Plate Solving with the ASIAIR Plus and the Edge 8" - Forums

Topic starter

Frequent contributor

Jun 20, 2023 · Edited: Jun 20, 2023

Hi,

I'm having a difficult time plate solving tonight. I'm trying to image at 2032mm focal length. I have good focus and started the Polar alignment routine, this normally takes me less than 10 minutes and I get within arc-seconds of ideal. But tonight though AAP says it detects hundreds or even thousands of stars but fails to plate solve them.

1. I checked focus and it's good.
2. I ensured that the AAP knows the correct focal length of the scope and the correct GPS location of the mount
3. The sky is clear, no clouds and wind extremely light.
4. There are no neighbor's lights interfering with the darkness (although I am in a Bortle 7 environment).

I find polar alignment usually goes very smoothly with my 100mm and 130mm refractors. I know that AAP and the ASI2600MC camera should be able to plate solve at the 2032 focal length FOV I have, but it's not working.

Does anyone have an Edge 8 and the ASIAIR Plus that might have some tips as to get past plate solving so I can complete polar alignment?

Thanks,
Jerry

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Michele Campini

Jun 20, 2023

Did u put 0 in focal lenght ?

Etienne Maugain

Jun 20, 2023

Try binning (bin2) - sometimes that helps plate-solve at higher focal lengths

Steve Spring

Jun 20, 2023

I wouldn't expect to see 'hundreds or thousands' of stars at 2032mm. Hundreds maybe for long exposure. I would guess hot/dead pixels are being registered if that's the case.

At 1400mm on my C8, I sometimes need to up the polar Alignment exposures to 20secs at bin x2 depending on conditions and I purposely do not plate solve with a narrow band filter because thatakes things even worse.

May be worth trying. If that fails then there must be a star detection issue or your plate solve software is looking for the wrong parameters.

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Michele Campini

Jun 20, 2023

Here with C8 Edge and ASI2600MM at bin2 3 sec exposure with L filter.

Jerry Gerber

Topic starter

Frequent contributor

Jun 20, 2023

Michele Campini:
Did u put 0 in focal lenght ?

I tried putting "0" in the focal length after putting 2032 in the focal length. Either way, plate solving would fail...

Jerry Gerber

Topic starter

Frequent contributor

Jun 20, 2023

Etienne Maugain:
Try binning (bin2) - sometimes that helps plate-solve at higher focal lengths

I'm not sure the ASIAIR Plus allows me to change the binning for polar alignment, I 'll check that..

Jerry Gerber

Topic starter

Frequent contributor

Jun 20, 2023

Steve Spring:
I wouldn't expect to see 'hundreds or thousands' of stars at 2032mm. Hundreds maybe for long exposure. I would guess hot/dead pixels are being registered if that's the case.

At 1400mm on my C8, I sometimes need to up the polar Alignment exposures to 20secs at bin x2 depending on conditions and I purposely do not plate solve with a narrow band filter because thatakes things even worse.

May be worth trying. If that fails then there must be a star detection issue or your plate solve software is looking for the wrong parameters.

I agree, I didn't think that was right either, especially at a focal length of 2032... Is it possible to change binning in PA with Asiair Plus?

Michele Campini

Jun 20, 2023

Jerry Gerber:
Etienne Maugain:
Try binning (bin2) - sometimes that helps plate-solve at higher focal lengths

I'm not sure the ASIAIR Plus allows me to change the binning for polar alignment, I 'll check that..

Before start PA put 0 in focal lenght of main camera. This is from asiair manual.

Michele Campini

Jun 20, 2023

Jerry Gerber:
Etienne Maugain:
Try binning (bin2) - sometimes that helps plate-solve at higher focal lengths

I'm not sure the ASIAIR Plus allows me to change the binning for polar alignment, I 'll check that..

Before start PA put 0 in focal lenght of main camera. This is from asiair manual.

Michele Campini

Jun 20, 2023

Jerry Gerber:
Steve Spring:
I wouldn't expect to see 'hundreds or thousands' of stars at 2032mm. Hundreds maybe for long exposure. I would guess hot/dead pixels are being registered if that's the case.

At 1400mm on my C8, I sometimes need to up the polar Alignment exposures to 20secs at bin x2 depending on conditions and I purposely do not plate solve with a narrow band filter because thatakes things even worse.

May be worth trying. If that fails then there must be a star detection issue or your plate solve software is looking for the wrong parameters.

I agree, I didn't think that was right either, especially at a focal length of 2032... Is it possible to change binning in PA with Asiair Plus?

In PA binning is allready default 2.

Jerry Gerber

Topic starter

Frequent contributor

Jun 20, 2023

Michele Campini:
Jerry Gerber:
Steve Spring:
I wouldn't expect to see 'hundreds or thousands' of stars at 2032mm. Hundreds maybe for long exposure. I would guess hot/dead pixels are being registered if that's the case.

At 1400mm on my C8, I sometimes need to up the polar Alignment exposures to 20secs at bin x2 depending on conditions and I purposely do not plate solve with a narrow band filter because thatakes things even worse.

May be worth trying. If that fails then there must be a star detection issue or your plate solve software is looking for the wrong parameters.

I agree, I didn't think that was right either, especially at a focal length of 2032... Is it possible to change binning in PA with Asiair Plus?

In PA binning is allready default 2.

