Guiding software - NOT Windows

[iapa]

We have lots of planetarium/stellarium software, some cross platform Windows/OSX or OSX/IOS.

Bought SkySafari Pro for OSX and IOS.... until I found SkyPortal was updated to support aligning with the Starsense. Woo hoo.... Instant alignment

[wuthton]

I've had a couple of tries at at ditching Windows but I always end up back on bended knee.

Unfortunately all the best imaging software is written for Windows. You'll be like King Canute trying to avoid it.

[nwcs]

Honestly, I bought a US$100 MicroCenter TW801 windows touch tablet and am using PHD2 on that. Has a full version of Windows 8.1. It's a bit sluggish but with some tuning it works just fine to run everything and it's pretty portable. There isn't anything directly on iOS or Android even. That's the dream. Maybe when astro software moves out of the early 1990s into modern software concepts (and quality) that will happen. I'd certainly be one to buy it. I am a little surprised that Sky Safari people haven't figured out a way to make it work with a successor to their Wifi box.

[mistuk]

On ‎11‎/‎01‎/‎2016 at 20:26, iapa said:

We have lots of planetarium/stellarium software, some cross platform Windows/OSX or OSX/IOS.

Bought SkySafari Pro for OSX and IOS.... until I found SkyPortal was updated to support aligning with the Starsense. Woo hoo.... Instant alignment

That sounds interesting? Could you describe your set up and the steps you have to do to do the alignment? Does this include the ASPA for polar alignment?

 

Cheers,

 

Kev

[iapa]

On 25 January 2016 at 07:45, mistuk said:

That sounds interesting? Could you describe your set up and the steps you have to do to do the alignment? Does this include the ASPA for polar alignment?

 

Cheers,

 

Kev

I am NOT an expert in AP. Other options/functions may be available in the equipment/apps noted.

Equipment:

• Celestron AVX mount, Celestron SkyQ wifi adapter, Celestron Starsense
• Skywatcher Startracker 80
• iPad Pro, iPad Mini, iPhone 6s+ 
• SkyPortal 1.5 app for IOS (an Android version is on it's way - 1.4 does not support Starsense)

Steps taken

1. level mount - I use the bubble level Clinometer app on the iPhone
2. attach scope, make sure it is secure
3. level scope to near horizontal, rotate tube in rings - if fitted - to get eye piece to a comfortable place
4. attach the finder (red dot, whatever)
5. double check the mount and scope are secure
6. point scope at a distant object and centre (I am lucky there is a microwave tower about 6 miles away), and align finder. 
7. balance 'scope - instruction in mount manual, Advanced VX Manual
8. Set up mount, as close to North Celestial Pole (Polaris is usually easily visible), I stuck a pol win the ground in Summer, and waited for 13:00bst (12:00 GMT) when sun is due south and used the shadow of the pole to make a long line from the pole to the north (more later). 
9. Use SkyPortal on iOS to find your location and set DEC  on the mount - the scale is not too accurate on the mount, but close enough.
10. I check with Clinometer again - it has all sorts of scales on it.
11. plug in SkyQ, check switch is set to Direct Connect, mount Starsense in place of finder scope (you can get an adapter for mounting both if you want - I got a 3rd party one that mounts three things, the larger name telescope manufacturers also do some), attach cable between Starsense and AUX port on mount. Plug in power to mount. Fit eyepiece.
12. Double check all connections to mount and star sense.
13. triple check mount and scope are secure
14. power on mount
15. connect iPhone/ipad to the SkyQ WiFi
16. Start SkyPortal app
17. Settings |Communication|Direct Connect
18. Done
19. quadruple check stop his secure
20. Scope | Connect | Connect and Align
21. Follow instructions until the 4th plate is processed and shows done.
22. Search | enter a bright object (I use Deneb or Vega as they are North and not very high) | Goto | centre
23. use the control to centre object in eye peice
24. scope | connect and align | calibrate
25. Do 'OK' to redo alignment (no need to reposition scope)
26. When done - you should be able to align to most things an they will be in field of view.

Takes less time to do than to read - I think that's all the steps.

