Framing same target multiple sessions...

[Nikolas74]

I have started taking Ha frames on M16 , but I need to take some more tomorrow night as well.....

How can I continue on the next night and have the target on the same frame like previous night...?

I am using APT Tool and has an option called Framing Masks....you can select few bright stars and use it as a reference point to get the image in the same frame like before nights...

But what happens if don't have any bright stars for reference points.....?

I read somewhere that I can use Point Craft....

Could you please guide me on how to achieve same Framing on multiple sessions ? 

How you do it ?

Thank you

Nikolas.

[geordie85]

Are you using a handset or eqmod? 

There may not be any bright stars, but I'm sure some stars should show up in a test image. You can always autostretch the histogram of a short sub to help see them. 

[Atreta]

6 hours ago, Nikolas74 said:

I have started taking Ha frames on M16 , but I need to take some more tomorrow night as well.....

How can I continue on the next night and have the target on the same frame like previous night...?

I am using APT Tool and has an option called Framing Masks....you can select few bright stars and use it as a reference point to get the image in the same frame like before nights...

But what happens if don't have any bright stars for reference points.....?

I read somewhere that I can use Point Craft....

Could you please guide me on how to achieve same Framing on multiple sessions ? 

How you do it ?

Thank you

Nikolas.

Do you have platesolving software setup within apt? It's a very nice feature and can help you with what yiu want to do. There is a fixed post right in this forum that teaches how to install and configure it. 

[szymon]

Try NINA: https://nighttime-imaging.eu/

Go to the ‘framing’ tab, choose “file” as the framing source, NINA will platesolve the image and set it as the target.  You can then click on “slew” and you should be perfectly lined up.

NINA rocks 🙂

[Robny]

Setup Platesolving in APT, you can then use an image from your previous night to platesolve and you'll be bang on target.

Pointcraft is Platesolving, but it just needs to be setup first, the APT documentation describes how to do this quite well.

Rob

[Nikolas74]

Thank you all so much for your help.....I do have plate solve and I will give it a try again....I will plate solve my previous frame and send a go-to command and see what happens....

I think I tried that once and didn't go exactly to the same spot like before , but I guess stacking can fix that.....if the distance is just a little off center...