Giles created a new topic ' Feature Idea - Platesolving Camera' in the forum. 4 years ago

Well, I'm on course for replacing my ASI120MC-S guide camera with an ASI290MM mini, which I will be putting on my OAG.

I've been thinking about what I could do with my ASI120MC-S, it does come with an all-sky fisheye lens, so I could dabble with that, whiling away the time through my 300s exposures, with some very wide field stuff.

Then, I came across a thought: When I am imaging, from the comfort of indoors, and the telescope out the back, I'm not immediately aware of clouds coming over. When clouds do appear, everything goes haywire - guiding goes out of control, focusing sends my focuser to the end of it's tether (literally) and it gets stuck there. Could I, somehow, use the ASI120MC-S, mounted to a small guide-scope piggy-backed on my main scope, to work as a plate-solving camera.

Plate Solve - If plate solving fails --> halt focusing and guiding activities
Plate Solve - If plate solving doesn't fit with location of imaging (with a threshold) - then, perhaps, at next main telescope exposure, schedule a re-alignment...

What are everybody's thoughts about this?

I know I could get a weather type station, or cloudwatcher, but just thought that this extra bit of kit might be useful.

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