Link ASTAP and HNSky ?

[MalcolmP]

Is it possible to link HNSky to ASTAP so that it automatically moves to a plate solved centre location ?

Doing it manually via copying to the clipboard in ASTAP then screen>move only takes 7 keyboard clicks and is a small thing, but when fumbling in the dark and in a hurry to beat clouds ! an option to link the two would be good.
Tks,
Malcolm

[han.k]

You could binx4 and save the solved image. Then load it in HNSKY. This will show the image in HNSKY map. Would that help?

HNSKY has a communication link to CCDCiel and Nina.

I'm using CCDCiel to control all. In your setup manually? Tell me about it so i can understand better what your trying to do.

Han

[MalcolmP]

Hi Han, thanks for suggestions, I am quite new to both HNSky and ASTAP, I will investigate how to load an image into HNSky,
What I an doing so far is :-

I am using a Canon 60d dslr+135mm lens on a pan-tilt tripod. To locate (and frame) my target, I do :-
Via usb I tx an image to a folder in Win7, then solve in astap, right click either on the approx centre, or on a selected star, and "copy location to clipboard in deg", switch to HNSky, click "Screen", "Move to", paste into the box, click "Ok".

Can HNSky watch ASTAP for a solved location and automagically move its screen there ? (perhaps by watching on the clipboard ? )

Recently doing this to find and watch T CrB and also to hunt the brighter (better than mag14) asteroids :)

tks,
Malcolm.

[han.k]

Hi Malcom,

I think about a way to do that. HNSKY can be controlled but I need to build a client in ASTAP. A simpler way would be preferred.

Probably it is easier to install CCDCiel (free). This program is overkill for your setup but you can just load the image in CCDCiel and with popup menu first "Resolve" it using ASTAP and then show the image in the planetarium program. But for large images HNSKY will struggle since it will plot pixel by pixel the image in the map. Better would be to use the option show image frame in the planetarium program (hnsky). You could test this during day time. It would require some configuring. like solver (astap), planterarium program (HNSKY) and the correct setting for the solver like pixel size focal length.

Have you tried the monitor tab of ASTAP? This allows to center on a position specified. ASTAP will solve any new image in the specified folder and give a pointer in which direction to turn the camera/telescope.

Cs Han

[MalcolmP]

Hi Han,
no problem, no worries, astap & hnsky are great to use with my little dslr setup !
As I said in my first post, it is just "a small thing" to manually enter a solved position into hnsky, but being new to them I thought it worth asking if there was a way of linking them that I had missed in a configuration setting.
For now we can park it in the suggestions box :)

I did try the monitor tab but that was more complex than just using hnsky to navigate by :) Also a further complication arises because I record both jpg and raw on the camera (for ease of viewing and sorting in other softwares (eg. Irfanview) ) which causes two entries in the monitor folder for platesolving.

Thanks for the pointer to CCDCiel, as you say overkill for now, but well worth looking into.

[han.k]

Yes CCDCiel will be the best automation option. Maybe CCdCiel can even read out your camera directly via an ASCOM driver. If so you can activate preview looping It has also an annotation function using the same database as HNSKY.