×

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

Bi-monthly release with minor bug fixes and improvements

Read More...

EKOS Align Doesn't Seem to be Working for Me

  • Posts: 133
  • Thank you received: 33

Replied by Brian on topic EKOS Align Doesn't Seem to be Working for Me

Richard,
Did you try increasing the exposure length?  or change the binning.  I use an 80mm f/6 and use one second exposures and 4x4 binning and it seems to work fine.  Hope you are feeling better from the surgery.
3 years 3 weeks ago #69366

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

  • Posts: 185
  • Thank you received: 28

Replied by Richard Beck on topic EKOS Align Doesn't Seem to be Working for Me

I was using 3x3 binning and 2 seconds at gain of 200 (I think that's what it was). I tried up to 5 seconds at gain 300 and binning 2x2 on my last night out.

The log indicates to me that there what I thought should be a sufficient number of stars, but the messages about stellarsolver terminating didn't seem to be very helpful.
3 years 3 weeks ago #69368

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

  • Posts: 1957
  • Thank you received: 420

Replied by Wouter van Reeven on topic EKOS Align Doesn't Seem to be Working for Me

Richard, the logs popup in the Ekos start window contains several log level settings for astrometry. Maybe increase the level and see if that sheds more light on why things are not working for you?

 

Wouter
3 years 3 weeks ago #69374
Attachments:

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

  • Posts: 319
  • Thank you received: 25

Replied by Mohamed on topic EKOS Align Doesn't Seem to be Working for Me

Hi Richard,

I found that you are using the latest version of KStars 3.5.2, BUT your solver is trying to remotely connect and authenticate to somewhere else. Keep in mind that the default option of remote is disabled, and I have been using the new StellarSolver with success...

The following is from your log...
[2021-03-26T21:22:38.399 CDT INFO ][     org.kde.kstars.ekos.align] - "Image received."
[2021-03-26T21:22:38.462 CDT INFO ][     org.kde.kstars.ekos.align] - "Automatically downsampling the image by 2"
[2021-03-26T21:22:38.481 CDT INFO ][     org.kde.kstars.ekos.align] - "Evaluating Installed RAM for inParallel Option.  Total Size of Index files: 2.44583 GB, Installed RAM: 15.5053 GB, Free RAM: 12.0155 GB"
[2021-03-26T21:22:38.482 CDT INFO ][     org.kde.kstars.ekos.align] - "There should be enough RAM to load the indexes in parallel."
[2021-03-26T21:22:38.482 CDT INFO ][     org.kde.kstars.ekos.align] - "+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++"
[2021-03-26T21:22:38.482 CDT INFO ][     org.kde.kstars.ekos.align] - "Starting Internal StellarSolver Sextractor with the 4-SmallScaleSolving profile . . ."
[2021-03-26T21:22:38.557 CDT INFO ][     org.kde.kstars.ekos.align] - "Stars Found before Filtering: 182"
[2021-03-26T21:22:38.558 CDT INFO ][     org.kde.kstars.ekos.align] - "Removing the stars with a/b ratios greater than 1.5"
[2021-03-26T21:22:38.558 CDT INFO ][     org.kde.kstars.ekos.align] - "Keeping just the 50 brightest stars"
[2021-03-26T21:22:38.559 CDT INFO ][     org.kde.kstars.ekos.align] - "Stars Found after Filtering: 50"
[2021-03-26T21:22:38.559 CDT INFO ][     org.kde.kstars.ekos.align] - "+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++"
[2021-03-26T21:22:38.559 CDT INFO ][     org.kde.kstars.ekos.align] - "Configuring Online Solver"
[2021-03-26T21:22:38.560 CDT INFO ][     org.kde.kstars.ekos.align] - "Authenticating. . ."
[2021-03-26T21:22:38.931 CDT INFO ][     org.kde.kstars.ekos.align] - "Reply Received"
[2021-03-26T21:22:38.934 CDT INFO ][     org.kde.kstars.ekos.align] - "{\"message\":\"authenticated user: \",\"session\":\"gzzlsuj5d8vnv855260yzqumuy6tz0yb\",\"status\":\"success\"}"
[2021-03-26T21:22:38.937 CDT INFO ][     org.kde.kstars.ekos.align] - "Authentication to astrometry.net is successful. Session: gzzlsuj5d8vnv855260yzqumuy6tz0yb"
[2021-03-26T21:22:38.940 CDT INFO ][     org.kde.kstars.ekos.align] - "Uploading file..."
[2021-03-26T21:22:39.106 CDT INFO ][     org.kde.kstars.ekos.align] - "Reply Received"
[2021-03-26T21:22:39.109 CDT INFO ][     org.kde.kstars.ekos.align] - "{\"hash\":\"41acc6883c7f7ddaf80027a861523d6816f6be8e\",\"status\":\"success\",\"subid\":4348365}"
[2021-03-26T21:22:39.112 CDT INFO ][     org.kde.kstars.ekos.align] - "Upload complete. Waiting for astrometry.net solver to complete..."
[2021-03-26T21:22:39.114 CDT INFO ][     org.kde.kstars.ekos.align] - "Waiting for Processing to complete..."
[2021-03-26T21:22:41.225 CDT INFO ][     org.kde.kstars.ekos.align] - "Reply Received"
[2021-03-26T21:22:41.227 CDT INFO ][     org.kde.kstars.ekos.align] - "{\"images\":,\"job_calibrations\":,\"jobs\":,\"processing_finished\":\"None\",\"processing_started\":\"2021-03-27 02:22:40.496105\",\"user\":2633,\"user_images\":}"
[2021-03-26T21:22:43.225 CDT INFO ][     org.kde.kstars.ekos.align] - "Reply Received"
[2021-03-26T21:22:43.227 CDT INFO ][     org.kde.kstars.ekos.align] - "{\"images\":[10383427],\"job_calibrations\":,\"jobs\":[null],\"processing_finished\":\"2021-03-27 02:22:41.691268\",\"processing_started\":\"2021-03-27 02:22:40.496105\",\"user\":2633,\"user_images\":[4489266]}"
[2021-03-26T21:22:43.229 CDT INFO ][     org.kde.kstars.ekos.align] - "Waiting for the Job to Start..."
[2021-03-26T21:22:51.231 CDT INFO ][     org.kde.kstars.ekos.align] - "Reply Received"
[2021-03-26T21:22:51.234 CDT INFO ][     org.kde.kstars.ekos.align] - "{\"images\":[10383427],\"job_calibrations\":,\"jobs\":[null],\"processing_finished\":\"2021-03-27 02:22:41.691268\",\"processing_started\":\"2021-03-27 02:22:40.496105\",\"user\":2633,\"user_images\":[4489266]}"
[2021-03-26T21:22:51.348 CDT INFO ][     org.kde.kstars.ekos.align] - "Online Solver aborted."
[2021-03-26T21:22:51.350 CDT INFO ][     org.kde.kstars.ekos.align] - "Solver Failed."
[2021-03-26T21:22:51.369 CDT INFO ][     org.kde.kstars.ekos.align] - "Solver aborted after 12.81 seconds."

