Feature tracking tool issue

[daniele.bonfiglio]

Hello,
this morning I was imaging the Sun with SharpCap using the feature tracking tool (center of mass option).
It worked well for more than 2 hours, then it started to drift as shown in this screenshot from my sharpcap folder (keep in mind that my session started at 10!).
I recentered the Sun while keeping the feature tracking tool on, but after some minutes it started drifting again in the same direction.
Then I turned off the feature tracking tool, and continued with unguided tracking that was behaving normally (i.e. the target was very slowly drifting, but in any case not in the same direction observed when the tracking tool was on, so I have to recenter the target manuelly every 2-3 minutes).
This is not the first time I notice something similar when using the feature tracking tool...
Did anyone else have a similar issue?
Best,
Daniele

Screenshot 2026-05-19 162452.png (201.92 KiB) Viewed 372 times

[admin]

Hi,

can you look in the folder c:\users\<your user name>\AppData\Local\SharpCap\logs to see if you can find a 'GuidingLog' file that corresponds to the problem happening? That file could well reveal what was going on - in particular did the feature tracking code know that the target was drifting but find its attempts at correction were ineffective, or did it not spot that the target was drifting.

Please feel free to post the log here so that I can have a look at it.

thanks,

Robin

[daniele.bonfiglio]

Hi Robin,
thanks a lot for the suggestion.
I had a look at the tracking log, and Sharpcap was aware of the drift and trying to correct it.
I think that the problem is my old AZ-GTi mount. I suspect that there is a specific position in the azimuth excursion where the internal gear is worn.
Today I am testing the feature tracking tool at 8x speed (instead of 2x speed as before) to see if this makes any difference. Up to now the tracking is quite good, but we'll see when the problematic azimuth position will be reached!
Wonderful clear sky now here in Italy, but of course the GOES X-ray flux signal is completely flat!
Best,
Daniele

[admin]

Hi Daniele,

yes, if you are having mechanical problems with the mount both tracking *and* responding to SharpCap's attempts to correct the tracking then increasing the movement rate could be helpful. Other things you can try adjusting are in the 'Guiding' settings tab at the bottom left - you could try increasing the correction scaling and the max move duration. I wonder if in your previous run, the max move duration was being hit, which was limiting the amount of correction that SharpCap would apply each time.

Good luck!

Robin

[daniele.bonfiglio]

Hi Daniele,

yes, if you are having mechanical problems with the mount both tracking *and* responding to SharpCap's attempts to correct the tracking then increasing the movement rate could be helpful. Other things you can try adjusting are in the 'Guiding' settings tab at the bottom left - you could try increasing the correction scaling and the max move duration. I wonder if in your previous run, the max move duration was being hit, which was limiting the amount of correction that SharpCap would apply each time.

Good luck!

Robin

Hi Robin,

thanks for the suggestion,

today I was able to track the Sun flawlessly for more than 4 hours! see the example below

So, increasing the movement rate from 2x to 8x seems to have solved my issue. I will also have a look at the max move duration on the next session. My actual setting is 2 seconds, I will try to increase it.

Best,
Daniele

ScreenHunter 712 (02).png (575.84 KiB) Viewed 314 times