Setting up PlateSolving in Astrophotography Tool (APT)

[david_taurus83]

I've seen a few threads where people are struggling to setup the platesolving routine in Astrophotography Tool. Though people do try to offer advice on the forum, if your not IT savvy then it can be a struggle. I'm no computer guru but I'm comfortable enough to be able to navigate my way around Windows. I've recently invested in a new laptop and have installed all my astro imaging stuff onto that so while its still fresh on my mind, I've decided to do a tutorial with step by step instructions of how to setup platesolving in APT. This is quite a long post but I've added lots of screenshots to try and make it easy for the user to follow.

 

Astrophotography Tool is a brilliant free program that can control your entire imaging session. It can control your camera, image plans, control the mount, control focus, filterwheels etc. More information and downloads can be found here: https://ideiki.com/astro/Default.aspx

 

For this tutorial I have uninstalled all the previous software and files I've used in the past so its a fresh install from scratch again.

 

Step 1. Open APT. On the right hand side, go to the tools tab. In here we will find the object calculator below the camera tab. In here we are going to setup the profile of your scope. Basically, you need to enter the focal length of your scope. When APT connects to your camera, it will auto detect the pixel size and sensor size and use this information along with your scope focal length to determine the field of view of the image you are trying to platesolve.

 

Click on the button with 3 dots and select the Profile tab.

 

 

Add a new Profile. Name it whatever you want. For me, I use the name of my scope, a William Optics GT71 and I input its focal length of 420mm. This is the scopes native focal length. If you are using a flattener/reducer, then you would need to put in the equivalent focal length if using a reducer. Example, I own two flatteners. One is the Hotech SCA flattener. This doesnt reduce the focal length so my first profile with the native focal length is ok. If I am using my WO Flat6A II flattener, this reduces the focal length by 0.8 effectively makng the focal length 336mm and increasing the field of view(FOV). So I add both profiles. You may only work with one focal length or you may have an array of scopes, flatteners and focal lenghts. Now is the time to put them into their relevant profiles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 2. With the correct focal lengths saved in their profiles, now we are going to download the add-ons and catalogues needed for platesolving. Highlight the Gear tab.

 

 

 

 

Click on Point Craft. You could also take a moment to read the short summary by hovering the cursor over the Point Craft button.

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the bottom of the Point Craft box is the setting tab.

 

 

 

 

Clicking Setting opens up the box where we need to enter the directory paths to the add-ons. Simply put, APT doesnt platesolve the the image itself, it 'asks' another program to do this. The add-on programs in question are Plate Solve 2 (PS2) and All Sky Plate Solver (ASPS). In the settings box are the links to the software, also free, and the catalogues they use to platesolve your image. Internet connection is required for the next part. If your PC or laptop lives in an observatory with no access to the internet, or you simply refuse to let it connect to the internet for fear of windows updates, you could use another PC to download onto a USB stick and then transfer to your imaging PC.

 

 

 

 

Lets start with Plate Solve 2. Click on the Download PlateSolve 2 button.

 

 

 

 

This will open your browser and direct you to the Planewave website where we will download PS2 and the catalogues. Scroll down the page to PS2 and download PS2, APM catalogue and the UCAC3 catalogue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Save the files to a memorable location. If, like me you use Firefox, downloads are saved to the Downloads folder.

 

 

 

 

We now need to put the catalogues somewhere where they will be easy to find later. I actually choose to put all the platesolving software and catalogues into the same folder where APT stores its images. So I create a new folder and call it PlateSolve 2.28 in the APT_Images folder on my C drive. You can of course save to anywhere but the key is to remember where!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Your UCACS3 catalogue will be in a zipped folder. You will need to extract the files. Right click, and extract to your chosen folder. In my case, the new PlateSolve 2.28 folder in APT_Images. This should create a new subfolder populated with UC3 files as below.

