I am using EKOS now for a few months, primarily to capture images using my Sony A7R2 with a 100-400mm zoom lens mounted on an iOptron SkyGuider Pro. This works fine, but I want to do more with EKOS., like "capture and solve" or polar alignment. I would love to practice this during day time, or when weather is bad using the simulator components of EKOS. I think these simulator components are a great idea. Trying to learn how to use EKOS when it's pitch black and when I can't move my fingers because it's so cold is very difficult.

However, using these simulator components is not that easy. I am running in a few issues and I would appreciate advice.

1) I thought I checked all tutorials about kstars and ekos, but none of them is focused on using the simulator components. Or did I miss@) that? Are there any instructions how to get started using the simulator components?

2) I am having a hard time getting plate resolving to work. Since I am using a zoom lens, I don't know the FOV. I read somewhere that is should be possible to set the FOV to "0x0" and to let EKOS find the FOV itself. But no matter what I type in the FOV field, it is always reset to some non-zero value. What am I missing? How can I ask EKOS to calculate the FOV given an image?

3) Reading various comments, it looks like one can inject an existing image into the image capturing for the "capture and resolve" operation. Is this correct? And how can this be done?


Any information, or pointers to tutorials is welcome. Are there any books about KSTARS/EKOS?

Regards,
Werner

Hello Werner and welcome to INDI forums!

For your issue, here is what you can do. Capture an image, and upload it to nova.astrometry.net to get the Field-Of-View (FOV). Next, add Telescope Simulator to your equipment profile, and adjust its focal length until the FOV in the Align tab matches that FOV you got on astrometry.net. Then that's it, you're set!

I hear ya on that! But that's the main reason I looked for something like this. To be able to drive the rig from inside (even on the couch while watching a movie). I saw a YouTube video of Jasem discussing these Raspberries: Q&A on Single-Board-Computers in Astrophotography

Attach to your wireless home network (I assume you have one). I have a pier (not that you need a pier to do this, but makes it nice), so I hardwired my pier with ethernet, so as it speeds things up a bit.

Thank you for your advice. I will check it out. Unfortunately, with all the storms coming in, I don't think this will happen any time soon

cheers,
Werner