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INDI Library v2.0.7 is Released (01 Apr 2024)

Bi-monthly release with minor bug fixes and improvements

Ekos Polar Alignment problem

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While using PA tool you need to find a spot near the meridian and point it there (not too high if possible). You can get Kstars to show you where the meridian passes to help you. Its in the Guides menu 'Local meridian' tickbox.
So lock the Dec and try moving the mount around the RA axis to see if sky is still visible in these positions. Then try the PA tool
Clear Skies,
Pramod


My kit: SW 130PDS on a HEQ5 Pro mount, ZWO ASI533mc Pro, 30mm guidescope with ASI120mm mini, managed using Kstars/Ekos, RPi with Stellarmate OS, ASI224mc, bits and bobs for visual observations.
The following user(s) said Thank You: matia belvederi
Last edit: 2 years 4 months ago by AstroMuni.
2 years 4 months ago #78481

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yes it's just what I did :)
from my terrace I can see the south meridian and I was pointing over there, and the normal plate solving worked well.
but a question, in the guide a read about "polar alignment" to align directly to ncp and "legacy polar alignment" to align when ncp is not visible, is it right? but I don't have the legacy version next to the normal polar alignment! x(

However now I'm trying to plate solve and polar allign with the simulator profile trying to understand if I'm doing something wrong:
1. I star ekos with a parking position near the ncp
2. I do a goto to a near star
3. I launch the capture and solve with sync but It doesn't works

2021-12-09T22:57:40 Solver Failed.
2021-12-09T22:57:40 Solver was aborted, timed out, or failed, so no solution was found
2021-12-09T22:57:40 Starting Internal StellarSolver Astrometry.net based Engine with the 1-Default profile. . .
2021-12-09T22:57:40 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
2021-12-09T22:57:40 Image width 320 pixels; arcsec per pixel range: 4.61107 to 8.64576
2021-12-09T22:57:40 Scale range: 24.5924 to 46.1107 arcmin wide
2021-12-09T22:57:39 Configuring StellarSolver
2021-12-09T22:57:39 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
2021-12-09T22:57:39 Stars Found after Filtering: 3
2021-12-09T22:57:39 Stars Found before Filtering: 3
2021-12-09T22:57:39 Starting Internal StellarSolver Sextractor with the 1-Default profile . . .
2021-12-09T22:57:39 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
2021-12-09T22:57:39 There should be enough RAM to load the indexes in parallel.
2021-12-09T22:57:39 Note: Free RAM for now is reported as Installed RAM on MacOS until I figure out how to get available RAM
2021-12-09T22:57:39 Evaluating Installed RAM for inParallel Option. Total Size of Index files: 5.22389 GB, Installed RAM: 8 GB, Free RAM: 8 GB
2021-12-09T22:57:39 Image received.
2021-12-09T22:57:29 Capturing image...

but 1 hour ago it was working well (only the capture and solve but not the next polar alignment step)! I can't understand, I'v changed nothing and now it dosn't works
could this problem be related with the polar alignment problem..?
thank you for your patience!
2 years 4 months ago #78482

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Can you post a screenshot of where you point your scope in first instance for doing PA. Looks like legacy PA has been removed and documentation needs updating.
Clear Skies,
Pramod


My kit: SW 130PDS on a HEQ5 Pro mount, ZWO ASI533mc Pro, 30mm guidescope with ASI120mm mini, managed using Kstars/Ekos, RPi with Stellarmate OS, ASI224mc, bits and bobs for visual observations.
The following user(s) said Thank You: matia belvederi
Last edit: 2 years 4 months ago by AstroMuni.
2 years 4 months ago #78485

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last night I tried polar alignmet I was pointing some star near the south meridian like in the attached screenshot 
2 years 4 months ago #78486
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That looks like a quite bare part of sky. Cant see too many stars in that region. If you just do a capture are you seeing enough stars?
Clear Skies,
Pramod


My kit: SW 130PDS on a HEQ5 Pro mount, ZWO ASI533mc Pro, 30mm guidescope with ASI120mm mini, managed using Kstars/Ekos, RPi with Stellarmate OS, ASI224mc, bits and bobs for visual observations.
The following user(s) said Thank You: matia belvederi
2 years 4 months ago #78487

