ASTAP Mac cannot solve or do star stack

[Fivel]

Hello.

I have tried with the latest, and the previous versions of ASTAP.

Wether I use a tiff image or a fits image, the app could not get a solve. I tried the online and off line (local) methods and they both could not solve.

I also tried to stack using the star align method, and it did not work.

Ironically, when I pressed the Tetrahedron test button, it showed numerous formations, but the running log displayed that it could not form them, so the stacking failed.

When I downloaded and installed the Mac version, it showed version 0.1, but that is not the latest version.

I am running OSX El Capitam (10.11) on an iMac with 32GB Ram and a1TB SSD.

Here is the readout from the screen log:

SIMPLE  =                    T / file does conform to FITS standard             
BITPIX  =                   16 / number of bits per data pixel                  
NAXIS   =                    3 / number of data axes                            
NAXIS1  =                 3840 / length of data axis 1                          
NAXIS2  =                 2160 / length of data axis 2                          
NAXIS3  =                    3 / length of data axis 3                          
EXTEND  =                    T / FITS dataset may contain extensions            
COMMENT   FITS (Flexible Image Transport System) format is defined in 'Astronomy
COMMENT   and Astrophysics', volume 376, page 359; bibcode: 2001A&A...376..359H 
BZERO   =               32768. / offset data range to that of unsigned short    
BSCALE  =                   1. / default scaling factor                         
DATE    = '2019-09-19T20:30:58' / UTC date that FITS file was created           
XBINNING=                    1 / Camera binning mode                            
YBINNING=                    1 / Camera binning mode                            
PROGRAM = 'Siril v0.9.11'      / Software that created this HDU                 
END                                                                             
PLTSOLVD=                    F / No plate solution found.   
COMMENT 1                                                   
 

Please assist.

Fivel

[han59]

Fivel,

With respect to solving, did you give it an initial ra,dec position?. Looking to the copied FITS header, it doesn't contain a ra,dec position. That's no problem if you give it 180 degrees search range for blind solving. but it is better to give it an initial position by entering it in the viewer.

If a known object is visible or nearby, you could also double click on the ra field and enter a known deepsky object. Or just type a rough guess of the the ra,dec in hours and degrees.

For stacking it doesn't need a initial position. Ask for help at the ASTAP forum https://www.hnsky.org/forum/index.php and provide a link to some images for testing.

Han

 

[Fivel]

Thank you Han for your reply.

I did see the same on Cloudy Nights.

I will try these suggestions and hope to get it workin soon.

 

Fivel

[Fivel]

Hello again Han.

I did post the issue on the ASTAP forum and even gave you a link to the Astrometry.net solve of one of my images.

Have you had a chance to look at that link/solve?

Fivel

[han59]

I missed your message. Yes now I have looked to the image. The image has two problems. The resolution is too low and the stars are elongated.

- ASTAP likes minimum resolution of around 1.5 mp so something like 1500x1000 pixels. Your image is 965x635, so close to 0.6 MP

- Stars are too much elongated. Something like ratio 3x1. They are recognised as galaxies. ASTAP will ignore any bright object which is more then 30% elongated/oval. You can see the if you activate the CCD inspector or use test button "Show tetrahedrons".

The exposure duration is more then enough. You can easily expose less, 5 or 10 seconds is sufficient.

Lets continue this on the ASTAP forum. Somehow I didn't get your reply in the email box, but will have look more regulary.

Han

 

 

Han