Why or where to co-ordinates/commands come from?

[stash]

Hi All Knowing people,

 

Why do we have to put in our location (Lat/long elevation) twice - I guess I am asking which bit of software is providing what.  Example my typical set up (software wise) is to use Stallarium(Scope and all) and Eqmod/Ascom - CDC is the same if my memory is still working.

 

Now you enter the Lat/Long/Ela in both - Why do they both need the same info and more to the point why doesn't Eqmod and Stellarium share the same info - it would lessen the chance of making a mistake if both need the info.

 

OK Stellarium needs the info to show where Stars etc are in relation to your location for RA/Dec but then why does Eqmod need it . I presume its in the Tracking calculations because it doesn't know what star I have pointed to else it wouldn't need to ask for the tracking rate!

 

Then it would be helpful if both could pick up the GPS via Ascom if one is set up - yes I know for fixed Obsys you only need to do it all once.

 

Any info would be helpful as I am confused - thanks in advance.

[philjay]

I used to wonder about this with my CGE and Skymap Pro.

 

The mount needs co ords so it can have a good idea where it is for mapping the sky when calibrating, the planetarium software needs similar but for display purposes. So the two don't really know they exist till you connect then with my set up they sync.

[stash]

But Stellarium/Eqmod are using Ascom so they should (in an ideal world) - it just seems its been forgotten about or not high on the the list of mods.Iits free software so can't moan .

[red dwalf]

i`ve no idea, apart from they are of course separate programs, also if your using roughly the same location you don`t really need to enter it again, it`ll be very close, i`m using another program called astro tortilla and that is amazing, i know it`s another program to get to grips with but this program plate solves, even with stellarium and eqmod having the exact same co ordinates, it will never be spot on the target every time, it will more than likely be in view which if you are doing visual is ok, but if you want to image and be on the same target time and time again in the same spot, i`d think about astro tortilla, it`s free also. 

[stash]

Thanks Rob  - I have Astro Tortilla but have yet to use it in anger - still too much other data for my brain.  Its not the "only doing it once bit" its the fact if you are using Ascom ,thats the common "pipe" , and that should "share" the info so that you take out the risk factor of getting wrong in each program especially if you move about site to site. Obviously a static set up is a "one off" set up = having set that I have come to always check the details as on occasions the setting have been lost/changed by updates and the like.

 

Rob doesn't Astro Tortilla need a Internet link to do plate solving ? - Having said that, I think I am right in saying that Astro Toaster is a good example of a good program that does do sharing via the Ascom interface - so the location settings are picked up.

[red dwalf]

Astro tortilla doesn't need a internet link, all the files are downloaded and once you have set the parameters set in the program that relate to you set up, you save those parameters and you have them stored, thinking about it it really doesn't matter what longitude and latitude you have in stellarium and eqmod although i would make them the same, i click on say M42 in stellarium and tell it to slew to m42, and i can guarantee when you slew to your target it will be off a little, then when you run astro tortilla it takes a picture of the stars and does it`s magic, it will plate solve and slew to the target in question.   

[stash]

14 hours ago, red dwalf said:

Astro tortilla doesn't need a internet link, all the files are downloaded and once you have set the parameters set in the program that relate to you set up, you save those parameters and you have them stored, thinking about it it really doesn't matter what longitude and latitude you have in stellarium and eqmod although i would make them the same, i click on say M42 in stellarium and tell it to slew to m42, and i can guarantee when you slew to your target it will be off a little, then when you run astro tortilla it takes a picture of the stars and does it`s magic, it will plate solve and slew to the target in question.   

Thanks Rob  I will re-examine AstroT - PS I might be asking you a few questions on things like radius etc 

[red dwalf]

http://www.lightvortexastronomy.com/tutorial-setting-up-and-using-astrotortilla-for-plate-solving.html

 

I found this site a great help. 

[stash]

42 minutes ago, red dwalf said:

http://www.lightvortexastronomy.com/tutorial-setting-up-and-using-astrotortilla-for-plate-solving.html

 

I found this site a great help. 

Yep Rob got that = read it a few times - normally instead of counting sheep! - Will try harder but thanks for the info. I presume you use this to make sure you are at the correct spot then Guide ?

[red dwalf]

Correct, I use astro tortilla to slew to the target, once in it I close astro tortilla and start to guide, its been a god send to repeatably slew to an imaging target night after night and not having to crop a lot off the image because I couldn't center a target well enough manually. 

[stash]

well it loads in Win 10 on a tablet and controls the Ascom Sim plus BYE - Just tried using goto tool which I assume is how you go slew to the same place as before but didn't solve it - will have a play. I notice that it has a Polar alignment tool as well - i presume you have never used this as your mount is fixed in the Obsys ?

 

[red dwalf]

No I've never used that, you have to put a couple of calculations into the equations and add them correctly, I used field of view calculater to et my maximum and minimum settings.