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I'm not sure what number of stars is enought but I think yes, in the screenshot you can see few stars but in the fov of the camera that's more zoomed you can see more stars than in the wide field screenshot
and let me remeber you that capture and solve works in that region :(
in almost 3 weeks I bought my first mount I have not yet been able to use it, the situation is almost dramatic xD
2 years 4 months ago #78489

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Use your phone compass and point your mount in the direction of north pole as accurately as you can. Get started. Thats what I used to do too before I found a spot with views of NCP but limited views of rest of sky :-)
Dont get hung up on PA. You might not get perfect images but you will learn a lot about your equipment and software.

PS: Join a local club and you should soon get help in a more face to face form.
Clear Skies,
Pramod


My kit: SW 130PDS on a HEQ5 Pro mount, ZWO ASI533mc Pro, 30mm guidescope with ASI120mm mini, managed using Kstars/Ekos, RPi with Stellarmate OS, ASI224mc, bits and bobs for visual observations.
The following user(s) said Thank You: matia belvederi
Last edit: 2 years 4 months ago by AstroMuni.
2 years 4 months ago #78491

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yea that's what I do with my compas! the last time I even went behind my house (where ncp is visible)  to get a "very good polar alignment" with the mount polar finder with the hope coming back home I had only to adjust az (assuming that latitude was ok due to the polar finder alignment), but I wasn't able to take more than 30sec image... and after I captured more than 4 fantastic minutes single shot on orion in the hills I can't accept only 30 sec! now I'm pretentious! 
I must resolve this problem! I can't believe I'm not able to resolve it! I must shot well from my balcony! xD
every step I take to arrive at this point was a problem to solve, every single step, from the detection of the mount and the dslr to the plate solver of the capture and solve... and I can't give up now on PA x(
maybe I shoud try different software for PA but I'm sorry because I like ekos
thanks a lot for your attention AstroMuni!
2 years 4 months ago #78493

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I used to be limited to 30s images before i added guider quite recently. I used to take 10 images of 30s and then force alignment via scheduler to correct for drift.
Join the SGL forum stargazerslounge.com/
Clear Skies,
Pramod


My kit: SW 130PDS on a HEQ5 Pro mount, ZWO ASI533mc Pro, 30mm guidescope with ASI120mm mini, managed using Kstars/Ekos, RPi with Stellarmate OS, ASI224mc, bits and bobs for visual observations.
The following user(s) said Thank You: matia belvederi
2 years 4 months ago #78495

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but do you mean that if I add a guider I could be able to follow stars and shot more than 30sec even without a good polar alignment?? 
and sorry again but what do you mean with "force alignment via scheduler to correct for drift"..? 
ok I'm going to join sgl, do you suggest me to submit this my existencial problem on this forum?
2 years 4 months ago #78496

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There is no shortcut to compensate for poor polar alignment as the mount needs to work harder to correct every slew both in RA & DEC. Whereas with good PA RA movement will be good.
I create a sequence in Capture tab which has 10 subs and save it.
In Scheduler there are tick boxes for Align, Focus, Guide and Track. I tick Track and align and load the sequence I previously saved. I set the Repeat for to say 10 which gives 100 subs. So what the scheduler does is before starting each sequence (10 subs) it does an align. So in simple terms...
- Align & Track, capture 10, Align & track, capture 10,.............
So in the course of 10 images if your object has drifted from centre its brought to centre again before starting next set of 10.
SGL has a lot of folk from UK & Europe so it never hurts to ask there.
Clear Skies,
Pramod


My kit: SW 130PDS on a HEQ5 Pro mount, ZWO ASI533mc Pro, 30mm guidescope with ASI120mm mini, managed using Kstars/Ekos, RPi with Stellarmate OS, ASI224mc, bits and bobs for visual observations.
The following user(s) said Thank You: matia belvederi
2 years 4 months ago #78497

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wonderfull I'll try!
but first off all I'm going to install virtual windows (I'm trying to uso ekos on my mac) to verify that the problem persist or if ekos works well on windows.. I hope so!
ok AstroMuni I don't want to let you loose more time, I think now this is a challenge that I can win only with my own! 
thank you
2 years 4 months ago #78498

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