So I believe that astrometry.net is not responding with correct plate solving for whatever reason (parameters could be one of them).

Do you want to try the built-in StellarSolver instead?
Last edit: 3 years 3 weeks ago by Mohamed.
3 years 3 weeks ago #69375

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

  • Posts: 185
  • Thank you received: 28

Replied by Richard Beck on topic EKOS Align Doesn't Seem to be Working for Me

Wouter -- Will look for the dialog and will increase logging level on my next outing.

Mohamed -- I tried multiple ways to get plate solving to work. My attempt at online solving was just one of them. None worked. Hopefully, Wouter's suggestion on logging level will help next time out.
3 years 3 weeks ago #69387

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

  • Posts: 319
  • Thank you received: 25

Replied by Mohamed on topic Re:EKOS Align Doesn't Seem to be Working for Me

Hi Richard

Can you share one of the images that failed solving?
3 years 3 weeks ago #69437

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

  • Posts: 185
  • Thank you received: 28

Replied by Richard Beck on topic Re:EKOS Align Doesn't Seem to be Working for Me

I didn't save any of them. I forgot to mention that on a load and slew, the solver did solve the loaded image.
3 years 3 weeks ago #69440

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

  • Posts: 319
  • Thank you received: 25

Replied by Mohamed on topic Re:EKOS Align Doesn't Seem to be Working for Me

That's odd Richard. The solver should be working anyway!!! I have a scenario that can cause the solver to fail, which is miss-aligned scope. If your scope is not properly polarly aligned, and you slew to a target, the solver may not be able to work as it only searches within a predefined distance from the target coordinates. It happened to me when I was totally off.
3 years 3 weeks ago #69472

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

  • Posts: 185
  • Thank you received: 28

Replied by Richard Beck on topic Re:EKOS Align Doesn't Seem to be Working for Me

Mount is permanently on a pier; only the OTA and computer come in between sessions. The initial position appears to be fine, but I can check the PA next time out.

It doesn't appear that I mentioned before my error on the Gemini handset where the mount had been set for terrestrial tracking. I reset it to sidereal and closed and restarted EKOS between the reset and the log I posted. If the solver doesn't work next time, I'll take and save an image to solve on a load and slew to see what the apparent error is to help in troubleshooting.

Thanks,

Richard
3 years 3 weeks ago #69473

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

  • Posts: 319
  • Thank you received: 25

Replied by Mohamed on topic Re:EKOS Align Doesn't Seem to be Working for Me

Another suggestion is to use the same picture for solving using Astrometry nova.astrometry.net/upload

You may want to double-check the failed solving if caused by the not expected sky zone.
3 years 3 weeks ago #69475

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

  • Posts: 79
  • Thank you received: 13

Replied by Max Dobres on topic EKOS Align Doesn't Seem to be Working for Me

Each time the solver stopped working for me it was because I changed kit, scope, FR or sensor and forgot to tell it. Worth checking that the FOV it thinks it has corresponds to your actual FOV. I maybe the only fool who has forgot to do this, but its worth checking.
Max
3 years 3 weeks ago #69534

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

  • Posts: 185
  • Thank you received: 28

Replied by Richard Beck on topic EKOS Align Doesn't Seem to be Working for Me

No change in kit at all. Solver worked at some points of the sky (e.g., near the pole and M81) but not others.

Hopefully, I'll be able to get out tonight to check.
3 years 3 weeks ago #69536

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

Time to create page: 2.058 seconds