AZ GTi - Advice for Potential EAA Workflow on Mac

[etsatlo]

Hi all,

I'm looking into purchasing a Skywatcher AZ GTi mount and it's fair to say my brain is melting with all the different software that I'd need.

Here's an overview of what I'd like to achieve. For reference I'm using a Mac, scopes are an ST80, 102 Mak and 60 mm guidescope. Cameras are a ZWO ASI 224MC and Canon 550D/Rebel T2i:

Ideally I would point the scope at the sky, use plate solving in lieu of star alignment and then use a planetarium or other software to find objects of interest and use that to instruct the mount where to point. I will then do Live Stacking for EAA with the mount tracking the objects from then on, probably without auto-guiding.

If anyone has any experience or advice with this kind of set up it would be much appreciated! I've tried ASILive with the 224MC and that seems OK for live stacking but other than that I'm bit lost at sea.

Cheers.

[vlaiv]

Ideally, you want some sort of planetarium software that can direct telescope to desired location - for example Stellarium (sorry, I don't know if there is Mac version, don't use Mac, but I'm sure there will be something similar - like Sky Safari) and you'll need ability to plate solve.

That usually comes in form of plate solve library that you install to use along software used to capture images (different software for capture can connect to different plate solve libraries).

 

[etsatlo]

Thanks Vlaiv, that's pretty much where I'm up to in terms of understanding so just looking for some specifics from anyone who may have attempted before

[AstroNebulee]

Check out this thread on the az gti mount. Plenty of top notch info and advice here 👍. 

 

[iapa]

19 hours ago, vlaiv said:

Ideally, you want some sort of planetarium software that can direct telescope to desired location - for example Stellarium (sorry, I don't know if there is Mac version, don't use Mac, but I'm sure there will be something similar - like Sky Safari) and you'll need ability to plate solve.

That usually comes in form of plate solve library that you install to use along software used to capture images (different software for capture can connect to different plate solve libraries).

 

There is a version of Stellarium for the Mac available to download from the website: https://stellarium.org

Another option would be CloudMaker, who actually do a full suite of applications - only for the Mac on Indigo platform.

[happy-kat]

Astap can plate solve and has a MAC version.