 

 

 

 

This is the main directory I use with PS2 so you could skip the APM catalogue, though I personally choose to install it anyway. Navigate back to your downloads location and open the APM Catalogue installer. Follow the intial prompts and when you get to the Select Destination Location window, you could let it install at its own location, or like me, you could save to the same folder as the UCACS3 directory. The choice is yours, just remember all these locations!

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you've followed my example, your single platesolving folder should have 2 directories now installed. For the rest of the tutorial, I'm going to assume you've followed my lead and installed everything to the one folder.

 

 

 

 

Now, go back to your downloads location, right click the PlateSolve2.28 zipped file and extract it to the platesolving folder. In hindsight, I've possibly made a confusing error here as I've called my platesolving folder the same as the new sub folder containing PS2! No matter, as it will still work!

 

 

 

 

Step3. Configuring the Plate Solve 2 add-on. Open the subfolder we have just extracted containing the PS2 application and double click on the icon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click on File and then Configure Catalogue Directories.

 

 

 

 

The next window will show the status for both directories as not found. Click on each of these and navigate to the platesolving folder and select the relevant directory folder for each.

 

 

 

 

The status for both should now read OK.

 

 

 

 

Now go to edit parameters. Make sure the UCACS3 directory is selected. The rest of the default settings can work ok but I have had issues with these. I found a tip on another forum somewhere and it was recommended to change the minimum and maximum star sizes. I double each value. 12 for max star size and 6 for minimum star size. The rest of the settings dont need altering. You can enter your location settings at the bottom but i dont think this matters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now, lets see if it works! As you can see from above, I had already tried to solve an image of the Iris Nebula i took last year. It failed initially so I had to adjust the settings. It failed because the FOV is set too wide. For the Iris Nebula, I used a 600D on a 200p scope at 1000mm focal length. We change these to 1.28° x 0.85° and voila!

 

 

 

 

You dont need to worry about testing it like I have above. I only done it to make sure it was working. You also dont need to worry about inputing the FOV as APT will use the profiles we have set up in Step 1 and provide PS2 with the correct FOV information. Close the application and navigate back to the Point Craft settings in APT. Click on the tab beside the PlateSolve2 path and navigate to your platesolve folder with both APM and UCACS3 directories and also the PS2 application folder. See the mistake I made by calling the platesolve folder the same as the PS2 folder. Apologies if this is confusing! Make sure you click on the actual PS2 application folder.

 

 

 

 

Your directory path for PS2 is now set.

 

 

 

 

Step 4. Setting up the All Sky Plate Solver. Click on the tab that says Download ASPS.

 

 

 

 

This will open up your browser again and take you to the ASPS webpage.

 

 

 

 

Scroll down the page to the download link and run the installer. Before you start installing ASPS, close APT as it will fail to install if its open. As with PS2, it asks to select the destination folder.

 

 

 

 

Again, I choose my single confusingly named platesolve folder!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finish the installation and launch the ASPS application at the end. Go and make a cup of tea or coffee while ASPS installs the Astrometry library.

 

 

 

 

When its finished downloading the below window pops up. Click Yes.

 

 

 

 

The next bit is similar to the profiles section in APT except you need to know your cameras pixel size and sensor width. Start with your shortest focal length and input your camera pixel size and also the sensor width, in either number of pixels or physical dimension of the sensor. Use an internet search to find this information if you need to. Once you enter the information the application will highlight what indexes it needs to install based upon your FOV. Install the highlighted indexes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you have only one scope or FOV then you would be done. If like me you work with another focal length, then enter this into the box and another index or indexes may become highlighted. Install these also. If you have different cameras with different pixel and chip sizes, you would need to do the same for these. For all your optical and camera configurations, install all the highlighted indexes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click Done when finsished. Now lets do a test. I loaded an image i took a few weeks ago of M81.

 

 

 

 

The application read the FITS header and asked to confirm my focal length.

 

 

 

 

30 odd seconds later and we have a result!

 

 

 

 

Close the application and open up APT again. As we did with PS2, navigate back to the Point Craft settings window, click the button beside the ASPS path and navigate to the platesolve folder where the ASPS application is saved.

