Plate Solving with ASTAP

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Dale3152
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Joined: Fri Oct 01, 2021 4:15 am

Plate Solving with ASTAP

#1

Post by Dale3152 »

Thanks in advance for your help. I am just starting out on SharpCap Pro for Polar Alignment and Plate Solving. The Polar Alignment tool is great and after a couple of tries I was able to get a good polar alignment. Moving on to Plate Solving I am using SharpCap with ASTAP solver. I take a picture of the random location and try to run the solver and it runs and runs with no solve. I tried 3 or 4 different exposures from 2 sec to 10 sec and varied the gain accordingly. Never could get a solve. Can you recommend any other techniques I should try .
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admin
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Re: Plate Solving with ASTAP

#2

Post by admin »

Hi,

some suggestions:

0) make sure you are using the latest version of SharpCap 4.0
1) Make sure stars are visible in your image without needing to apply a stretch to the data - this may mean turning up exposure/gain
2) If you have a GOTO mount then make sure SharpCap is connected to it and the co-ordinates are correct - this allows SharpCap to pass a hint to the plate solving engine
3) use the plate solve and resync menu option, rather than 'solve only' - this limits the search area to 15 degrees around the current pointing location
4) Consider setting the focal length in the SharpCap plate solving settings - this allows SharpCap to pass the correct field of view to the plate solve, again improving speed.

If none of this works then please share an image that is failing to solve (in FITS format ideally).

cheers,

Robin
Dale3152
Posts: 17
Joined: Fri Oct 01, 2021 4:15 am

Re: Plate Solving with ASTAP

#3

Post by Dale3152 »

Thanks Robin

I now have been able to get a plate solve. I am only able to use Plate Solve only. My Plate Solve and Sync button is in light gray instead of dark and will not activate when I press. Is there something I am else I need to do. All other buttons will function except for Solve and Sync. I have the most recent Sharp Cap Pro 4.0.
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Re: Plate Solving with ASTAP

#4

Post by admin »

Hi,

good to hear that you are making progress :)

Plate solve and sync is only active when SharpCap is connected to a GOTO mount via its ASCOM driver - in order for it to work SharpCap needs to be able to get the current mount position, resync the co-ordinates and perform GOTO movements. If you have not connected the mount in SharpCap then the button and menu item will remain disabled.

cheers,

Robin
Dale3152
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Joined: Fri Oct 01, 2021 4:15 am

Re: Plate Solving with ASTAP

#5

Post by Dale3152 »

Robin,

Your help for a newbe is wonderful. I have a Celestron C9 SCT which I connect to my computer thru the hand controller and drive with Celestron's CPWI Control software to drive my C9. I guess SharpCap cannot go thru the CPWI. What do you suggest to use to drive the C9 and thus allow for the use of Plate Solving. Thanks in advance for your wonderful help.
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Re: Plate Solving with ASTAP

#6

Post by admin »

Hi,

I think that there is a CPWI ASCOM driver installed as part of the main CPWI install - I certainly have it installed on my system (although my Celestron mount is too old to work with CPWI, so I have not been able to test it). I think that if you select the CPWI option in the SharpCap hardware settings for the mount, then make sure it is checked as connected then SharpCap should talk to the mount via CPWI.

https://docs.sharpcap.co.uk/4.0/#Hardware%20Tab
https://docs.sharpcap.co.uk/4.0/#GOTO%20Mount%20Control
Capture.JPG
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cheers,

Robin
Dale3152
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Re: Plate Solving with ASTAP

#7

Post by Dale3152 »

Thanks. Let me give that a try on the next clear night. If this does not work, I guess I could use some other mount control like CDC and just connect direct to the CGEM mount using the Aux port instead of the hand control port. Does that sound reasonable.
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Re: Plate Solving with ASTAP

#8

Post by admin »

Hi,

not sure if it would be the same with the CGEM, but I can use my 8SE mount with a cable connected to the port on the bottom of the handset and using the 'Celestron Telescope Driver' ASCOM driver that you can see in my list of installed drivers. The handset works and SharpCap can talk to the mount - as you say you could also use a planetarium program like CdC, Stellarium, SkyTechX, etc.

cheers,

Robin
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DocHighCo
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Re: Plate Solving with ASTAP

#9

Post by DocHighCo »

Hello,

I do not know if I can help here. For me it seems it is absolutely necessary to start CWPI before Sharpcap - otherwise CWPI will not work in Sharpcap. If it doesn´t, I shut down everything and then start CWPI first.

Regards

Heiko
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