Question about Celestron CGEM and Plate Solving

Sequence Generator Plate Solving
1

Hello,
I’m about to buy SGPro but I have some question:

  1. It’s possible to connect my CGEM to the programm without make any alignment and the plate solve my position, sync with the programm and go to the object?
  2. Does SGPro have a planetary inside?
  3. It’s possible to use TheSkyX to point object and sync with SGPro? If it’s possible, which is the best way to do it?
  4. Does the CGEM allow to have two programm connected at the same time? SGPro and TheSkyX in this case

Thank you,
Matteo

2
  1. You have to do some sort of alignment of the CGEM, at least a quick alignment, before the mount can be slewed. Using a sync to a plate solved position will then work, at least for the region round the plate position.
  2. Don’t know what this means.
  3. You should be able to connect SGP to TSX and TSX to the Celestron mount but you won’t get full functionality because TSX doesn’t pass everything through its scripting interface. You could also connect SGP and TSX to the CGEM using the ASCOM driver for both.
  4. Yes through the ASCOM driver. The Celestron driver is a hub so you don’t need anything else.

Chris

3

  1. Has I expect. I need a find scope until I will change my mount…:frowning:

  2. I mean the sky chart.

3/4. So can I connect my mount via ASCOM Celestron driver with TheSkyX and SGPro at the same time, then do my initial point with TheSkyX to the object, plate solve my position with SGPro and sync, then find my synced position in TheSkyX already corrected and repoint the object?

Thank you.

4

No Sky chart. I use the Sky 6 or Sky Safari. If you opt for the Framing and Mosaic Wizard, you type the name in off the object and that does most the work for me these days.

Your CGEM won’t connect to the driver until it’s aligned. You don’t need to connect to theSkyX at all unless you want to.

5

These days I only use 2 programs to prepare and execute imaging.

– Skysafari, to check possible targets for my current month
– SGP for framing and capturing.

The Frame and Focus wizard if SGP is fantastic and very very accurate.

I have CGE pro mount and I never align it, I power it on and select quick aligment, then I start my image session, it will plate solve and center the objects in 2 or 3 iterations. So no need to properly align the mount. The Celestron ASCOM driver is rock solid.

CS,

Jose

1 Like
6

Perfect! So a quick alignment should be enough.
Right now I’m testing my CCD and I don’t have access to my mount (it’s in another house right now :frowning: ) to test. So, if everything will work as I expect I will buy SGP plus Framing and Mosaic Wizard (for sure :D) so probably I will use TSX only to choose the object in the sky and then make my frame in SGP. That should be a very very good option. There is no need to use TSX to point I think if you have Framing and Mosaic. I love this programm! :slight_smile:

Thank you,
Matteo Collina

7

Matteo, I’d highly recommend the Framing and Mosaic tool. Sounds like you’ve already bought TSX… I was a huge naysayer of the Framing and Mosaic tool until I tried it. Now? I can’t imagine life without it.

It’s fantastic.

8

I’m imaging with the same mount, but have yet to start using SGP (and Pinpoint) with it.

So, please clarify that to get going you can just:

Quick align (with the hand paddle) > Slew to the target > Plate solve > Target should be centered and sync’d and ready to shoot.

If SGP really makes this so easy, it will be a huge time saver for me. Shooting from my tree-obscured backyard, alignment can be a chore.

Thanks!

9

I haven’t tested 'cause I don’t have my mount with me until friday but yes, it should work as you said!

10

Hi,

The dance goes like this:

Quick align (with the hand paddle) > Slew to the target > Center Target > Target should be centered and sync’d and ready to shoot.

Center Target will perform a series of small slews/syncs until the target is centered. You cannot avoid good polar alignment. If your mount is polar aligned and your time location is accurate you’ll be fine without any stat alignment.

If you use a blind solver your initial slew can be very very far away from your target and SGP will handle it without any issue.

CS,

Jose

11

Thank you, Jose, for the explanation.

Doug

12

If you need to polar align then a good way is to use the Celestron ASPA method. This needs an alignment to determine the polar align error. There’s no need to realign afterwards.