Astrometry.NET local - perfect blind solving success on the first two tries, both in 45 seconds.
Plate Solve 2. Several tries with no success. The attached screen shot is the result after several minutes.
I have re-installed the catalogs with the same results. I have no idea where to go at this point, after three days of trying.
I cannot install the trial version of Pinpoint. Immediately upon executing the install file, I get a brief flash of a window, then it closes. I have tried to install as an Admin with no success.
PlateSolve 2 is super fast and reliable but very picky about the setup.
Have you tried completely uninstalling before doing the reinstall? Leftover settings files may be causing issues.
SGP comes with Plate Solve 2 built in. If you did a separate installation of PlateSolve 2 from the Planewave web site, it may be causing trouble. Be sure you are using the built-in version.
If I recall correctly, APM installs via an app installer but the UCAC3 catalog just needs to be unzipped. I put it in the same directory as the APM catalog.
Next:
In the control panel > plate solve tab > plate solve interface, select PlateSolve 2. Click settings.
When PlateSolve 2 opens, choose file > configure catalog directories…
In the resulting dialog, make sure the APM and UCAC3 directories point to where you installed/saved them. Status should say OK in green for each.
PlateSolve 2 relies on hints to process an image. In control panel > camera, set your image scale to the appropriate value for your optical train. Since you have astrometry.net working, you can get the value there.
Finally, PlateSolve 2 will only work when it has a pretty good idea of where your scope is pointing in the sky. When you first power up your rig and polar align, you will need to do a blind solve and sync. (It’s grayed out below because my mount is powered off.)
With the blind sync done, the next time you slew to an object, the scope’s position and the image scale you set previously will give PlateSolve 2 the hints it requires to do a plate solve in just a few seconds.
I very much appreciate your reply. Unfortunately there has been no change. I uninstalled everything, then did a reinstall.
All catalogue info is, as you suggested, in on subdirectory.
Despite my mount being powered-up, my “solve and sync blind” is still grey. I also upgraded to the latest version of SGP, with the result of even blind sync no longer working.
The mount is in my great room, and my Canon EOS on the table next to my laptop. Both are connected, so there is no “simulation” issue involved.
The laptop is talking to both and I can slew the telescope using EQASCOM commands.
I am using a FITS file of M78 obtained from Astrobin, and I using the scale provided by a proper formula. All I can think is that the image is not appropriate for the arcsec/pixel of 1.82.
Another issue is the installation of a trial version of Pinpoint. Opening the app results in a brief flash of an install window, then it disappears.
Again, thanks. If you have any other suggestions, I’d be most grateful. I’m anxious to get outside, but want to spend the time doing my homework to be sure the hardware and software are working first.
Based on the error message (“Platesolve: APM file found but could not be opened”) - sounds like not so much a solving/image-scale issue, but more of a configuration issue. Perhaps try switching to the UCAC3 catalogue and see what happens?
When I first setup plate solving with my SGP installation, I downloaded images from Deep Sky Survey (http://archive.eso.org/dss/dss )to test the operation of PS2 and the local Astrometry.net. On the DSS website I specified a field of view close to my cameras field of view and then downloaded images. I found the images on DSS are 1.7 "/pixel so I manually would enter this value before attempting the solve. When testing PS2 I also entered the approximate RA and DEC of the downloaded image.
Once I could consistently solve DSS images I found that plate solving was very solid using actual images from my camera.
Success came this evening. Taking some of the suggestions here combined with what I found elsewhere, I purchased the Mosaic and Framing Wizard. That with a YouTube tutorial from Chuck’s Astrophotography gave me everything I needed. Thanks for the help, guys. This was pretty frustrating, but it’s working now.