***If for some reason the PS2 path is empty, repeat the above for this and navigate back to where the application is saved.

Click OK and we should now be all set for some testing in APT!

 

 

 

 

Step 5. Hoping it all works! Lets start with loading up an image in APT from the Img tab. I'm doing this during the day or if you are actually imaging at the moment you could use a picture you have just taken. Make sure you have selected the correct focal length profile in the Tools tab.

 

 

 

 

Go to Gear and press Point Craft. In the top section there are 2 options we are going to look at. Solve and Blind. Both produce the same result but they have a different method of working. Lets start with Solve. This uses PS2 to platesolve. It is typically faster than Blind but it does require you to input the approximate position of the image. In my example, I know its of the M81/M82 area.

 

 

 

 

Click Objects at the top and scroll or search for M81. Or perhaps your looking for a star, so look under the stars tab.

 

 

 

 

When you select your target it will populate the top boxes with the approximate position of the target we are looking for.

 

 

 

 

Now click Solve with fingers crossed...

 

 

 

 

Success! It solved in 7 seconds! The image centre is displayed in the centre of the window. Now, the clever bit and the real reason we want to plate solve.

Lets say you had set your mount up in the home position and polar aligned. You connect to the mount via Cartes du Ciel (EQMod) and issue a command to slew to M81. Make sure you also connect to the mount in APT by selecting Connect Scope.

You take a short image but in all likelyhood the result doesnt show M81 in the FOV. Well, no problem! Follow the above procedure, select M81 in the objects tab to populate the approx position and hit Solve. When the result comes in, hit Sync and if you watch the EQMod box the scope coords should change to match the same coords of the image you have just solved! Magic! Just issue another command to slew to M81 and the next image should have it in the FOV! If not repeat the process until you are happy with the pointing of your scope.

 

Before we finish, lets not forget about the Blind function. This uses the ASPS application. Unlike Solve above, Blind doesnt need you to input the approximate position of the image prior to solving. Just load or take an image and hit Blind. It does take a little bit longer but usually gets a result withing a minute or so. If using it in the field, repeat the above, Blind, Sync, and repeat until you are happy you are on target.

 

 

 

 

Just to point out, you need to start EQMod with the scope in the home position. If you manually move the mount to somewhere near your target and then start EQMod, platesolving will still work on the image but EQMod wont Sync the results if they are too far away from where it thinks the scope is pointing. Always start EQMod/Cartes du Ciel first and then issue a Goto command to your prefered target. As long as your in the viscinity with your solved image, it should Sync the mount. No more star alignments!

 

 

I hope people will find this tutorial useful. Hopefully the length of this post doesnt put people off, its really a lot quicker to set up than it has took me to compile this!

 

If you spot any mistakes, anything left out or a better way of doing things then let me know!

 

David

[FaDG]

Great post! 

I'm using APT and All Sky but I plate solve separately. 

I'll try to integrate them now. 

Thanks, Fabio

[knobby]

Top job David

[carastro]

What a fantastic tutorial, thanks to David for all his hard work.  I was on one of those "difficult to install" threads, I have it installed now, but not yet had it working, though the one time I tried it was due to user error.

Thanks so much for all this.

Carole 

[newbie alert]

Thanks David for your time and effort..APT isn't straightforward to setup, think mine is done but not tested it as got laptop issues again, but once it's sorted I look back on this for reference

[alan potts]

Looks a great piece of work, I fit the none IT savvy section of SGL nicely. My wife understands it well, it's known as me doing the dishes.

[steppenwolf]

This is an excellent thread - thanks for detailing your procedure and I really p[leased for you that it is working so well.

Funnily enough, I have just been experimenting with ASPS myself as I want an independent blind solver but I keep on coming up with the same issue - the software will collect the correct Latitude for my site from 'the telescope' but the wrong Longitude. I dare say that I can enter this manually but it worries me that it cannot extract this basic data on my own installation! Anyone else had this issue?

