I can center easily and close loop slew to frame a target from within my planetarium program. Is there a way to import these RA & Dec values into the target location data ( via ASCOM) and thus avoid another plate solve and center routine? I see you can “bookmark” the values but they don’t populate the target location.
I use TheSkyX to layout and plan imaging using a field of view indicator - but as I recall there is no way in TheSkyX to obtain the RA/Dec values of the center of the FOVI. If you could get those numbers, in J2000, you could copy and paste them into SGP. Right now you can click on objects in TheSkyX and then right click on the “Details” in the Object Information Report and select “Copy Equatorial Coordinates (2000.0)” - and then paste those into SGP - and it works just fine. But it only works when you actually click on an object in the field.
So - if TheSkyX had a similar way to copy the J2000 coordinates of either the center of the current field, or the center of the FOVI position - it would all work very well with SGP. I know a request has been made for that functionality in the FOVI - but I don’t think they have done anything about it. It’s an example where the prime motivation for such a feature is to make TheSkyX work well with other products - and it seems like they don’t want that to happen.
For this particular functionality I think TheSkyX could and should support easy transfer of J2000 coordinates with other packages - so I don’t think SGP needs to do anything here.
Frank
I believe you can set Preferences/Status Windows in TSX to show chart center in J2000. If one were to frame the FOVI then right click/center on curser you could read the J2000 on the Telescope/Digital Setting Circles display. Of course you are left with entering these back into SGP…
I’m not sure why in the SGP Telescope docking module the then current position could not be “dumped” into the Target Settings/Location RA/DEC fields…? For example you can already set target markers on the current position with the Control Panel/Telescope Tab. There could be a similar set button on the Sequence/Target settings…seems simple enough.
Rick Kuntz MS, CCT
cardiofuse observatory
OK - I think I do see a way that it would work adequately - and it may work for you also.
When you right click in TSX anywhere - including on the center of the FOVI - you can select “Frame” and it will frame that location. At the same time, in the Details tab of the find page it will show the J2000 coordinates. Then you can right-click as usual on the RA (2000.0) value and select, Copy Equatorial Coordinates (2000.0). Then go to SGP and do CTRL-V or paste into the SGP target RA value - and it will fill in both RA and dec. fields.
It’s not perfect because it requires you to manually click at the location of the center of the FOVI - rather than just getting the FOVI center itself from a dialog. But it is adequate and doesn’t require manually reading and typing long ra/dec. values.
Frank
I used the Frame function and copied the 2000 coordinates into the Target settings and it’s a decent workaround …
Offset doesn’t work unless “re-activated” as preciously described.
Rick
cardiofuse observatory