Hello,
Is it possible to use the deep sky sequencer to observe a list of asteroids?
I do not see asteroids in the "target" catalog.
Thanks
Cyrille
deep sky sequencer and asteroids observation
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cyrille.de.brebisson
- Posts: 30
- Joined: Sun Oct 01, 2023 4:42 pm
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cyrille.de.brebisson
- Posts: 30
- Joined: Sun Oct 01, 2023 4:42 pm
Re: deep sky sequencer and asteroids observation
Hello,
What I am trying to achieve is a double loop of:
for count = 0 to 10 do
for each asteroid in a list
go to position
pause for 5s for backlash to settle
take a 2s shot, platesolve and resync
pause 5s for backlash
start guiding
pause 5s for guiding to become active
take a 60s shot saved in a file name asteroid_count where, in best case scenario asteroid is the actual name,
in worse case scenario it's a number or the coordinates, and count is the loop count.
next
next
What would be the best way to acheive this?
I know that asteroid move, but I can still get coordinates that will be in the field even after the 2h that the sequence will take.
Thanks,
Cyrille
What I am trying to achieve is a double loop of:
for count = 0 to 10 do
for each asteroid in a list
go to position
pause for 5s for backlash to settle
take a 2s shot, platesolve and resync
pause 5s for backlash
start guiding
pause 5s for guiding to become active
take a 60s shot saved in a file name asteroid_count where, in best case scenario asteroid is the actual name,
in worse case scenario it's a number or the coordinates, and count is the loop count.
next
next
What would be the best way to acheive this?
I know that asteroid move, but I can still get coordinates that will be in the field even after the 2h that the sequence will take.
Thanks,
Cyrille
-
Jean-Francois
- Posts: 636
- Joined: Sun Oct 13, 2019 10:52 am
- Location: Germany
Re: deep sky sequencer and asteroids observation
Hello Cyrille,
If you can generate a list of "targets" ... then it does not matter if the targets are stars, galaxies or other objects in the sky.
The point is to have the J2000 coordinates of the asteroids for the observation time.
SharpCap does not have (yet
) a catalogue of asteroids and comets. I mean that SharpCap calculates the position of the asteroids/comets.
In the place of the "list of asteroids", you can have a "list of coordinates". The point is to calculate these coordinates in advance.
If it is a few asteroids, then you can do it manually with different planetarium software.
If it is a large number of asteroids ... maybe some script on the JPL (Horizon) webpage that can automatize the process.
Note that you have fast all the tools for doing it by yourself ... with the scripting language and the ASCOM Novas tools.
Regards,
Jean-Francois
If you can generate a list of "targets" ... then it does not matter if the targets are stars, galaxies or other objects in the sky.
The point is to have the J2000 coordinates of the asteroids for the observation time.
SharpCap does not have (yet
) a catalogue of asteroids and comets. I mean that SharpCap calculates the position of the asteroids/comets.In the place of the "list of asteroids", you can have a "list of coordinates". The point is to calculate these coordinates in advance.
If it is a few asteroids, then you can do it manually with different planetarium software.
If it is a large number of asteroids ... maybe some script on the JPL (Horizon) webpage that can automatize the process.
Note that you have fast all the tools for doing it by yourself ... with the scripting language and the ASCOM Novas tools.
Regards,
Jean-Francois
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admin
- Site Admin
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Re: deep sky sequencer and asteroids observation
Hi,
Jean-Francois is correct - the key is to build a list of co-ordinates in a text file in some other tool and then use the 'Repeat for each RA/Dec co-ordinate in co-ordinate list file' step to work through that list (see https://docs.sharpcap.co.uk/4.1/#Repeat). The list can also include the name of the object before the RA/Dec on each line, which will get the capture files named correctly.
I have looked at having some part of the MPC data in SharpCap and calculating the positions from the orbits, but there are a couple of issues with that
1) The MPC data needs updating regularly - probably far more often than most people update SharpCap, so that problem would be solved
2) The main MPC list is far too large to include, so it would have to be a cut down sample, but there is no obvious way to separate the 'interesting' from the rest to cut down the list in a sensible manner.
cheers,
Robin
Jean-Francois is correct - the key is to build a list of co-ordinates in a text file in some other tool and then use the 'Repeat for each RA/Dec co-ordinate in co-ordinate list file' step to work through that list (see https://docs.sharpcap.co.uk/4.1/#Repeat). The list can also include the name of the object before the RA/Dec on each line, which will get the capture files named correctly.
I have looked at having some part of the MPC data in SharpCap and calculating the positions from the orbits, but there are a couple of issues with that
1) The MPC data needs updating regularly - probably far more often than most people update SharpCap, so that problem would be solved
2) The main MPC list is far too large to include, so it would have to be a cut down sample, but there is no obvious way to separate the 'interesting' from the rest to cut down the list in a sensible manner.
cheers,
Robin