[david_taurus83]

30 minutes ago, steppenwolf said:

This is an excellent thread - thanks for detailing your procedure and I really p[leased for you that it is working so well.

Funnily enough, I have just been experimenting with ASPS myself as I want an independent blind solver but I keep on coming up with the same issue - the software will collect the correct Latitude for my site from 'the telescope' but the wrong Longitude. I dare say that I can enter this manually but it worries me that it cannot extract this basic data on my own installation! Anyone else had this issue?

Thanks Steve. No, not had that issue though does it really matter? Section of sky looks the same no matter where you are! The only bug I came across yesterday was I got an error message trying to Blind solve at first in APT. For some reason ASPS wouldn't clear the file (see attached) I used to test it initially and it kept coming up in the file path even after uninstalling and reinstalling. Drove me crackers! The fix was to simply click the folder icon and select another file. I closed it and the issue was resolved?! I never had that issue when I installed 'for real' so I'm hoping nobody else gets it.

 

The recurring problem I get is with PS2 default values where it solves some images and not others. Changing the min and max star values seems to solve this so I would encourage others to try the same. I work with small pixels so users of CCD's may need to experiment with the values as they will have bigger pixels.

[matt_baker]

If I setup my mount through Stellarium and have APT alongside, does this mean I won't have to have EQMod for the alignment?

I can just slew to a random bright star and plate solve it to the center, then sync, focus and slew to my intended target and do another plate solve to get it centered

Is this correct?

[david_taurus83]

Hi Matt. I'm not quite sure. Platesolving an image is one thing, syncing its coords to the mount is another. How do you connect to the mount?

[matt_baker]

I use an EQDirect cable straight from the handset to my PC 

Then I'd normally use EQMod to align and Carte Du Ciel to sync coords 

I'm wanting to use APT with a D5300 that I know supports it and want to plate solve to make alignment quick and easy

[stash_old]

Syncing from APT,CDC  or Stellarium just tells EQMOD to add the cord's to its alignment routine - All the software should be issuing the same "sync" command which EQMOD will recognise - so long as you have the correct setting it EQMOD  - "Append to etc"

So you could run CDC,APT Stellarium together it should not matter which software product you sync from - you check the counts in EQMOD which should increase by +1 each time you sync. I use CDC and APT and sync from either with no problems todate ?

You can - but I dont - get APT to "SYNC" automatically (check Platesolve settings) on successful Platesolve - normally I do it manual by hitting the "sync" button in APT Platesolve Window,

If I am wrong Chris S will correct me am I sure. 

[Anthonyexmouth]

1 hour ago, matt_baker said:

If I setup my mount through Stellarium and have APT alongside, does this mean I won't have to have EQMod for the alignment?

I can just slew to a random bright star and plate solve it to the center, then sync, focus and slew to my intended target and do another plate solve to get it centered

Is this correct?

APT through pointcraft will slew and platesolve in one action. APT has a list of targets . I rarely use stellaruim anymore. Usually only use it in the day to look around to plan targets. 

[david_taurus83]

1 hour ago, matt_baker said:

I use an EQDirect cable straight from the handset to my PC 

Then I'd normally use EQMod to align and Carte Du Ciel to sync coords 

I'm wanting to use APT with a D5300 that I know supports it and want to plate solve to make alignment quick and easy

I'd say the answer is yes. I've not tried, but as long as APT calls up EQMod when you press Connect Scope, then you could just use that to select targets. Personally, I use CdC as its database is more extensive. As for Stellarium or Stellarium Scope, I was never able to correctly sync. Switched to CdC and never looked back.

[tooth_dr]

3 hours ago, matt_baker said:

If I setup my mount through Stellarium and have APT alongside, does this mean I won't have to have EQMod for the alignment?

I can just slew to a random bright star and plate solve it to the center, then sync, focus and slew to my intended target and do another plate solve to get it centered

Is this correct?

