro Synscan with Lodestar X2 for testing.

Happy bunny.

Lawrence

Lawrence,

Pretty awesome isn’t it? :smiley:

Welcome to the club! Post some pictures when you get a clear night.

I had a clear sky last night so I did a 4-target run - with unexpected results.
To establish the tracking-only exposure options I repeated each target for 5x60sec, 5x120 seec etc. In all cases the 60sec exposure was the limit. OK so far.
I manually focused on Altair and then ‘started the sequence’ to start capture at 2200hrs. It did start capturing on time but didn’t move the scope to M12 so each M12 image was actually Altair.
The second target was M13 but it didn’t move the scope so again the images were labelled M13 but were Altair.
Third image sequnce was M15 but here it was different. The tracking was switch off. I’ve no idea why.

FWIW I set M15 to start tracking at 2300hrs but I didn’t work out the totsal exposure duration; imaging was still running when this was scheduled. I don’t know what happened or where it was because all the images were trailed.
Same with M27, all trailed images.
Last sequence was M29; tracking as normal but same picture of Altair, labelled M29.

Solving was done online at Astrometry.net because although I have installed the files locally and completed the installation, it still sent them online to Astrometry - all results showing Altair.

Hardly know where to start fault-finding.

Lawrence

Well, this morning I examined the sequence and found that I had not ticked the ‘slew to target’ box in any of the target entries. [I had assumed that the RA/dec data was telling it where to slew.] I now notice that the tool tip essentially says ‘don’t use this option’…?? I am not yet using plate solves so a general slew is OK for me. Its not clear why the option shouldn’t be used?
Second query: I have been using the 'first week with SGP file but it does not tally with the actual instructions. Where it explains entering RA/dec it says there is an asterix to enable hours+minutes instead of decimal degrees. There is no such asterix on the entry - just white space.

Lawrence