Transcript AstroTortilla

AstroTortilla
Free Plate solving
AstroTortilla is a wrapper around common
astrophotography tools intended to automate basic
tasks such as polar alignment and goto correction.
Important Links
• Home:
– sourceforge.net/p/astrotortilla/home/Home/
• FAQ
– sourceforge.net/p/astrotortilla/home/FAQ/
• Tutorials:
– sourceforge.net/p/astrotortilla/discussion/general/thread/1d35f7ae/
– http://lightvortexastronomy.blogspot.com/2013/08/tutorial-imagingsetting-up-and-using.html
• User Guide
– file:///C:/Users/Mark/Downloads/AstroTortilla_user_guide%20(1).pdf
What Can It Do
• Report back the center point of any image in RA & DEC
– Needed for asteroid, comet and super nova reporting
• Sync a goto mount* to its true orientation
• Slew the mount* to the intended target
• Interface with popular image acquisition tools
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Nebulosity
Backyard EOS
Maxim DL
Astro Photography Tool
Any other software via image files or screen capture
* ASCOM interface required
Any Thing Else?
• Bookmark locations for
– Post meridian flip alignment
– Multi-night exposures
• Assist with Polar alignment
– Not recommended
• Report your real FOV
• Report camera orientation (rotation)
Other things to consider
• Creating an all-sky map with each image solved
– Eliminates mount errors (PEC, flexure, etc.)
– Eliminates atmospheric refraction error
– T-Point plus Sky X does this…
• Allow full automation of your setup
– This requires a 100% solve rate
• AT is not yet this good
Installation
• This will take a while and will require a large
download
• Follow the prompts; do not deviate from the
default
• Plan what data sets you need before you start
– http://sourceforge.net/p/astrotortilla/home/FAQ/#which-index-files-do-i-need
– 57.3 * sensor_width / focal_length = FOV_degrees
– Download from your largest FoV to 1/5th of your smallest FoV
Index Files and Field Width
Index Filename
Range of skymark diameters (arcminutes)
index-4219.fits
index-4218.fits
index-4217.fits
index-4216.fits
index-4215.fits
index-4214.fits
index-4213.fits
index-4212.fits
index-4211.fits
index-4210.fits
index-4209.fits
index-4208.fits
index-4207-*.fits
index-4206-*.fits
index-4205-*.fits
index-4204-*.fits
index-4203-*.fits
index-4202-*.fits
index-4201-*.fits
index-4200-*.fits
1400 - 2000
1000 - 1400
680 - 1000
480 - 680
340 - 480
240 - 340
170 - 240
120 - 170
85 - 120
60 - 85
42 - 60
30 - 42
22 - 30
16 - 22
11 - 16
8 - 11
5.6 - 8.0
4.0 - 5.6
2.8 - 4.0
2.0 - 2.8
Installation screen shots
Astrometric Index Selection
• Shortest FL 18mm 67 degrees
• Longest FL 952mm 1.3 degrees
– 1.3 * 20% * 60 = 15.6 arc minutes
If you backed up the data
you can select 4219 to 4219
and copy the files in later.
Check this if you want the icon ->
This will take a while!
No avoiding it, you
are downloading a
Linux on Windows
implementation
First it downloads
Then it installs
Done!
Botched Installation?
• Use Add/Remove programs
– AstroTortilla ver 0.6.0.0
• Backup data files
– C:\cygwin\usr\share\astrometry\data
• Completely remove all files
– C:\cygwin
– C:\cygdrive (if it exists)
• Use a registry cleaner
– Cclean https://www.piriform.com/ccleaner
– Clean Regstry (backup first)
• Reinstall
Configuration
• Equipment
– Camera : via software
• Exposure: 5-15 seconds
– Mount : Normal Ascom setup
• AstroTortilla options – Do not touch
– Backend config
– Cygwin shell
– Hide Cygwyn
– JNow or J2000
Configuration
• Options to touch
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Downscaling – 0
Scale minimum – 0
Scale maximum – 2
Scale units – degwidth
Scale refinement – 0
Search radius – 180
(I keep this at 0)
(I keep this at 0)
(I set this to 2)
(I leave this alone)
(I leave this at 0)
(I leave this at 0)
One final set of parameters that greatly affect the normal usage is the field-of-view
and area restrictions. There are four settings for setting the FOV,
You should set (If you don’t change your setup often):
• Minimum to about half the estimated field size
• Maximum to twice the estimated field size
• Scale refinement to 0.1
• To limit the area of search you can reduce the search radius to 45 degrees
Custom options
• --no-plots –N none – r --objs 60 --sigma 10
• Keep --sigma last! It is the one you will edit
• --no-plots
• Do not plot the annotated image
• –N none
• Do not crate a new FITS file with headers added
• -r
• Sort objects by brightness (Limited success)
• --objs 60
• limits objects considered to 60 (also try 50 or 100)
• --sigma 10
• sets noise floor; strong impacts objects found
• Aim for 60 to 500 objects
Test Drive
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Find some short exposure images
Connect to ASCOM Telescope simulator
Connect planetarium software
Use “File Open dialog” camera
With only the “Synch Scope” actions checked
– Click “Capture and Solve”
• Watch the status bar for
– simplexy: Found xxx objects
– This should be greater that 60 and less than 500
– Adjust sigma value if necessary (bigger = less)
• Solved!
– Location will be display & planetarium will point correctly
Having trouble?
• Turn on the Log Viewer to see what is going on
• Watch for:
– simplexy: Found xxx objects
• Adjust “sigma” and exposure until you get 100 to 500
• More is okay unless it is noise
Workflow under the stars (1 of 3)
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Rough polar align (via pole scope)
Home mount (no need to be precise)
Connect Ascom (with guiding software)
Drift align
Connect planetarium
Slew to star for focusing
Start image acquisition software
Workflow under the stars (2 of 3)
• Focus camera
– You can plate solve with your guide scope if you can’t
find a star for focusing
• Slew to target (even between targets)
• Check all 3 “actions”
• Plate Solve (it may take several pictures)
– Watch object count
– Adjust exposure or sigma if needed
Workflow under the stars (3 of 3)
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Frame your target
Check “Sync scope” only
Plate Solve
Save Bookmark for meridian flips or next night
– Click “BookMarks”
– Click “Add Current Solution”
– Type in an appropriate name
• Begin imaging