Hi,
Recently, I tried to use automatic focusing during a capture sequence in EKOS.
I set it up to re-focus every 60 minutes. Then I setup my capturing sequence (exposure time, number of exposures, etc.) and started capturing.

In my focus settings, I had disabled automatic focus-star selection. That's why I focused before starting the sequence.
Also, right at the beginning of the capture sequence, there was a meridian flip.
To make sure that EKOS would have a focus star after the flip, I paused the capture sequence and focused (selecting a focus star manually, focusing automatically).

Then I let the capture sequence run and went to bed.

In the morning, I found that EKOS had aborted the capture sequence, as it wanted to auto-focus, but complained that no focus star was selected. So I missed several hours of exposure

My question is: what is the best practice for automatic focusing during capture sequences?
Do I have to enable automatic star selection?
Can I manually select a star before capturing, and will the manual star selection stay valid after a meridian flip?

Also, I think EKOS could have handled the situation better:
It should not allow me to enable focusing every X minutes when the auto focus settings don't allow auto focusing.
It should not abort capturing when it can't focus. I would rather have had some images with slightly imperfect focus, than none at all.

Any ideas?

Best Regards,
Steffen

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