SG Pro: Target Goto/Centring

[Notty]

I have just started playing with SG Pro on free trial. I've been an APT user to date, but since switching from a DSLR to a mono CMOS (ZWO1600MM along with the rest of the world!) I find focusing incredibly difficult in APT.  With my DSLR, I was able to zoom the live view in the camera itself, which would be repeated on the APT screen.  Without any equivalent feature for the ZWO I gave up and tried the focusing tool in SG pro which works fine.  Anyway, until now I've used Stellarium/Stellarium Scope and Astrotortilla (which wants APT as well) for Goto and centring.  Rather than use loads of different pieces of software I'd like to know if it's possible to ditch AT/APT for my goto and centring and do it all in SG Pro, but although I've installed the Platesolving databases into SGP ok, I don't really understand from the documentation if it's possible to directly command your mount via SGP to slew to a target then centre on it and if so how?  Can anyone tell me if it can interface to a Planetarium package at all?  Thanks for any help.

[Starlight 1]

Yes you can go to help under licence. look for framing mosaic wizard , i think you can get 30 days free .

[Andyb90]

There is an auto center function in SGP to get onto your target. I use it and it's brilliant. The only thing I don't know is if you need the framing and mosaic wizard to get access to the function.

I purchased SGP and the wizard at the same time and have only used them together. Here is a help link for 'auto center'.

http://mainsequencesoftware.com/Content/SGPHelp/SequenceGeneratorPro.html?AutoCenter.html

I no longer use separate planetarium software.

Andy.

[iapa]

4 hours ago, Notty said:

I have just started playing with SG Pro on free trial. I've been an APT user to date, but since switching from a DSLR to a mono CMOS (ZWO1600MM along with the rest of the world!) I find focusing incredibly difficult in APT.  With my DSLR, I was able to zoom the live view in the camera itself, which would be repeated on the APT screen.  Without any equivalent feature for the ZWO I gave up and tried the focusing tool in SG pro which works fine.  Anyway, until now I've used Stellarium/Stellarium Scope and Astrotortilla (which wants APT as well) for Goto and centring.  Rather than use loads of different pieces of software I'd like to know if it's possible to ditch AT/APT for my goto and centring and do it all in SG Pro, but although I've installed the Platesolving databases into SGP ok, I don't really understand from the documentation if it's possible to directly command your mount via SGP to slew to a target then centre on it and if so how?  Can anyone tell me if it can interface to a Planetarium package at all?  Thanks for any help.

The preview version of SGPro gives you 45 days which includes the plate solving/goto functions.

I have tried it, and found it very straight forward - after the 3rd or 4th tries.

As with everything in this hobby, it works once you've tried it.

When to create a schedule you setup up a target - if you name it, SGPro will do a search of some catalogues and determine a central point for you target which you save. When you start the scheduled run SGPro will plate solve at the current orientation, and slew to your target.

I am not doing the process justice

Once I have rebuilt a PC with all the relevant software, I'll do a run through with some pics but that will be a day or so.

In the meantime - download the demo and read the manual - try using simulated telescopes and cameras, with something like stellarium as well (so you can see it 'slew' to target.

Swithering between purchase or not, I see the benefits, but my heritage requires consideration of all purchases - serous consideration

 

 

 

 

[Notty]

12 minutes ago, iapa said:

When to create a schedule you setup up a target - if you name it, SGPro will do a search of some catalogues and determine a central point for you target which you save. When you start the scheduled run SGPro will plate solve at the current orientation, and slew to your target.

 

 

2 hours ago, Andyb90 said:

I purchased SGP and the wizard at the same time and have only used them together. Here is a help link for 'auto center'.

http://mainsequencesoftware.com/Content/SGPHelp/SequenceGeneratorPro.html?AutoCenter.html

I no longer use separate planetarium software.

Thanks guys.  I've been playing with it though I have yet to fill in the camera details it wants for the plate solving, but I must admit I was befuddled by their terminology, e.g. options like "centre on when target starts" what do they mean by "when target starts"?  I guess what I want to know is how to tell SGP to got to (e.g) M42 in the first place, which I always thought of as a different step from the whole "centring" thing.

[iapa]

28 minutes ago, Notty said:

 

Thanks guys.  I've been playing with it though I have yet to fill in the camera details it wants for the plate solving, but I must admit I was befuddled by their terminology, e.g. options like "centre on when target starts" what do they mean by "when target starts"?  I guess what I want to know is how to tell SGP to got to (e.g) M42 in the first place, which I always thought of as a different step from the whole "centring" thing.

That option, when checked, will cause SGPro to slew the telescope to the target, take a picture, plate solve and repeat unit the centre if the image matches the target - i.e. automates pointing to your target. Very useful if you want to try and take images of multiple targets in one night.

'when target starts' - as a schedule allows you to setup for several targets in one session (thi include setting a start and end time for any target), the phrase basically means when you start the schedule. Just means that when you start running it will slew and centre your target. IF you do not select that option you will need to slew and centre the target manually. 

