I’ve been using PlateSolve2 for 5 months (both SGP 2.6.x and now with SGP 3.0.2.x) and have found it works great most of the time. 2x2 binning, 8 sec exposure QHY163m using LP filter.
My problem occurs sometimes during multi-target session.
1st target acquires without difficulty, solves, guider calibrates, autofocus routine succeds, imaging starts…3 hours.
2nd target time arrive, scope slews, mount settles (7 secs), platesolve image is acquired and is solved successfully - say off by 600 px (my default is <50px). Scope recenters, image is aquired again, platesolve then fails - despite a seemingly decent image. SGP trys to repeat my default of 10 times at 5 min increments. Same problem. Good image. No solve.
Actual data fom the other night :
- Scope slewed to second target, which turned out to be just at the tip of my trees in the NE.
- Platesolve worked perfect, reported a 1050px error and started a re-center routine.
- Image acquired, plate solve fails.
- Rinse and repeat failure 9 more times. Aborts.
To test PlateSolve images, I ran them thru PlateSolve2 in SGP again to see what deal was.
1st image (even thru trees, solved) …
Scope then recentered and took this one…seemingly good image.
But it failed in PS2…
However, when I manually load it into PS2 and try it, it solves in less than a second? Any thoughts?..
Truncated Log File. Target 2 started at 01:35 am. I left the tail end of Target 1.
truncated log.txt (328.5 KB)
There are a few things that could be causing this. In the first solve that worked, PS2 reports back that your RA is 00 51, but it doesn’t seem that this has been synchronized to your mount. My own experience is that if the error is too big then it has trouble solving and allowing the mount to sync will improve the starting location for the next solve and improve the result. The next solve you tried has picked up the details of a different imager and is using 70 x 53 arcminutes instead of 20 x 20. With this size of error the image scale will be so far off it has no possibility of solving. Your last image has the correct scale and starting coordinates, so it solved very quickly. Sorry this is not a solution, but maybe it gives you some pointers on where to look for one.
Just to clarify about the images - I ran those after the fact based on the PlateSolve images saved from the previous night imaging session.
They are a mish mash of the following method :
- Opened up plateSolve2, FILE --> OPEN IMAGE and plate solved (I supplied scale hint, nothing else). Interestingly this worked every time.
- Tried to ‘recreate’ what happened in SGP by running plateSolve2 via the command line arguments as listed in the SGP logfile. Tree obscured image solved correctly. 10 clear subsequent shots failed. Just like in real life.
- Decided to open image in SGP and use the Right-Click Plate Slove. Same outcome as #2 .
There is my confusion. Works in #1, not in #2 or #3.
Regarding telescope syncing…
During the night, the telescope synced after the successful 1st plate solve…
[07/26/18 01:35:09.563][DEBUG] [Telescope Thread] Telescope: Syncing to J2000 RA: 0.858404375538154 Dec: 56.5922538037659
then slewed to :
[07/26/18 01:35:09.952][DEBUG] [Telescope Thread] Telescope: Slewing to J2000 RA: 0.875722222222222 (00h52m32.60s) Dec: 56.6290416666667 (56°37’44.55")
and subsequent Solve Hints were generally correct :
[07/26/18 01:35:35.510][DEBUG] [Telescope Thread] ************* SOLVE HINTS ****************
[07/26/18 01:35:35.510][DEBUG] [Telescope Thread] SOLVER: PlateSolve2
[07/26/18 01:35:35.510][DEBUG] [Telescope Thread] BLIND: False
[07/26/18 01:35:35.510][DEBUG] [Telescope Thread] METHOD: Max Regions
[07/26/18 01:35:35.510][DEBUG] [Telescope Thread] RA: 0.875944430364434
[07/26/18 01:35:35.510][DEBUG] [Telescope Thread] DEC: 56.6290234375
[07/26/18 01:35:35.510][DEBUG] [Telescope Thread] SCALE: 1.79829
[07/26/18 01:35:35.510][DEBUG] [Telescope Thread] ******************************************
Then Plate Solving failed, just like in #2 and #3 from above.
Just fails in real-time. Not when re-visited.
Oh, and the subsequent clear images that failed were pretty spot on as far as centering goes.
Hi there,
Jumping in. I ran into the same issue. Exactly same thing occured. I thought it was due to my target first, then I increased exposure for plate solving. Couldn’t fix it.
Doing a lab night tonight and will try it again after having double checked my setup.
