StevieDvd

13 hours ago, TiffsAndAstro said:

one final update for now ty anyone who was reading

did another polar alignment via scope, did another two star alignmnent. did a focus test on jupiter looks ok and did a 60 sec sub and the star trailing was within the error of how bad my star shapes are.

i have stopped down to 4 or 5.6 (can't check with lens heater on and don't want to disturb it) btw

so i went back to orion and did a 60 sec test sub there and it seems ok too. 

so to sum up i have no idea what i did so badly and i have no idea what i did to fix it. Im full of confidence and optimism

my mel maz is still as posted above btw.

gonna let it run at 60 sec subs until orion drops too low and will stack and process see what people think.

Your mel/maz settings still be the same is worrying.  It is the adjustment that the mount expects to correct your PA when doing a goto.  

The SW PA/Align process for users without a polarscope is documented in the handset manual and involves doing a series of PA and Aligns to reduce the Mel/Maz 

Even the slightest adjustment  of the Alt/Az would change those numbers. But if the app is the same as the handset method the values may only change after last 2 or 3 star alignment

Just now, bosun21 said:

If your tripod doesn't have a pin fitted then those screws wont move anything.

He has a SW GTi mount that has a 3/8 base that has a built in adjustment system. The green bolts push against a built in inverted stop and turns the top of the mount. 

21 minutes ago, TiffsAndAstro said:

just to clarify.

once i've centered polaris in the polar scope cross hair and then used alt bolt to position in at the top in the center circular line - do i rotated RA to move polaris into the correct position, or do i use the alt/az bolts?

Keep using the alt/az bolts.

Polaris will be in a certain position at a given time.  So if it's due to be at the eleven o'clock position that's where you should see it in the circle when you are aligned.

If you imagine the circle is like a circular train track, then at any given time Polaris (the train) should be in a set part of the track.  If you are correctly PA'd then turning your mount in RA 360 degrees, Polaris will stay in place and the track spins around it. If it goes off track then your mount pivot point is not correct in relation to Polaris.

Remember that you are trying to adjust the central pivot point of your mount to that of the NCP. We can do that by noting the position of Polaris at a set time/date and from that can work out where your mount pivot point should be.

Given your statement about age and back issues then I'd suggest doing a basic PA in the polar scope (align in the middle of the cross). Then use software PA (like Synscan, Sharpcap, NINA etc) to get it better. 

And don't worry about the questions some of us are retired and don't mind the challenge of getting someone new on the right track.  Personally I think Polar scopes are evil and designed to sell back ache remedies. I have not used one for years.😀

7 minutes ago, 900SL said:

Thus is getting hilarious. 

It took me a while for the penny to drop that there was an option that had a polar scope and a flat 3/8" tripod like the SW Star Adventurer GTi 😀

8 minutes ago, TiffsAndAstro said:

I'm really sorry I did work out what he meant. I didn't get the optional mount as it looked no sturdier than my random brand tripod so I dont have an az pin.

Then how are you adjusting the mount in azimuth?????

I see from your other posts you have mentioned a SW Gti is it this one

That has the azimuth pin in the base of the mount so you can't see it and it allows the use of a 3/8 tripod.

Okay just to clarify a few of your issues:

The spike Malc refers to is the azimuth pin as shown here  and which the azimuth bolts push against to adjust your PA.

I read the manual of Syncan App and it is correct in allowing a further PA after a star alignment. This is only possible as it records the mel/maz settings which is stored for 'adjustments' needed to correct your goto.  

2 hours ago, TiffsAndAstro said:

So last night I polar aligned through scope.

Did 2 star alignment (mount found both within pixels of center of screen)

Did a pa via synscan app  could center star as directed using alt and az bolts.

Did another pa near my target.

Got curving trailing stars on 5 minute sub.

So either my pa is still [removed word], my tripod is [removed word] in a 5 min cycling type of way  my mount is broken or....? IMG_8307.CR2

Okay I think I see your problem.

You are still doing PA and star alignments in the wrong order.  Get the best PA you can first and then let the mounts note your inaccuracies and it will then adjust for them automatically. If you redo the PA and don't redo the star alignment the mount will be doing the wrong adjustments. So even if your second PA dos a better job you should let the mount redo the star alignment process to note that the adjustments needed are different.

14 minutes ago, TiffsAndAstro said:

Apologies I maybe mixing terms.

I do a very rough polar alignment get the pa scope pointed close to polaris. Add counter weight camera lens check balance. Then an accurate polar alignment via the pa scope and alt/az (i think that's their names) matching the Polaris position in synscap app. Then i do a 2 star align in the app. Then i do a polar alignment on a bright star or jupiter using the same physical knobs above. Then i select a star on or close to my target and do another polar align via app and physical knobs but it's usually spot on.

