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ASTAP plate solve warning image size too low


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This topic comes up periodically but having read previous threads I'm none the wiser how to solve the issue.  NINA plate solves using ASTAP but flashes up a warning that the image scale is too low. I've changed binning in the plate solve settings from 1 to 0. As the screenshot indicates, the image scale is actually 1391 x 1039. Image capture was at 1x1 binning. Using an ATIK 414ex camera with a SW 130pds scope. The star databases I'm using with ASTAP are d50 and g05. ASTAP and NINA are both up to date. Is there a known solution to this issue? Thinking of de-installing ASTAP and trying Platesolver 2 or 3 but it bugs me that the existing plate solving setup has this error. Is it a software glitch or am I actually doing something wrong?

 

Screenshot(12).thumb.jpg.b994617fb7fdbd3d0c7e80514dfe1785.jpg

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I'm not near my PC with N.I.N.A on it, but I wouldn't use the beta version, the stable version has everything apart from cutting edge changes.

ASTAP, is far faster and more reliable at solving for me than PS2 or PS3 ever were.

It has to be a setting that's wrong somewhere. The screenshot you show is the Framing Wizard, this doesn't show the options that you have set for platesolving, but I can't recall where it's setup without looking on my PC.

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Posted (edited)
2 hours ago, Starflyer said:

I'm not near my PC with N.I.N.A on it, but I wouldn't use the beta version, the stable version has everything apart from cutting edge changes.

ASTAP, is far faster and more reliable at solving for me than PS2 or PS3 ever were.

It has to be a setting that's wrong somewhere. The screenshot you show is the Framing Wizard, this doesn't show the options that you have set for platesolving, but I can't recall where it's setup without looking on my PC.

Thanks for replying. I had separate issues with the framing wizard (ASCOM driver error) & the three point polar alignment plugin getting dropped. The NINA discord recommended the beta version as these issues had been fixed. ASTAP is something new. Thanks for the comment about Platesolver 2 & 3 - I’ll keep looking for a bad setting.

Edited by woldsman
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The error message says "the remaining image dimension is too low", check that there isn't some sort of ROI cropping or binning going on in Astap in addition to Nina or the camera driver. Can you platesolve the image directly in Astap without doing it through Nina? Also have you tried other plate solving software again outside of Nina to see if it's an issue with the image itself. 

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7 minutes ago, PhilB61 said:

The error message says "the remaining image dimension is too low", check that there isn't some sort of ROI cropping or binning going on in Astap in addition to Nina or the camera driver. Can you platesolve the image directly in Astap without doing it through Nina? Also have you tried other plate solving software again outside of Nina to see if it's an issue with the image itself. 

Thanks for these suggestions which should help with diagnosis. Will investigate tomorrow,

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Results of testing.

Alternative plate solver (ASPS) solves the image in both standalone mode and within NINA in about 25 seconds. No error messages.

ASTAP standalone mode solves the image in 0.1 seconds (!) but with the message “Warning, remaining image dimensions too low!”

NINA itself solves the image in the three point polar alignment plugin using ASTAP. NINA could not plate solve latest image capture on Friday night. Plate solving subs in the framing wizard generates the error message recorded although ASTAP does solve the image.

Conclusions

1) The image itself must be fine - as evidenced by the ASPS results.

2) By inference, there must be a setting issue in ASTAP - as evidenced by the standalone result.

 

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The message means that the pixel dimensions are too low. Assuming your camera has a resolution of 1391 x1039 this message should not appear. So the likely explanation is that you set the binning at 2x2 in Nina solver settings. Just go in Nina to the ASTAP solver settings and set binning at 1 or 0 (auto). Then this warning message should go away and solving should be more reliable.

Han

 

 

   
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Posted (edited)
On 20/03/2024 at 12:44, han59 said:

The message means that the pixel dimensions are too low. Assuming your camera has a resolution of 1391 x1039 this message should not appear. So the likely explanation is that you set the binning at 2x2 in Nina solver settings. Just go in Nina to the ASTAP solver settings and set binning at 1 or 0 (auto). Then this warning message should go away and solving should be more reliable.

