I have a question on rotation.
I have a Pyxis rotator that works very well.
When getting my frame and focus image, it is downloaded into the wizard and the angle defaults to zero.
If I want to rotate the image I do so after drawing the rectangle and my camera will rotate when instructed.
If I do not rotate the image and leave it at zero the camera is not instructed to rotate and I expect to see what I have framed when my first image downloads.
This is often the case, but many times the first image I take will be off by 90 degrees. It is always 90 degrees, so I will go back and rotate the camera to get the framing I desire.
(I do know that when plate solving, after the plate solve exposure, an angle is returned, but I do not understand the significance of this angle.)
I can link a log, but somehow I do not think that will tell us anything.?
Understand, here is a link to screenshots that may explain.
Frame and focus, this is my ref. frame from the wizard. I slew to, then center.
First image after PS (plate solve) is a short one to check my framing, as you can see the image is rotated 90 deg. from what is shown in the ref image from the frame and focus wizard. (and to the right)
First image after rotating 90 (actually a plate solve image)
Thanks. I’m still not sure I’m following you though. Maybe we are using different terminology…
I’m not really sure what this statement means or how the MFW relates to frame and focus.
I’m not sure if this is a question or a statement. You can ask the MFW to tell the sequence to automate the rotation if you’d like… this is true.
I don’t really understand the issue as you are describing it. Logs might be best at this juncture. I can’t tell what you mean with terms like “First image after PS”. Like, literally, the first image after a solve and sync action? or the first image after a centering action? How did you tell the scope to point where the test framing image is taken?
Yes, my bad, I mean to say Framing and Mosaic.
I use the wizard and get my ref frame.
I usually do not rotate the ref frame using the “rotate selection” slider, because what I see is what I want, the framing is good.
From this I create a sequence.
From this sequence, I open the target settings and do a "slew now"
Then I do a "Center now"
I do about a 10 second plate solve exposure and pinpoint usually solves the image in less than 10 seconds.
Then goes through the process of validating, and usually end up with less than 10px.
From here I will start imaging.
My first image sometimes matches the reference frame as far as angle goes, meaning what I see in my first image is close to exactly what I see in the ref frame.
Other times my first image will be rotated 90 deg from the ref frame.
(unless I have rotated the image in framing and mosaic, I do not use the rotator.)
If, I have rotated the selection in Framing and mosaic, I do use the rotator.
From a right click on the target “gear wheel” I will click "center target and rotate camera"
That always works.
Hope that makes things clearer?
I think I have a basic misunderstanding of how this works.
Sorry… I’m still not fully understanding what the issue is so I will just say some stuff:
When you create a sequence from the MFW, you are presented an option to have the mosaic targets automatically rotate to the specified angle when centering happens. If you do not check this option, the sequence will make no effort to rotate the camera when centering on the target.
When a sequence is running and switches to a new target (or starts the first one), it can center and rotate to the angle of your choosing. The MFW will populate this angle for you, but you might need to make sure this is checked (especially if you did not choose the option when building the sequence from the MFW).
If the target’s “auto-rotate” option is not checked, you will have to rotate manually by right clicking the target and selecting center and rotate (like you said you were doing).
From reading your last post it seems as though your first target does not contain instructions to auto rotate (but I can’t be sure). This is why we ask for logs up front… less worry about 20 questions and using conflicting terminology.
Thanks Ken,
I think you have answered my question. The image angle as downloaded in the FMW (what you see) has no correlation to the actual target.
That is not know until one plate solves.
Well, no. The angle in the FMW is exactly the angle of the target and exactly what you should see. I think maybe it’s confusing because you are trying to interpret the positional angle of the rotator as meaningful. It is not meaningful, and as such, we correlate it with an angle in the sky (east of north to be specific). If the FMW shows 90 degrees before the sequence is made, it is referring to angle of the target, not the rotator. Then when the sequence starts, it does not care what positional angle your rotator is at, it will solve a frame and then say that the rotator’s PA is now equal to some solved sky angle. Then, after this, your frames should look pretty much exactly like the FMW shows them.