Pixinsight (image solver)

[greealilee]

I'm having trouble trying to image solve an image of M51 using the script 'Image solver' in PI. I tried this the other week on an image of M81 last week and it worked a treat, but not so this time and keep getting the below process description;

I have tried adjusting star detection as it's the only thing I really understand. Is the image scale have anything to do with this, if so can anyone point me in the right direction please.

*** Error: Found too few stars in the catalog. The magnitude filter could be too strict or the catalog server could be malfunctioning

Please check the following items:

• The initial coordinates should be inside the image.
• The initial resolution should be within a factor of 2 from the correct value.
• Adjust the star detection sensitivity parameter, so that the script can detect most of the stars in the image without mistaking noise for stars.
• The catalog should be matched to the image. Choose the appropriate catalog and magnitude filter, so that the number of stars extracted from the catalog can be similar to the number of stars detected in the image.

*** Error: Unable to plate solve the image: Alignment failed

This is usually because the initial parameters are too far from the real metadata of the image.

 

[wimvb]

Can you post the image here? There can be several causes:

• Wrong fl or pixel size
• Too noisy
• Bloated stars
• Star trails
• Etc

[greealilee]

Here you go let me know what you think, focal length 430mm pixel size 3.71.

M51_16.04.2020.xisf

[wimvb]

Worked just fine for me:

Image Plate Solver script version 5.1

===============================================================================

Referentiation Matrix (Gnomonic projection = Matrix * Coords[x,y]):

+3.47031e-08 +0.000481831 -0.744175

-0.000481457 -1.24887e-08 +1.2026

+0 +0 +1

Projection origin.. [2497.786717 1544.292000]px -> [RA:13 29 40.606 Dec:+47 07 13.24]

Resolution ........ 1.734 arcsec/px

Rotation .......... -90.024 deg

Focal ............. 441.34 mm

Pixel size ........ 3.71 um

Field of view ..... 2d 24' 20.9" x 1d 29' 16.1"

Image center ...... RA: 13 29 40.641 Dec: +47 07 13.74

Image bounds:

top-left ....... RA: 13 25 12.098 Dec: +48 19 02.42

top-right ...... RA: 13 25 24.023 Dec: +45 54 47.72

bottom-left .... RA: 13 34 09.123 Dec: +48 19 02.28

bottom-right ... RA: 13 33 57.317 Dec: +45 54 47.57

===============================================================================

Here are my settings:

[greealilee]

Thanks for that, I've tried it again and it has worked first time. The only difference this time was I have left the Ob's date at default, every other time I was putting in the date I took the image. Any thoughts why this is ?. And thanks again for your help 👍