Plate solving fails...?
Stacking program, astrometric (plate) solver, fits file viewer
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han59
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Hi!
Plate solving fails for these images:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/04ze3hyq1ypbqqbe8fqxv/AFDiWYuA2KWwo5RSLliFlns?rlkey=q2zeknvjs1ed6wp39w4vjtgna&dl=0
I have no clue why. But this is a brand new installation of ASTAP in a brand new installation of Ubuntu - maybe I have mixed something up?
I am trying to locate the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS in these images - will that be possible with ASTAP?
Best,
Magnus
Hi!
Strangely, now it works, and YES; I can identify 3I/ATLAS... :)
Magnus
The focal length is missing in the header so you have to enter the field-of-view manually as 0.47 degrees. Since it is already binned it is better to force binning at 1.
I think the comet is too faint. Astap stackes sixs images and skips the others . It should auto rotate but it doesn't work. I have to look into this. One image is far from the target and I unchecked it.
See attached.
Han
The comet has according my data a magnitude of 20.3 but others say it is much brighter. In 2 months it will be magnitude 17.
A single image of your series has a limiting magnitude of 17.32. That is three magnitudes compared with 20.3. I'm afraid that is a too large difference unless it is brighter then what can be claculated from MPC data..
Han
This is what I see after stacking 6 of your images with ephemeris alignment
Hi!
I can see a very faint blob moving when blinking 5 of the images - I think that should be the comet... But yes, might be wishful thinking.
More importantly: I have no problems plate solving images from the system I used for these images otherwise, but these were a bit of a challenge. Are you saying that focal length is mandatory for plate solving in ASTAP? (I need to try and figure out why it is missing).
Also, the misalignment of the images is very strange, but that concerns the sytem more than ASTAP.
Magnus
ASTAP will remember the field-of-view of the last solve. So if you have a new system you first need one solve and then it will remember it for all next solves. For that first solve you need the focal length or set the field-of-view on auto or enter your 0.47 degrees manually. After then the focal length is no longer required.
The image contains many equal bright stars (milky way?) that can be sometimes a challenge. You get more matches in bin 1 then bin 2 because it is already binned x 3.
Han