Plate Solving software

[Clas Gripenberg]

Experiences in installing Astro Tortilla

Got Astro Tortilla (AT) finally up and running on my Samsung laptop with Windows 8. It took me about two days of installing, testing, reinstalling, more testing and experimenting. Now I'm just waiting for a clear night running the risk of being in the middle of the Nordic summer nights with no darkness at all.

Any way, my mount is EQ6 run by EQMOD V.27i with Stellarium Scope V2012.11.19.61 and Stellarium V0.11.4.

Guiding is run by PHD V1.14.0 and a Mead DSI II camera.

I started by installing AT 32 bit version. The installation went OK besides I was unaware of that I only gotten a few of the index files. Tried to solve some of my own images with no results. I also got pretty tiered of the "error 15106 User stopped resource enumeration" message always popping up every time I started AT so decided to uninstall and start from the beginning.

This time I went for the AT 62 bit and was able to get the relevant index files with several stops in the down loading. It took me about five hours to get the files. I started the program and noted that I didn't get the "error 15106" message. It was unclear to me how to connect the mount and the camera. As regard to the camera I opted for "screen capture" and PHD in the AT Camera panel. With some testing I found out the following when running AT:

Don't try to connect the EQ6 with Stellarium Scope only connect it with the AT telescope panel.

Start PHD, don't connect the EQ6, only connect the camera (in my case the DSI II).

After some dry tests with simulators I connected the EQ6 and the DSI II trough the AT relevant panels, fed the AT with a resent image of the Black Eye Galaxy using Tools, Goto Image. After about 13 minutes solving, success! The scoped slewed. When it finished I disconnected scope from AT, connected with Stellarium Sope and checked with Stellarium where the scope was pointing. It was spot on the Black Eye Galaxy. AT then started to capture and solve images from the DSI II but there was nothing to solve because it was day time and no stars to imagine.

I feel the concept of plate solving fascinating and look really forward to use it in the field.

Cheers,

Clas

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/astrotortilla/

[Charles Dunlop]

SkyX has this feature but call it image link. It's pretty cool. I use it. Really works easily and well.

[Charles Dunlop]

I use ccdware with skyx. Pretty easy.

[Charles Dunlop]

It dies. You are in a paramout right? Do you use super models or whatever its called? Pate solve 255 locations into your tpoint model? Protrack? I find its overkill.

[Clas Gripenberg]

Asrto Tortilla is actually free software. Got in now running along side BackayardEOS, EQMOD,and Stellarium with SellariumScope on my EQ6 mount. The weather is awful so it is going to take a while before I can test it in the field.

[Clas Gripenberg]

Hello all,

Finally it was getting dark enough for me to test AstroTortilla in the field.
After many dry runs with simulations, testing BackyardEOS Beta07 and aligning
and testing the EQ6 mount I decided to use an image of the Alibiero double star
from a year ago. It was really amazing, in no time AT solved the plate, slewed
the scope to the target, connected to BEOS, imaged the target and moved closer.
The wind from the Gulf of Finland was freezing so I decided to pack it in. Very
happy with to night test.

Cheers,

Clas

[Russ Ruggles]

Clas,

That's really cool. So did it finally get close enough to say you nailed it?

[Clas Gripenberg]

Russ,
I'd say more or less. Will keep you up to date on further tests.