Han

 

 

   

Thanks, Han. I think NINA plate solve settings are actually ok. I get the error message when they are set to 1 or 0 (auto). As I also get the message in ASTAP itself, when plate solving in standalone, my conclusion is the issue lies outside of NINA.  The plate solver itself may be 2x2 binning -  but I’ve not identified any settings in ASTAP that would account for this. I also have a zwo asi 183 mono camera and a Canon 100d that don’t generate the error message when plate solving. The resolution for the zwo is 5496 x 3672 and for the Canon 5184 x 3456 mega pixels. I reckon that ASTAP is just unhappy with the Atik 414ex’s resolution and that’s the core issue. The Atik’s resolution is too close to the software’s limits - 1039 being near to 990 mega pixels. This doesn’t explain why NINA’s three point polar alignment solves without issue using ASTAP and the Atik so I’m thinking more about this loose end.

Edited by woldsman
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It's worth chacking the solver options in ASTAP aren't set to downsample (bin) the image. Run ASTAP and from the opening screen click on the 'Sigma' setup symbol as shown.

ASTAP4.png.1fb5c736d6eae413b6210ce7f11f6957.png

On the following screen click on the 'Alignment' tab, and in the 'Solver' section check that 'Downsample' is set to 0. The 'Field of view (height)' is likely set to 'auto' but you can set it to your current FOV if you wish to possibly make solving quicker, though if you are likely to change your cameras or scopes it's worth leaving it in auto.

ASTAP3.thumb.png.a129d08f41be81be51f92f913ce93334.png

Alan

Edited by symmetal
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17 hours ago, symmetal said:

On the following screen click on the 'Alignment' tab, and in the 'Solver' section check that 'Downsample' is set to 0. The 'Field of view (height)' is likely set to 'auto' but you can set it to your current FOV if you wish to possibly make solving quicker, though if you are likely to change your cameras or scopes it's worth leaving it in auto.

Alan

Yes that is the most likely cause.  1391 x1039 should solve without warning.

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On 22/03/2024 at 18:16, symmetal said:

It's worth chacking the solver options in ASTAP aren't set to downsample (bin) the image. Run ASTAP and from the opening screen click on the 'Sigma' setup symbol as shown.

ASTAP4.png.1fb5c736d6eae413b6210ce7f11f6957.png

On the following screen click on the 'Alignment' tab, and in the 'Solver' section check that 'Downsample' is set to 0. The 'Field of view (height)' is likely set to 'auto' but you can set it to your current FOV if you wish to possibly make solving quicker, though if you are likely to change your cameras or scopes it's worth leaving it in auto.

ASTAP3.thumb.png.a129d08f41be81be51f92f913ce93334.png

Alan

I've tried this but to no avail. Thanks for the suggestion though.

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23 hours ago, woldsman said:

I've tried this but to no avail. Thanks for the suggestion though.

It's not something daft like the telescope focal length option has say 2000mm instead of 200mm is it?

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4 hours ago, TiffsAndAstro said:

It's not something daft like the telescope focal length option has say 2000mm instead of 200mm is it?

I don’t think so - ASPS solves the images (both standalone & within NINA). So the plate solver settings (focal length & camera pixel size) are correct.

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18 hours ago, woldsman said:

I don’t think so - ASPS solves the images (both standalone & within NINA). So the plate solver settings (focal length & camera pixel size) are correct.

your pixel size is extremely er precise :)

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Still difficult to understand whats happening.

You could have a look and share the last image which failed to solve. Nina stores failed solves in this path:

%localappdata%\NINA\Failed

Share that image so we can have look

If the folder is empty, force a fail by keeping the cap on the telescope. Then check the dimension in pixels of this image.

Han

(I'm traveling so it could take some time before I respond)

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