Star Hopping with on-the-fly Astrometry

[Black Knight]

OK Themos, thanks. I understand now!

[themos]

The script in post 120 fails for me under cygwin.

Can't locate Term/ReadKey.pm in @INC (@INC contains: /usr/lib/perl5/site_perl/5.14/i686-cygwin-threads-64int /usr/lib/perl5/site_perl/5.14 /usr/lib/perl5/vendor_perl/5.14/i686-cygwin-threads-64int /usr/lib/perl5/vendor_perl/5.14 /usr/lib/perl5/5.14/i686-cygwin-threads-64int /usr/lib/perl5/5.14 /usr/lib/perl5/site_perl/5.10 /usr/lib/perl5/vendor_perl/5.10 /usr/lib/perl5/site_perl/5.8 .) at ./starhop-120.pl line 25.
BEGIN failed--compilation aborted at ./starhop-120.pl line 25.

[themos]

Also, same version, it checks at line 52 for existence of directory before it's processed the options, and fails. this is because I don't have a /Users/aje/Pictures/Astro/

$ ./starhop-120.pl --dir=/cygdrive/c/pa
Error: Directory not found or specified. Use the --dir= option to specify a directory at ./starhop-120.pl line 52.

[themos]

Also, it prints the options help five times if you give it 5 options.

[badgers]

Will fix today

[pwalsh61]

Just managed to get this working (Linux Mint 13, 64bit) and it successfully solved an image I took of the Whirlpool galaxy Wasn't able to solve images of M31 and Cassiopeia - but that's more than likely down to the quality (or lack of!) of my images. The Polar alignment looks interesting. I've sometimes been lucky enough to get my alignment quite good (the whirlpool image was 10mins unguided with minimal elongation) but anything that helps me get consistently good PA will be most welcome!

[badgers]

Ok,

Now I've fixed:

1) Incorrect timing for checking the existence of user directory... All pre-flight checks are now done after argument processing.

2) The multi-printing of help, now fixed

3) The module Term::Readkey is required for picking up the 'q' to quit. It no longer fails if that module is missing, but instead removes the functionality and requires you to Ctrl-C to quit.

4) The Rotation information is now put into the solved image as text

http://www.ebi.ac.uk/~aje/dist/starhop.pl

Thanks,

Anton

[badgers]

Oh and please keep any bug reports flowing.........

I'm tempted to write a little module that will interact with PHD to send RA and DEC movement requests back to the mount.

I've sent dither requests to PHD before using Perl, so this could be quite easy to do.

It would be great to have a mode where you specify an RA or DEC, or even supply a previous image and have it slowly solve it's way right back to that spot.

Anton

[Digz]

Right, Ive started looking through this thread as it looks like a great tool, but where do I start? Im a complete newbie when it comes to programming and compiling on a mac, any pointers would be great :-D

[badgers]

Hi Digz, I agree it's a daunting one given that compiling and installing the astrometry software is non-trivial, even for seasoned unix geeks.

I think it's time for me to make a small web-page with some step-by-step instructions to installing astrometry.net software and setting this up.

Key questions are:

1) Are you on Mac OSX or Linux... If so it's easier for you to get started.

2) If you are on windows you'll need to install Cygwin and a number of Cygwin packages to get started.

Anton

[Digz]

Hi Digz, I agree it's a daunting one given that compiling and installing the astrometry software is non-trivial, even for seasoned unix geeks.

I think it's time for me to make a small web-page with some step-by-step instructions to installing astrometry.net software and setting this up.

Key questions are:

1) Are you on Mac OSX or Linux... If so it's easier for you to get started.

2) If you are on windows you'll need to install Cygwin and a number of Cygwin packages to get started.

Anton

That would be superb! To answer your question I am running Mac OSX 10.6.8

I think I've downloaded everything listed in your opening post and have it all sat in folders rearing to go..... ;-)

[badgers]

For Mac OSX 10.6 I can probably just PM you a complete compiled astrometry package. I don't see the point of forcing you to build one from scratch given the pain involved and the tens of modules required.

Let me look into this tonight, I've done it before and it wasn't too awkward.

Anton

[Digz]

Anton, your a star.

Thanks for the effort you've gone too - hears to clear skies whenever they will return.

[Black Knight]

Oh and please keep any bug reports flowing.........

I'm tempted to write a little module that will interact with PHD to send RA and DEC movement requests back to the mount.

I've sent dither requests to PHD before using Perl, so this could be quite easy to do.

It would be great to have a mode where you specify an RA or DEC, or even supply a previous image and have it slowly solve it's way right back to that spot.

Anton

That would be enormously helpful if it could be done. Or even interfacing in some way with EQMod would be really something.

[themos]

There's already a way of interfacing with EQMOD. EQMOD contains a script called sync.vbs which asks the user to put some RA/DEC coordinates in by hand and then the scope is Synced to that position. It needs a little tweak so that it can be called from starhop.pl

[badgers]

EQMOD goto, EQMOD sync, EQMOD goto, EQMOD sync, EQMOD goto...

I guess this kind of sequence would eventually converge on the right RA/DEC?

I'll definitely give this a try, the method you mention themos would seem pretty easy to implement.

Anton

[themos]

I would just do the Sync based on the astrometry.net solve and let people do their own Gotos.

How are you going to do it? Maybe fork a .vbs script that reads stdin and feed it a line of RA/DEC?

[badgers]

Can of worms.....

But I'll definitely look into it..

[themos]

http://docstore.mik....ook/ch16_11.htm shows you how to do it with "fork", it should work, just call "wscript.exe foo.vbs" when you fork the child.