Since I switched to EQMOD and APT, I haven't done an alignment.  I connect to EQMOD and APT as usual, open PointCraft, click on SCOPE POSITION.   I then just select my target within APT (I've added a long list of custom targets as a downloaded file from another forum), and it moves to that target.  It often isn't right on target, so once it's solved that image, it moves again and then solves a second image.  After the 2nd or 3rd go the target is in the centre by <10 pixels.  And if your target isn't in APT, just enter the RA and DEC and that's it.  I do run CdC via EQMOD at the same time, but I use that for info and targeting and seeing what is nearby etc. 

[Juicy6]

On 27/04/2019 at 22:05, david_taurus83 said:

If you spot any mistakes, anything left out or a better way of doing things then let me know

Very good tutorial! If you contact Ivaylo Stoynov, the author of APT, he might give you a free key...

Christer, Sweden (paying contributor to APT)

[bottletopburly]

Well done David  , very handy and no doubt will be very useful for many I’m sure @Yoddha will give it a thumbs up ? 

[bottletopburly]

14 hours ago, matt_baker said:

If I setup my mount through Stellarium and have APT alongside, does this mean I won't have to have EQMod for the alignment?

I can just slew to a random bright star and plate solve it to the center, then sync, focus and slew to my intended target and do another plate solve to get it centered

Is this correct?

Yes ?

[david_taurus83]

4 hours ago, Juicy6 said:

Very good tutorial! If you contact Ivaylo Stoynov, the author of APT, he might give you a free key...

Christer, Sweden (paying contributor to APT)

Thanks! I already pay for it! The reason for the demo version in the screenshots is because I wanted to do a fresh install of everything from scratch!?

[Anthonyexmouth]

13 hours ago, tooth_dr said:

Since I switched to EQMOD and APT, I haven't done an alignment.  I connect to EQMOD and APT as usual, open PointCraft, click on SCOPE POSITION.   I then just select my target within APT (I've added a long list of custom targets as a downloaded file from another forum), and it moves to that target.  It often isn't right on target, so once it's solved that image, it moves again and then solves a second image.  After the 2nd or 3rd go the target is in the centre by <10 pixels.  And if your target isn't in APT, just enter the RA and DEC and that's it.  I do run CdC via EQMOD at the same time, but I use that for info and targeting and seeing what is nearby etc. 

I'm with you on this. pretty much do everything through APT now. My routine is

1. Check PA with SharpCap

2. Start PHD2

3. Fire up APT, get APT to slew to target and plate solve

4. Start Guiding

5. Start image session. 

Be interested in that custom target file. 

[Marci]

They've expanded APT with a further 18000 objects in latest betas... just tick the "show expanded object list" checkbox in lower left of the Objects browser pane if you're a paid-up user with access to the beta versions. Without it ticked you'll just get "the usuals".

Edited April 29, 2019 by Marci

[Anthonyexmouth]

8 minutes ago, Marci said:

They've expanded APT with a further 18000 objects in latest betas... just tick the "show expanded object list" checkbox in lower left of the Objects browser pane if you're a paid-up user with access to the beta versions. Without it ticked you'll just get "the usuals".

Which is the best option, Beta or preview?

[Marci]

I use 3.65.5 (beta) without issue. See http://aptforum.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=2260 for changelogs from 3.65 thru to 3.65.5.

Anything above 3.65.1 has the expanded object list...

- Added extended Deep Sky Object Browser list with 18000+ objects (Thanks to Andrew Knight for compiling it!). There is check box to switch between the short and the extended list

The _next_ release (3.65.6) should feature full INDIgo integration.

Edited April 29, 2019 by Marci

[Anthonyexmouth]

Just now, Marci said:

I use 3.65.5 (beta) without issue. See http://aptforum.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=2260 for changelogs from 3.65 thru to 3.65.5.

The _next_ release (3.65.6) should feature full INDIgo integration.

cool, just downloaded it. might have too many targets now.. lol

[matt_baker]

So all I literally have to do is:

Polar Align

Load up APT and PHD

Use PointCraft to slew to a bright star and focus

Slew to target and solve to centre

Start Guiding

Start Imaging

 

Is this pretty much right?