Hi
I have a Sky-Watcher EQ5 Delux mount with dual axis enhanced motor drive, which is not a go-to, so the mount is set as simulated, I wanted to do plate solving then manually move the mount to find my target, but I am not sure how to set up the simulated mount so plate solving will work, I have been roughly pointing at the target and taking a image in the plate solving tab, but it fails, there is a red message that there is an error of about 190 degrees, in Kstars the pointer is near Polaris, do I need to alter the mount position somehow so it is nearer my target
Thanks
Robert

It sounds like you're trying to perform plate solving with your Sky-Watcher EQ5 Deluxe mount in KStars, but you're encountering an error message related to the mount's position. Plate solving requires accurate information about the mount's orientation and position, so let's go through the steps to set up your simulated mount correctly for plate solving:

Sync Your Mount's Position: Before attempting plate solving, it's important to make sure your mount's position is synced with the software. This can often be done by manually aligning your mount with a known star or object and then telling the software where it is. If your mount is not synced accurately, the plate solving algorithm might fail.

Provide Accurate Location and Time: Make sure your location, date, and time settings are accurate in KStars. The accuracy of your plate solving results relies on having precise information about where and when you are observing.

Choose a Suitable Star Field: When taking an image for plate solving, make sure you are capturing a rich star field in the image. This will give the plate solving software enough reference points to accurately determine your mount's position.

Use a Wide Field of View: A wider field of view can help in plate solving because it provides more stars to work with. If you're using a telescope, consider attaching a camera with a shorter focal length or using a focal reducer.

Check the Image Scale: Plate solving algorithms rely on knowing the relationship between pixel coordinates in the image and real-world sky coordinates. Make sure your image scale is set correctly in the software.

Solve and Sync: After capturing the image, use the plate solving feature in KStars to analyze the image. The software will attempt to match the stars in the image with its internal star database to determine your mount's position. Once it's successful, the software will update your mount's position accordingly.

Manual Adjustment: If the plate solving result shows a significant error, you might need to manually adjust your mount's position to be closer to the target. This can involve using the mount's manual controls to move it in the direction indicated by the plate solving error message.

Iterate if Needed: If the first attempt doesn't work, don't hesitate to repeat the process. Sometimes, small adjustments and refinements are necessary to achieve accurate plate solving results.

Remember that plate solving can sometimes be a bit finicky, but with patience and practice, you'll become more adept at using this powerful tool for precise targeting. If you continue to experience difficulties, consider consulting online astrophotography forums or contacting Sky-Watcher support for more specific guidance based on your equipment and software setup.

If you attempt a load & slew in Align module using the Mount simulator, where does it go?

Thank you,
that's a lot of information, and some great points that I need to work through, the weather has been cloudy for a while, so will have to wait before I can try again, at least I will have some time to play with the settings to make some notes, before venturing outside again

you have been a great help
thanks again
Robert

Hi AstroMuni

Thanks for the reply, I am only just starting to use Astroberry, so not sure what I need to do, I centred the mount on Vega ( search - Vega - right click - telescope simulator - sync ), then clicked load & slew and loaded an image centred on Sadr, but plate solving failed and a message said make sure there are sufficient stars in the image, but I can see a lot of stars, also the message said to enable logs in the setup tab, but they are greyed out so I can't click on them, and on the setup tab in bold print there is Mount - tracking and a loading symbol
I have attached some screen shots, hope this helps
Robert

Hi Robert,

Have you installed the index files needed for platesolving? If you click on the Options button in the Align module, that should tell you which ones are needed. IMPORTANT: set your telescope details correctly before this so it can recommend based on your FOV. If in doubt download the full set
Good luck.
Pramod
PS: Dont sync. Once platesolve works it will sync.

Hi

I checked that I had downloaded the required and recommended index files, and the field of view was correct, all ok, then did not use sync to align the mount, but plate solving still failed.
After doing a internet search to check what the plate solving settings mean, I noticed an article that suggested unticking use scale and use position under the Scale and Position tab, after doing this plate solving worked, so not sure if it is ok, but I will leave these unticked and when there is a clear sky try again, so I hope problem solved
thanks
Robert