Trailing/Drifting Stars

[umasscrew39]

For the past week, I have been getting star trails with both my ASI385 and 294 cameras in live viewing. I thought it was my mount (Mach 1) but I tried my AVX with the exact same results. PA was spot on with both scopes using 2 different methods and both balanced. I called Astro-Physics and we ran a series of tests but the mount seemed ok. Despite that, I sent the mount back to them today to have it checked out. In the meantime, I tried using my AVX and got the exact same star trails which appear to be in RA using both cameras. However, when I switched to my SX-814 on Starlight Live, everything worked fine. No setting changes on the scope, just a camera and software switch. I then tried my SX814 on SharpCap and while the image is almost non-existent, the star trail reappears. So, it does not appear to be my mount, PA, balance, cables, or ASI cameras. It must be a setting within SharpCap as all 3 cameras are doing the same thing, that is, star trails/drifting that seems to be in RA but the images do stack. Suggestions, please?

I should add that I got good results a couple of times with both ASI cameras but then the star trails began despite me not making any setting changes- at least none I am aware of.

[umasscrew39]

I just noticed that the Align Frame box was not checked. Not sure if that is the problem so will try tonight unless someone can address my issue with the correct solution. If that is the problem, I have no idea how that got unchecked as I never touched it before.

[admin]

Hi,

That sounds very likely to be the cause. I'm sure now that you have checked that option again everything should be fine.

Cheers, Robin

[umasscrew39]

Hi Robin

Yes- I tried it last night and it worked just fine. I thought that box was to be checked by default. I never touched it before so not sure how it got unchecked. Anyway, problem solved.

Bruce

[roelb]

I have also run into this issue several times. This checkbox seem to be changing without notice?

[admin]

Hi,

I think the reason that this happens is that aligning is unavailable if you end up using a raw image mode from the camera and you have unselected the debayering option in the Control Panel on the right-hand side. When SharpCap detects this condition it turns off aligning automatically (because trying to align under those conditions would destroy the Bayer pixel matrix pattern in the stack and meaning you would not get a colour stack). Once alignment has been turned off in this way it doesn't turn itself back on automatically.

I made changes in SharpCap 3.2.6038 that mean that it should turn alignment back on automatically once you've selected a camera mode that is compatible with alignment after this happened (for instance turn back on the debayering option or selected an RGB or mono camera mode)

Hope this helps, Robin