Briefly, this not not comprehensive, and from memory of my last trial in Oct.-

When you create a new schedule, top left of the dialogue is the target name (defaults to target 1), click the icon to edit that and you enter the name (M42) and SGPro will grab the co-ordinates of M42 from a catalogue and enter them in the dialogue (I think you need to enter a rough late of nth target, I always just enter 25deg Nth, and 25 West - it just seems to want a number

There are two check boxes, which will cause SGPro to slew to, and centre on, the target.

Sorry, it's been a few months

I need to reinstall as I said before, so, I'll put together a step by step- even if just screen shots - as I go along. I think you need to have plate solving set up before can do the slew/centring steps.

[Notty]

I'm home and having a go at setting this up, but can anyone tell me, on the Camera settings section where it is asking for "angle" would that be as in the FOV?  My FOV has been calculated as per the pic, so would it want the larger of the two i.e 1.99deg?

[Notty]

For the benefit of anyone searching in the future, 1.99 megs in the "Angle" field seemed to work.

My observations on using SG Pro for goto/centring from my first go were that it is a bit... clunky.  I was able to use the Mosaic/Framing wizard to generate a set of DEC/RA coordinates for the Elephants Trunk Nebula buy entering IC1396a in the name field (having googled it), but then had to manually copy/paste them into the Target dialogue.  It did slew then platesolve/centre so I can't complain too much, but compared to Stellarium Scope which works a treat I found it a step backwards.  I'll continue playing.

[iapa]

I've always found the mosaic wizard populates all the targets with the co-ords from a lookup.

V2.5.1.17 will get the co-ordinates for elephant trunk

it doesn't like elephant's trunk or elephants trunk though

[Notty]

On 21/01/2017 at 10:17, iapa said:

I've always found the mosaic wizard populates all the targets with the co-ords from a lookup.

V2.5.1.17 will get the co-ordinates for elephant trunk

it doesn't like elephant's trunk or elephants trunk though

Yes I've found that, but in order to get the coordinates into the target section of the sequence you have to copy/paste them one at a time (you can't have both windows displaying concurrently).  Just seems a bit clunky!  

[Starlight 1]

55 minutes ago, Notty said:

elephant trunk

Well I put in IC1393 AND FETCH  all fill in and done.

[Notty]

55 minutes ago, Starlight 1 said:

Well I put in IC1393 AND FETCH  all fill in and done.

In the Target box or the framing and mosaic wizard?

[Starlight 1]

26 minutes ago, Notty said:

framing and mosaic wizard

 

[Notty]

2 minutes ago, Starlight 1 said:

framing and mosaic wizard

Exactly, but I like I said can't get it to do a "goto" from there or bring it across to the target window.  It's probably me not using it right.  Not a big deal hopefully I work it all out!

[iapa]

I started a wee "how to" doc. OK,, it was so that I could rebuild a PC if necessary with usage notes

will have a look see if I covered this

the help file is quite detailed and when I've followed word for word things worded (1st couple of times I didn't do it step by step and ..... well let's say I was disappointed LOL

[Starlight 1]

Sorry it do take some time to get your head round SG-PRO , The program do work well in every way ,i be lost with out it. you get there.

[Andyb90]

5 hours ago, Notty said:

Exactly, but I like I said can't get it to do a "goto" from there or bring it across to the target window

I use the framing and mosaic wizard for a single pane as follows

1. Open the sequence I want to add a target to.

2. Enter object name e.g m..., ngc... and click fetch button. This opens an image of the target (canvas) for framing.

3. Draw a rectangle on the canvas to frame the target and move it around until it's where you want it. You can also rotate the rectangle too if need be.

4. Click create sequence. Another dialogue pops up and I select the append targets to sequence option. I click on Ok and the target gets added to the sequence with the correct details including co-ordinates.

Andy.

[Starlight 1]

9 hours ago, Andyb90 said:

I use the framing and mosaic wizard for a single pane as follows

1. Open the sequence I want to add a target to.

2. Enter object name e.g m..., ngc... and click fetch button. This opens an image of the target (canvas) for framing.

3. Draw a rectangle on the canvas to frame the target and move it around until it's where you want it. You can also rotate the rectangle too if need be.

4. Click create sequence. Another dialogue pops up and I select the append targets to sequence option. I click on Ok and the target gets added to the sequence with the correct details including co-ordinates.

Andy.

[Notty]

9 hours ago, Andyb90 said:

I use the framing and mosaic wizard for a single pane as follows

1. Open the sequence I want to add a target to.

2. Enter object name e.g m..., ngc... and click fetch button. This opens an image of the target (canvas) for framing.

3. Draw a rectangle on the canvas to frame the target and move it around until it's where you want it. You can also rotate the rectangle too if need be.

4. Click create sequence. Another dialogue pops up and I select the append targets to sequence option. I click on Ok and the target gets added to the sequence with the correct details including co-ordinates.

Andy.

Ah I will hae to try that thank you. I wonder if it will work with all the weird artefacts streaks and lines etc that have come down with the pictures it retrieved for me?  I know you can supply it with your own though.

[martin_h]

 

[Notty]

Brilliant!  Thank you.