I find that the iPad Pro keeps the WiFi connection better than the iPhone when I am back in the house - although reconnects readily enough.

I have no view to the south (120deg - 230 deg) as it is blocked by the house.

Closing the app probably looses alignment info - I need to look at that more. SkyPortal is based on SkySafari 4, but the database is smaller and SkySafari itself does not support the WiFi connection.

I took this image of C/2013 US10 a couple of nights ago with a Canon 70D, manual, prime focus, ISO1600, F5, 60' exposure; controlled via iPhone Cannon Connect App. The brighter object to the right is NGC4139, or thereabouts. Light pollution is around 30nW/cm2 according to the lighpollutionmap.info site.

Unprocessed, just cropped to fit upload limit.

 

Hope that helps.

[iapa]

On 27 January 2016 at 22:07, iapa said:

I am NOT an expert in AP. Other options/functions may be available in the equipment/apps noted.

Equipment:

• Celestron AVX mount, Celestron SkyQ wifi adapter, Celestron Starsense
• Skywatcher Startracker 80
• iPad Pro, iPad Mini, iPhone 6s+ 
• SkyPortal 1.5 app for IOS (an Android version is on it's way - 1.4 does not support Starsense)

Steps taken

1. level mount - I use the bubble level Clinometer app on the iPhone
2. attach scope, make sure it is secure
3. level scope to near horizontal, rotate tube in rings - if fitted - to get eye piece to a comfortable place
4. attach the finder (red dot, whatever)
5. double check the mount and scope are secure
6. point scope at a distant object and centre (I am lucky there is a microwave tower about 6 miles away), and align finder. 
7. balance 'scope - instruction in mount manual, Advanced VX Manual
8. Set up mount, as close to North Celestial Pole (Polaris is usually easily visible), I stuck a pol win the ground in Summer, and waited for 13:00bst (12:00 GMT) when sun is due south and used the shadow of the pole to make a long line from the pole to the north (more later). 
9. Use SkyPortal on iOS to find your location and set DEC  on the mount - the scale is not too accurate on the mount, but close enough.
10. I check with Clinometer again - it has all sorts of scales on it.
11. plug in SkyQ, check switch is set to Direct Connect, mount Starsense in place of finder scope (you can get an adapter for mounting both if you want - I got a 3rd party one that mounts three things, the larger name telescope manufacturers also do some), attach cable between Starsense and AUX port on mount. Plug in power to mount. Fit eyepiece.
12. Double check all connections to mount and star sense.
13. triple check mount and scope are secure
14. power on mount
15. connect iPhone/ipad to the SkyQ WiFi
16. Start SkyPortal app
17. Settings |Communication|Direct Connect
18. Done
19. quadruple check stop his secure
20. Scope | Connect | Connect and Align
21. Follow instructions until the 4th plate is processed and shows done.
22. Search | enter a bright object (I use Deneb or Vega as they are North and not very high) | Goto | centre
23. use the control to centre object in eye peice
24. scope | connect and align | calibrate
25. Do 'OK' to redo alignment (no need to reposition scope)
26. When done - you should be able to align to most things an they will be in field of view.

Takes less time to do than to read - I think that's all the steps.

I find that the iPad Pro keeps the WiFi connection better than the iPhone when I am back in the house - although reconnects readily enough.

I have no view to the south (120deg - 230 deg) as it is blocked by the house.

Closing the app probably looses alignment info - I need to look at that more. SkyPortal is based on SkySafari 4, but the database is smaller and SkySafari itself does not support the WiFi connection.

I took this image of C/2013 US10 a couple of nights ago with a Canon 70D, manual, prime focus, ISO1600, F5, 60' exposure; controlled via iPhone Cannon Connect App. The brighter object to the right is NGC4139, or thereabouts. Light pollution is around 30nW/cm2 according to the lighpollutionmap.info site.

Unprocessed, just cropped to fit upload limit.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Update to previous post.

 

SkySafari 5 Pro for IOS now supports mount alignment using the Celestron SkyQ wi-fi.

I now also have the QHYCCD PoleMaster, setup using that is set 10a.