Sharpcap 3.2.6482
Nexstar 8SE
Skywatcher EQ6r Pro
ASI290MC
I haven't had a single successful session with this new mount unfortunately. Every time I set up I get closer and closer to being able to do any sort of imaging, and can now successfully get a solid polar alignment using the SharpCap polar align tools. However, the furthest I've gotten is plate solving. Here is the specific error I'm getting right now:
Extracting sources...
Info: 18:58:55.1794862 Thread:#1 SharpCap.Models.PlateSolveOnly+<>c__DisplayClass7_0.<Solve>b__2(Object s, SolveProgressEventArgs a) :: Plate solving : simplexy: found 550 sources.
Info: 18:58:57.4201970 Thread:#1 SharpCap.Models.PlateSolveOnly+<>c__DisplayClass7_0.<Solve>b__2(Object s, SolveProgressEventArgs a) :: Plate solving : Solving...
Info: 18:58:58.3986354 Thread:#1 SharpCap.Models.PlateSolveOnly+<>c__DisplayClass7_0.<Solve>b__2(Object s, SolveProgressEventArgs a) :: Plate solving : Reading file "/tmp/e8735485-1a13-4135-b609-667dd019dee8/frame.axy"...
Warning: 18:58:59.3867375 Thread:#1 SharpCap.ImageProcessing.AstroTortillaPlateSolver+<SolveImpl>d__13.MoveNext() :: StdErr from plate solver : Read file /tmp/tmp.ppm.Wn2OWa: 1936 x 1096 pixels x 1 color(s); maxval 65535
Using 16-bit output
fitsbin.c:522:read_chunk: Expected table size (89925120 => 31224 FITS blocks) is not equal to size of table "kdtree_data_stars" (44236 FITS blocks).
fitsbin.c:522:read_chunk: Expected table size (89925120 => 31224 FITS blocks) is not equal to size of table "kdtree_data_stars" (44236 FITS blocks).
solve-field.c:518:run_backend backend failed. Command that failed was:
/usr/lib/astrometry/bin/backend --config /etc/astrometry/backend.cfg /tmp/e8735485-1a13-4135-b609-667dd019dee8/frame.axy
ioutils.c:597:run_command_get_outputs Command was killed by signal 11
I can't seem to find anything that gets me past this error. I know that's a lot of sources that it's finding (550) but I've never seen this error before. Anyone know what I should try?
Plate solving error
-
admin
- Site Admin
- Posts: 13339
- Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2017 3:52 pm
- Location: Vale of the White Horse, UK
- Contact:
Re: Plate solving error
Hi,
it looks like an error reading data in, and since it has already read in the input image and found the stars in it, my guess is that it is having a problem reading one of the index files. Is it possible that one of your plate solving index files is corrupt? Perhaps the installation process got interrupted part way through one file, so it is incomplete.
My test for this would be to move all the index files to another folder on disk, then reinstall a minimum set for wide angle and test again. It almost certainly will not solve as you do not have the right index files, but if you don't get the same error then it most likely is an index file problem.
cheers,
Robin
it looks like an error reading data in, and since it has already read in the input image and found the stars in it, my guess is that it is having a problem reading one of the index files. Is it possible that one of your plate solving index files is corrupt? Perhaps the installation process got interrupted part way through one file, so it is incomplete.
My test for this would be to move all the index files to another folder on disk, then reinstall a minimum set for wide angle and test again. It almost certainly will not solve as you do not have the right index files, but if you don't get the same error then it most likely is an index file problem.
cheers,
Robin
Re: Plate solving error
Update on this, sorry forgot to mention it last night when I was still outside.
Going to Tools > Plate Solve produced the error reliably. However, when clicking the Plate Solv & Sync button in the EQMOD controls in the bottom right, it plate solved correctly!!!!! I found that when using Stellarium to command it to slew to my target, it would get pretty damn close but still not perfectly accurate. Just needed a tiny bit of manual slewing around which wasn't a pain at all.
Super happy. I've had the EQ6r Pro for a year and successfully imaged Orion Nebula last night. Thanks for the assist either way
Now to figure out autoguiding with my Orion StarShoot Autoguider kit and PHD2...... lol
Going to Tools > Plate Solve produced the error reliably. However, when clicking the Plate Solv & Sync button in the EQMOD controls in the bottom right, it plate solved correctly!!!!! I found that when using Stellarium to command it to slew to my target, it would get pretty damn close but still not perfectly accurate. Just needed a tiny bit of manual slewing around which wasn't a pain at all.
Super happy. I've had the EQ6r Pro for a year and successfully imaged Orion Nebula last night. Thanks for the assist either way
Now to figure out autoguiding with my Orion StarShoot Autoguider kit and PHD2...... lol
-
admin
- Site Admin
- Posts: 13339
- Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2017 3:52 pm
- Location: Vale of the White Horse, UK
- Contact:
Re: Plate solving error
Hi,
ah, ok, still sounds like a data file error.
SharpCap 3.2 - the plate solve in the tools menu does a solve across the whole sky, so will try to load lots more data than the 'GPS' button solve in the telescope controls, which restricts the area to within 15 degrees of the current target.
If you are a bit off, check your EQMOD settings and make sure that EPOCH (dropdown at the bottom of the 'ASCOM Options' block) is set to JNOW. I think it may default to J2000, which is silly because EQMOD doesn't actually work in J2000 co-ordinates if you set it to J2000. If it is set to JNOW then SharpCap knows it needs to convert the J2000 co-ordinates that come from the plate solver to JNOW to account for the drift of the pole/equinoxes since the year 2000.
cheers,
Robin
ah, ok, still sounds like a data file error.
SharpCap 3.2 - the plate solve in the tools menu does a solve across the whole sky, so will try to load lots more data than the 'GPS' button solve in the telescope controls, which restricts the area to within 15 degrees of the current target.
If you are a bit off, check your EQMOD settings and make sure that EPOCH (dropdown at the bottom of the 'ASCOM Options' block) is set to JNOW. I think it may default to J2000, which is silly because EQMOD doesn't actually work in J2000 co-ordinates if you set it to J2000. If it is set to JNOW then SharpCap knows it needs to convert the J2000 co-ordinates that come from the plate solver to JNOW to account for the drift of the pole/equinoxes since the year 2000.
cheers,
Robin