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INDI Library v2.0.6 is Released (02 Feb 2024)

Bi-monthly release with minor bug fixes and improvements

Imaging during partly cloudy nights

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Wolfgang,

I'm sure you're correct. I guess the darks didn't work. Perhaps I'll try selecting only using "mid-sized stars" for guiding.

Ron
2 years 6 months ago #75391

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Thanks Wolfgang.
2 years 6 months ago #75398

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Guess I was bitten by that, too, last night.  Clouds at 1am, that went away again around 3am.  Capture never aborted, but somehow the FOV had drifted half a degree, so the remaining 3h of (good quality) data were off-target :(
 
2 years 6 months ago #75413

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Hi Peter,
sounds like a regular alignment would have helped. Did you use the scheduler together with the "Force re-alignment..." option?
Cheers
Wolfgang
2 years 6 months ago #75416

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Yeah, I'm guilty there - I still only run the sequences from the capture module... For my conditions here usually the temperature refocus and only-start-if-guideerror-below settings are enough to keep me running all night.

But the point was rather the hot pixel issue, as I'm quite sure that is what happened, as my mount has RA encoders that by themselves would never drift off that much. Maybe the guide section should also get a 'minimum HFR' setting? Or is something like that always active?

Edit:  Ah of course it is - just "hidden" in the SEP profile.  So it really shouldn't lock on hot pixels then....  I'll have to investigate.  Coming nights will be far too windy anyhow :-/
 
Last edit: 2 years 6 months ago by Peter Sütterlin.
2 years 6 months ago #75417

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To avoid guiding on hot pixels I think still the best solution are darks for guiding.

If that is not sufficient, both PHD2 and the internal guider have settings to limit the minimal pixel size of guiding stars. Setting the limit to 1.5px might be a good starting point
2 years 6 months ago #75418

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Yes, I tried that lately. But when I switched to 2x2 bin it didn't find darks and disabled the option, which I forgot to re-enable when I switched back to 1x1....
I only found the setting in the SEP profile (star area), and a maximum HFR in the guide section. Did I overlook something?

Edit: This editor really makes me sick.  Switched to 'source edit' and then the quote is no longer displayed when I save
Last edit: 2 years 6 months ago by Peter Sütterlin.
2 years 6 months ago #75421

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Edit the star profile.
2 years 6 months ago #75422

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Wolfgang,

Where is the minimal pixel size of guiding stars found? I only see where I can modify the SEP Profile by general size of the stars.

Thanks,

Ron
2 years 6 months ago #75424

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Ron,
To be honest, I haven't played with that much myself, but just looking quickly I did the following (see the image below): I clicked on Options in the Guide tab, then clicked to the Guide section, then clicked on the edit button (the pencil) for my SEP Profile (that is, the StellarSolver options that are used in guiding), and in there I changed MinSize to be 1.5. I then hit Apply.

I haven't experimented with this before to try and avoid hot pixels this way, and so am not 100% sure it would work, but it makes sense.  In Rob's source code for stellarSolver, it says github.com/rlancaste/stellarsolver/blob/...er/parameters.h#L300 that this parameter is: "The minimum size of stars to include in the final list in pixels based on semi-major and semi-minor axes" and the mouse-over text for that parameter says the same thing.

Hy

   
The following user(s) said Thank You: Ron Clanton
2 years 6 months ago #75584
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Having re-read your message just now, I'm thinking you already saw what I was suggesting, but instead was asking where the minimum *guide-star* size control was, as opposed to "any star size" is.

I think that's the same thing. The only stars the guider cares about in the guide image are the guide stars and the SEP MultiStar companion stars (which are effectively guide stars too). It doesn't do anything with the other stars. You can see on the Guide Options page I added (on user request) a field for the maximum guide-star HFR, but I guess you could accomplish the same thing by modifying that StellarSolver Max Size filter.
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2 years 6 months ago #75585

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Hy,

Thanks! I never noticed the pencil icon! This opens up a whole new world... lol!

I'm returning home from my travels this Sunday and hope to try out 3.5.5 and increasing the guide star parameter. Will let you know how it works.

Ron
2 years 6 months ago #75593

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