themos

Ok, just the images, yes. Thanks!

Hello Here is Version 1.0.3 with the ability to use a local astrometry.net solve. When you first run it, the Local buttons should be disabled. You need to go to AstroTortilla and create two new configurations, called PPA_coarse.cfg and PPA_fine.cfg. You can just copy the one configuration that works for you to both these names (I use AT's File -> Load Settings... and File -> Save Settings...). If those files are present, PPA will, on restart, have the Local buttons enabled. Personally, I created two "Backend config" files for astrometry.net's solve-field command: one with just the 4100-series indices that is good for widefield images and a second one with just the 4200-series indices. The first time you do a local solve in PPA, the PPA_coarse is used, in subsequent solves the PPA_fine is used. We only copy these AT settings: Backend config, Downscaling, Scale minimum, Scale maximum, Scale units, Cygwin shell, Custom options. In future, depending on feedback, we may only steal settings from one AT settings file.

Oh yes, you don't want > 1MB files being uploaded, stick to the lowest resolutions.

Hello D4N, I don't. Do you have Anaconda on your machine? I can package up the files in a .zip container for you.

Hello Andy, Thanks for the feedback, this is very useful. 1. I will add a green cross and more digits to the display of arcmin Moves 2. I have a newer version that can use local solves but it's tricky to make user-friendly. I'll see if I can "sniff" the AstroTortilla settings, if installed. 3. How bad can it be? I don't know, I should experiment! I can imagine it working even if the NCP region is out of the field of view.

Good news Chris, I'd like to collect some of those images so email me any time that's convenient.

It makes a difference that can be countered by just swinging around the RA axis. I don't think there's a "correct" orientation of the camera in the focuser. But for repeatable operation, it would help to establish a baseline. I would use the scope in the daytime, point it at the horizon, put the RA axis in "parking" state (weights down), and mark what orientation of the camera in the focuser will give you an image of the horizon that is, well, horizontal!

Hello Chris, I realize I've been giving instructions thinking of the simple case of Camera + lens, where it is straightforward to tell if you are taking a landscape picture of the sky. If you're using a reflector, it's not that simple. The orientation of the camera in the focuser does not matter. All that matters is that the image that you select as "horizontal" is really horizontal, that is, the long side of the image corresponds to your horizon. I don't know how you'd do that with a Newtonian. Practice in the daytime, perhaps.

I hope AstroTortilla still works!

Hello Andy, I rely on a whole bunch of python modules having been installed. That's why I suggested people use the Anaconda distribution, it includes everything I use. The miniconda distribution is another possibility but you'll have to manually install all the packages we need. In your case, it's the "ujson" module that is missing (we also need PIL, numpy, astropy, scipy). Your python is installed in C:\Python27. You may have a python module install-helper (perhaps "pip") already there, in which case you should try "pip install ujson" in a command window and similar commands for other missing modules.

And the above example from the Southern Hemisphere should show this

Hello, here is an update, it mostly fixes Southern Hemisphere issues and might be more forgiving in installation.

Excellent! I have made a few changes for the Southern skies so it would be really useful if you can send me those two image files, themos.tsikas@gmail.com Many thanks!

We should ask astrometry.net folk to let us create our own nova-like web server and then we can just submit jobs to our own laptop!

I had an alternative that worked with a cygwin-based astrometry.net engine but it was quite clunky. You can find it at https://code.google.com/p/eq-polar-alignment/

Probably should, yes. But I'd like a couple of pictures from the south to see what changes I should make first.

Hello Phil, the link for the download is further up, here it is again

Thanks Stevie, I should change the default directory of the installer, it seems. On the issue of persistent .wcs files, I'd rather keep things as they are but add a timestamp check on files to make sure that .wcs file is newer than the image file. At the moment, you can press the "Find Polar Axis" button at any time and it will do nothing if there are no .wcs files. I will add some logic to disable the button if there seems to be anything wrong with the .wcs file. Re: AstroArt, you should try saving a JPEG version and then solving the image and saving the solved FITS file as a .wcs file, just as if it had come from nova. And it should magically work. Themos

The portrait doesn't matter, any large angle will do. The errors (Up Down Left Right) I display, as well as the annotated image, only make sense if the landscape image is horizontal. But don't sweat it too much, you will do a small correction and check again.

Yes, just make sure you select the correct image, I take the portrait style first (corresponds to top left button) and then switch to landscape because I want subsequent checking frames to also be landscape.

You're all set up then, Earl, to try it for real. Do you know how to frame the images needed, now? There's discussion of it in this thread.

Oh, that hasn't happened to me yet but I can trim blanks, I guess.

Sorry, I can see it's in C:\Program Files\photopolaralign\PPA.py Run as administrator, or install it again under C:\Users\lappy

Hmm, it's trying to save the settings file but you're not allowed to create a file in whatever directory you started python in. What directory is PPA.py in?

Do you have python 2.7 or some other version, Earl? I should have said we need 2.7 You mean you can't close the Settings window by clicking Ok? That's odd. Try restarting the app, and look at File->Settings again. If a key was given it should be there (it gets stored in a PPA.ini file, where PPA.py is).