That's right, that's what I thought...

Jerry Gerber

Topic starter

Frequent contributor

Jun 20, 2023

Michele Campini:
Jerry Gerber:
Etienne Maugain:
Try binning (bin2) - sometimes that helps plate-solve at higher focal lengths

I'm not sure the ASIAIR Plus allows me to change the binning for polar alignment, I 'll check that..

Before start PA put 0 in focal lenght of main camera. This is from asiair manual.

OK, will try that again. I did that, but it didn't seem to help...

Rob

Jun 20, 2023

Jerry Gerber:
Hi,

I'm having a difficult time plate solving tonight. I'm trying to image at 2032mm focal length. I have good focus and started the Polar alignment routine, this normally takes me less than 10 minutes and I get within arc-seconds of ideal. But tonight though AAP says it detects hundreds or even thousands of stars but fails to plate solve them.

1. I checked focus and it's good.
2. I ensured that the AAP knows the correct focal length of the scope and the correct GPS location of the mount
3. The sky is clear, no clouds and wind extremely light.
4. There are no neighbor's lights interfering with the darkness (although I am in a Bortle 7 environment).

I find polar alignment usually goes very smoothly with my 100mm and 130mm refractors. I know that AAP and the ASI2600MC camera should be able to plate solve at the 2032 focal length FOV I have, but it's not working.

Does anyone have an Edge 8 and the ASIAIR Plus that might have some tips as to get past plate solving so I can complete polar alignment?

Thanks,
Jerry

Sometimes when I would slew to a bright star to focus on, it would be slightly out of view for me, either by the edge of my roof or my neighbor's roof. AAP would try to plate solve and center, and it was convinced it would find 100 or so stars and fail. I would cancel and do a 3s exposure to confirm what I suspected, there is no sky in the FOV. AAP tries to plate solve static sometimes....

Jerry Gerber

Topic starter

Frequent contributor

Jun 20, 2023 · Edited: Jun 20, 2023

Michele Campini:
Jerry Gerber:
Etienne Maugain:
Try binning (bin2) - sometimes that helps plate-solve at higher focal lengths

I'm not sure the ASIAIR Plus allows me to change the binning for polar alignment, I 'll check that..

Before start PA put 0 in focal lenght of main camera. This is from asiair manual.

I don't see anything about putting 0 in for the focal length in either the ASIAIR Plus or the ASIAIR Pro manuals. Where did you see that? I see that in the app itself, but it says to do that if you don't know the focal length, but I do know, it's 2032mm...

Michele Campini

Jun 20, 2023

Jerry Gerber:
Michele Campini:
Jerry Gerber:
Etienne Maugain:
Try binning (bin2) - sometimes that helps plate-solve at higher focal lengths

I'm not sure the ASIAIR Plus allows me to change the binning for polar alignment, I 'll check that..

Before start PA put 0 in focal lenght of main camera. This is from asiair manual.

I don't see anything about putting 0 in for the focal length in either the ASIAIR Plus or the ASIAIR Pro manuals. Where did you see that? I see that in the app itself, but it says to do that if you don't know the focal length, but I do know, it's 2032mm...

The same ASIAIR in the latest versions says, in the app, that if you don't know exactly the focal length it is better to enter 0.

Jerry Gerber

Topic starter

Frequent contributor

Jun 20, 2023

My feeling now is that my focusing isn't good enough. I usually focus, then polar align, then slew to a bright star with the Bahtinov mask and fine-tune the focus. That works really well. Last night I didn't use a bright star or a mask. How do I slew to a bright star if the scope isn't polar aligned? So I probably didn't nail focusing. It's harder to focus at 2032 than at 1000mm as the stars are moving faster through the FOV. Even with tracking turned on, it's harder to get pinpoint stars.

Bob McInteer

Jun 20, 2023

Along the line of what Steve Spring said, when I see way more stars than usual, it seems that the AISAir is interpreting noise as stars. A longer exposure works for me.

Dustin Gazz

Jun 20, 2023 · Edited: Jun 20, 2023

Where you using a different camera by chance? I can't plate solve with my 224 on my Edge8. And you did slew away from north before trying, right?

I normally polar align, connect my mount and do a GoTo. If it is way off for some reason, I Solve from that location and then Goto.

Dustin Gazz

Jun 20, 2023

Michele Campini:
The same ASIAIR in the latest versions says, in the app, that if you don't know exactly the focal length it is better to enter 0.

If you are close enough the AIR will still solve and set to the exact FL. I usually set to zero, but if it is having trouble, I will set to 2050 or something.

Jerry Gerber

Topic starter

Frequent contributor

Jun 20, 2023

Dustin Gazz:
Where you using a different camera by chance? I can't plate solve with my 224 on my Edge8. And you did slew away from north before trying, right?

I normally polar align, connect my mount and do a GoTo. If it is way off for some reason, I Solve from that location and then Goto.

Thanks Dustin, that's helpful. I was using the same and only camera I have, the ASI2600MC. Are you saying I should slew anywhere but north and then plate solve and then go back to polar aligning? With ASIAIR Plus, plate solving is part of the polar alignment routine. If plate solving fails, polar alignment can't be completed.

It sounds like you're saying I can plate solve in another part of the sky and then return to polar alignment. But that seems like the same issue will occur because Asiair must plate solve each time I adjust azimuth and altitude knobs for PA..

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