×

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

Bi-monthly release with minor bug fixes and improvements

Plate Solver fails to solve

  • Posts: 71
  • Thank you received: 2
I am trying to use the polar alignment tools at Ekos with a simulator setup. I have a CCD simulator along with a telescope simulator profile. My setup is an RC8'' with an Atik 383l+ that gives me an FOV of 38.43' x 28.62' When i do the polar algnment procedure after i take the image the solver fails to solve the image whether i use the online or offline option. Truth be told that the first time Kstars solved the firts image and i rotated 30d west but after that i had no luck with solving any new images. I include some photos of the configuration setup in case i have made something wrong.

Also i noticed that a new version of Kstars is out i tried to update the software with the software updater but i get an error that i need free space at the /boot directory how can i do that?
HEQ5 Pro Rowan Belt Mod, GSO RC8'', SW ED80, Atik 383L+, Atik EFW2, Atik OAG, SX Lodestar, ZWO ASI 120MC
5 years 8 months ago #27887

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

  • Posts: 249
  • Thank you received: 62
as you are using the simulator, did you installed GSC? sudo apt install gsc
In your Ekos configuration you could also enable 'astrometry' in Aux section. It's useful for debugging / testing.
5 years 8 months ago #27895

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

  • Posts: 71
  • Thank you received: 2

Replied by kostas on topic Plate Solver fails to solve

i have the latest version of gsc installed. I enabled the in the aux the astrometry and i also started the service from kstars but i had no success
HEQ5 Pro Rowan Belt Mod, GSO RC8'', SW ED80, Atik 383L+, Atik EFW2, Atik OAG, SX Lodestar, ZWO ASI 120MC
5 years 8 months ago #27896

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

  • Posts: 249
  • Thank you received: 62
ok another guess: is you telescope simulator actually tracking?
Solver for me works only when tracking.
5 years 8 months ago #27897

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

  • Posts: 71
  • Thank you received: 2

Replied by kostas on topic Plate Solver fails to solve

nope, i have the mount unparked and tracking and still no success
HEQ5 Pro Rowan Belt Mod, GSO RC8'', SW ED80, Atik 383L+, Atik EFW2, Atik OAG, SX Lodestar, ZWO ASI 120MC
5 years 8 months ago #27898

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

  • Posts: 249
  • Thank you received: 62
I just tried to create a new Ekos simulator profile and it works out of the box, I mean without changing any parameter in INDI configuration.
The only thing I see that doesn't match your configuration is the FOV. Did you used the FOV calculated for your real setup or the one provided for simulators?
5 years 8 months ago #27901

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

Solving at narrow FOVs near the pole is quite challenging. If someone figures out a better set of options to pass to the astrometry.net solver, let me know :D
5 years 8 months ago #27907

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

  • Posts: 1957
  • Thank you received: 420
With my 8” RC telescope and QHY9 CCD camera is get a similar field of view. That is why, for polar alignment, I use my 60 mm (F=280 mm) guide scope with my ASI120MC-S which yields a FOV of about 60x45’ and plate solving always succeeds.
Last edit: 5 years 8 months ago by Wouter van Reeven.
5 years 8 months ago #27908

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

  • Posts: 71
  • Thank you received: 2

Replied by kostas on topic Plate Solver fails to solve

hmmm, i will try other FOV's and see what i come up with. Is there any other way to polar align without using EKOS? So far my procedure is to polar align using the EQMod Polar align tool and then drift align using my CCD
HEQ5 Pro Rowan Belt Mod, GSO RC8'', SW ED80, Atik 383L+, Atik EFW2, Atik OAG, SX Lodestar, ZWO ASI 120MC
5 years 8 months ago #27910

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

  • Posts: 249
  • Thank you received: 62
the FOV will be calculated by astrometry.net when you first plate solve. Try to set up a new profile and don't change the FOV in the alignment tab (you will see 0'x0' in the FOV field) and leave 'guide scope' selected as a first test.
If you force the FOV in that field, plate solve will not work. At least using simulators.
Last edit: 5 years 8 months ago by Ferrante Enriques.
5 years 8 months ago #27911

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

  • Posts: 1957
  • Thank you received: 420
Two comments to that last comment:
- make sure you select the correct scope and camera. If you use the main imaging camera then make sure you select the imaging telescope. If you use the guiding camera then make sure to use the guide telescope.
- leaving the FOV to 0’ x 0’ indeed should work but it may take a long time for plate solving to find a solution. I manually edited the value to match my telescope and camera combi and then it works. When you set plate solving to verbose then it will output what the true FOV is once a solution is found and you can update the value to speed up plate solving

Also make sure to use 2x2 binning since it will speed up plate solving as well.
5 years 8 months ago #27913

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

  • Posts: 71
  • Thank you received: 2

Replied by kostas on topic Plate Solver fails to solve

i reinstalled the SD card with all the software from the start since i screwed things somehow with the OS. I tried again with bin 2x2, with a second profile and with a finderscope with an asi120mc and with an FOV of 0x0 (and with combinations) since i have wider FOV and still the solver fails
HEQ5 Pro Rowan Belt Mod, GSO RC8'', SW ED80, Atik 383L+, Atik EFW2, Atik OAG, SX Lodestar, ZWO ASI 120MC
5 years 8 months ago #27916

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

Time to create page: 0.794 seconds