One thing still needs fixing in version 0.9f : cleaning up files like these in /tmp

$ ls -l /tmp/tmp.*
-rw------- 1 Administrator None 123840 Sep 26 12:46 /tmp/tmp.fits.P4IP30
-rw------- 1 Administrator None 123840 Sep 26 12:46 /tmp/tmp.fits.pN31ZI
-rw------- 1 Administrator None 123840 Sep 26 12:34 /tmp/tmp.fits.uDfH0K
-rw------- 1 Administrator None 12170880 Sep 27 09:48 /tmp/tmp.fits.xELcr5
-rw------- 1 Administrator None 0 Sep 26 12:46 /tmp/tmp.ppm.gSfL7r
-rw------- 1 Administrator None 354507 Sep 26 12:34 /tmp/tmp.ppm.nLovDc
-rw------- 1 Administrator None 354507 Sep 26 12:46 /tmp/tmp.ppm.SRhYG0
-rw------- 1 Administrator None 0 Sep 26 12:45 /tmp/tmp.sanexyls.0FEs6c
-rw------- 1 Administrator None 0 Sep 26 12:46 /tmp/tmp.sanitized.eK5H2T
-rw------- 1 Administrator None 0 Sep 26 12:46 /tmp/tmp.uncompressed.NEIRd3

I think it's easier to make your own directory (/tmp/starhopper, say) and give that to solve-field with the option

-m / --temp-dir <dir>: where to put temp files, default /tmp

It's easy to cleanup at the end, just delete the directory.

PS: I just tried StellariumScope connected to Stellarium (as well as starhop) and it works well (with the EQMOD Simulator at least). You issue a slew via Stellarium (Ctrl-1), you take the picture, starhop then tells Stellarium where you are and, with this position in Stellarium selected you issue a Sync (Ctrl-2) and the EQ6 reticle comes and meets the Starhopper reticle. I think you don't need to do any more work on interfacing with EQMOD, it's done!

[themos]

By the way, as StellariumScope uses ports 10001, 10002, 10003 you might as well have a default of 10004.

[chrisshillito]

PS: I just tried StellariumScope connected to Stellarium (as well as starhop) and it works well (with the EQMOD Simulator at least). You issue a slew via Stellarium (Ctrl-1), you take the picture, starhop then tells Stellarium where you are and, with this position in Stellarium selected you issue a Sync (Ctrl-2) and the EQ6 reticle comes and meets the Starhopper reticle. I think you don't need to do any more work on interfacing with EQMOD, it's done!

Does Stellarium loose its lock on the original target once the sync has been issued? maybe not as the Ctrl-2 and Ctrl-1 functions actually drive different "telesecopes" from a stellarium perspective. So immediately after issuing the sync can you then hit Ctrl-1 to get to your intended target without having to re-select it?

Chris.

[themos]

Does Stellarium loose its lock on the original target once the sync has been issued? maybe not as the Ctrl-2 and Ctrl-1 functions actually drive different "telesecopes" from a stellarium perspective. So immediately after issuing the sync can you then hit Ctrl-1 to get to your intended target without having to re-select it?

Chris.

I'm just doing the process now. Start starhop.pl, then start StellariumScope (configured to connect to EQMOD Simulator on the first three slots 1,2,3 and to starhop.pl on the 4th). Stellarium starts and both "telescopes" are on the NPC.

I select 52 Cygni star in Stellarium and do Ctrl-1, which issues a slew to EQMOD Sim. The EQMOD Sim reticle is now on 52 Cygni, the starhop.pl is still on NCP.

I solve an image of the Veil nebula, the starhop.pl reticle is now in the Veil. But it's the EQMOD Sim reticle that is selected.

I Ctrl-F in Stellarium, giving whatever name I called telescope 4, "astrometry.net Starhopper" in my case. Stellarium now shows this new reticle selected.

I Ctrl-2 to sync EQMOD Sim to these coordinates. The EQMOD Sim control panel shows the new coordinates and the EQMOD Sim reticle has moved to where the Starhopper reticle is. They are together now.

I guess I need to try it out under a real sky to make sure it works.

I saved the Alignment Point List from EQMOD SIM and it's here

[alignment_preset0]
Star1=27/09/2012 14:45:36;20.8733333330601;30.7699999865144;8108325;9159909;8150538;9158651;
NAME=StellariumScope_starhopper_trial
STAR_COUNT=1

The starhop.pl output was

SOLVED: RA/DEC to 313.1 30.77

[themos]

for completeness here is the Veil image

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0Bws-dmFqKZThVmhaQ1Z4UHlOWlk

I use "-u app -L 5 -H 6" to bracket the image scale for solve-field

[chrisshillito]

I select 52 Cygni star in Stellarium and do Ctrl-1, which issues a slew to EQMOD Sim. The EQMOD Sim reticle is now on 52 Cygni, the starhop.pl is still on NCP.

I solve an image of the Veil nebula, the starhop.pl reticle is now in the Veil. But it's the EQMOD Sim reticle that is selected.

I Ctrl-F in Stellarium, giving whatever name I called telescope 4, "astrometry.net Starhopper" in my case. Stellarium now shows this new reticle selected.

I Ctrl-2 to sync EQMOD Sim to these coordinates. The EQMOD Sim control panel shows the new coordinates and the EQMOD Sim reticle has moved to where the Starhopper reticle is. They are together now.

I guess I need to try it out under a real sky to make sure it works.

I still don't see you doing the final step which is surely to re initiate the slew to 52 Cygni. Will an immediate CTRL-1 do this or does the user have to reselect the star prior to CTRL-1?

Chris.

[themos]

I'd have to reselect the original target with a Ctrl-F or otherwise, then do Ctrl-1 for a slew.