 

2 min exposures still seem too much though

You should not touch polar alignment (PA) after a star align. So basically always end on a star align process.

This is because the star alignment lets the mount compensate for any PA error, this is ruined if you then adjust the PA again.

https://stargazerslounge.com/forum/40-imaging-image-processing-help-and-techniques/

or

https://stargazerslounge.com/forum/34-imaging-tips-tricks-and-techniques/

57 minutes ago, iantaylor2uk said:

There is a standalone version of the tool for windows that can be run outside of Pixinsight or Siril which is very easy to use on raw fits or tiff files.

I presume you mean Sirilic for Siril - not so user friendly and needs scripts for processing otheer than stacking as I understand.

For Pixinsight there may be a tool (I've not seen one) but that would need a PI license and defeats having  a no cost option for beginners.

14 hours ago, iantaylor2uk said:

You could try using GraXpert, it should be able to take raw files from the Seestar and it's pretty easy to use. 

I have Graxpert installed in PixInsight and Siril has a cut-down version it uses. The whole point of the above is for a tool for someone to do a quick process - and possibly then to go on to better direct processing using Siril, Pixinsight etc.

My processing is normally stacking in Siril and final processing in PixInsight.

There was  a site called Astrocooker that many S50 & Dwarf users used to process their pre-stacked images. That site has been taken down due to the misuse of commercial Astro software, leaving a gap for the novice imagers. 

I use Siril and PixInsight, and have the plugins from RC Astro, so as a coding exercise I decided to see if a replacement using PySiril would do something similar to Astrocooker using just Siril.

If any coders here would like to have a look and improve/correct my attempt I'm attaching the python code and the text config file.  I'm a self taught coder and code for fun and won't be trying to sell any of my code, happy for it to be used as freeware.

It's not for anyone just expecting to run the code straight off as it involves installing PySiril from Github  - see https://siril.org/tutorials/pysiril/ and a few other imports not in a Python setup. 

It will let you open a linear fits/tiff file and to select the processes to run. You can select all or clear all - or just the ones you want.  As it's a work in progress I have not put all the settings in the config file yet, will do that once I'm happy the commands/settings used are good enough. 

Menu options let you view the opened fits header and open the result.png image once processed.

Probably a few bugs to iron out and the params for each Siril command to clarify.

astrosimple.iniAstroSimple.py

I think you mean the Seestar S50 in your title.😑

15 hours ago, Sunshine said:

I like the word “balogne” lol

Do you mean baloney?

If you are using Windows and are happy to activate developer mode then Siril will not make a copy of your files for processing but will use 'symbolic links' to the original files. These are just pointers to the files just like a shortcut in Windows. They are used a lot in Unix & Linux systems.

See https://siril.org/tutorials/tuto-scripts/ for details

Important factor in my calling myself an amateur is that I have to pay for my equipment.

Your next mission, should you choose to accept it is: 

Add a motor and an AI computer to roll it out for you on clear nights and message you when it's cooled and ready to use.🙂

An paleontologist looks at a small bone and says, this is what the Dinosaur looked like 65 million years ago.

An astronomer looks at a the sky and says, this is what this looked like 65 million years ago, but what it looks like now I can't say.

I'm an amateur Astro photographer and occasional stargazer. Or possibly a light historian.🤔

The standard scripts are stored in a protected directory which needs admin privileges, but you can add a folder for your own scripts in the settings.

Scripts added/changed are only available when Siril is started so you can't modify one without a restart.

There are some you can download which only run using the combination of files you have. From lights only to all. Each is a separate command in the script.

See this for all scripts info

Links for scripts to add at bottom of this web page too

If you intend to edit them and need assistance just ask in SGL there are several Siril users here.

24 minutes ago, LaurenceT said:

I can't seem to drop a fits file here, the system won't accept it.

I do have Siril installed, it's getting to grips with it is the problem!

I can drop a fits file (drag & drop) or (Other Media) - don't know why you cannot!

Simple start for you with Siril:

• Open the file 
• Then in the Image Processing click on 'Remove Green Noise...' and just click on Apply.

Should fix your green tint in above image of Pleiades

I found the below video a great explanation of the curves control in Pixinsight

Curves in Pixinsight

And welcome to SGL.

Steve

Can you drag & drop the fits file instead of the jpg file?

I have Siril so could correct the green tinge and run colour correction so you can see the result. If it's worth it to you then downloading and add Siril to your tools.

I've found that some programs will report the fits header of some ZWO files as 'file does conform to FITS standard' but will still load and allow stretching.

Have a go with Siril (as it's free) which may enable you to open the image and save in another format the Gimp supports.

If that has a 3/8" thread then yes. If you are referring to an EQ5 tripod then you would need an adapter.