398 replies to this topic

[DeepSky Di]

I just dragged a folder with over 1000 images from an external drive into an Observatory 2 library, and it finished just fine after 8 minutes on a M1 Mac mini. No crash. In fact, I have not received a single crash report for Observatory 2. If you have issues with Observatory, please report them to me! There's a "Contact Us" link for that in its Help menu. In that same menu there's also an "Observatory Help" item that displays the complete manual. I am a software developer, not a professional writer, so I know there's room for improvement, but the statement that it has no manual is unfair when it has one since Observatory 1.0.5. You can even download it as a 73 page PDF file (link is in the manual). It includes a "Getting Started" section, which should help you get familiar with it.

 

I believe I have addressed nearly all clunkiness and non-intuitive Observatory 1.x issues with Observatory 2. You get all that and a lot more for free with this update if you own Observatory 1.x. For Observatory 1.x users Observatory 2 is a very significant free update. Only for the totally new features the In-App purchase is required for Observatory 1.x owners (it's all included when Observatory 2 is your first purchase). I think that is an extremely good deal, and you get great additional features. My personal favorite is the minor planets. I have found minor planets in many of my 20+ year old images that I never knew I captured. You may not realize that having access to orbital elements for the past 23 years is rather unique. And you now only have to select an object in your images to access more information about it, which is great. All the many new features are in my view well worth it. The Gaia Extension takes that to a new level, all the way to magnitude 20!

 

I honestly do not understand how one cannot understand how to add a folder or album to an existing library. It has "New Album", "New Folder" menu items, you can use the contextual menu in the library navigator, you can drag & drop Finder folders onto a library, you can move them around and move images between them, it's all there. All standard macOS behavior. Is it because the "File" menu only contains items that affect the library, whereas the folder/album/smart album features are all grouped under the "Album" menu?

 

I would suggest to take a good look at Observatory 2 and report any bugs or issues with that "Contact Us" to me so I can address them. Observatory is the work of only a single person (me), and I have been so busy that I didn't get around making a screencast, but I do intent to do that for Observatory 2.

 

I am about to release 2.0.1, which addresses a few issues that users have reported.

 

(btw, I just dragged another folder with 1100 smaller 13MB FITS images from that same external drive into the library, and that finished in 94 seconds, again just fine without crash).

Hi Sanderb - thanks so much for joining the conversation. My struggle to add new folders to an existing library is because I am used to how it works in Lightroom, and I didn't find anything about this in the help. I am about to get started with the update and will try your suggestions.

 

I want to improve my system for note taking about processing, and I'm hoping Observatory can be part of this.

 

I keep my captures in dated folders which are mostly self-documenting - the filename contains the target, date, camera, temperature and gain. I delete any containing trees or multiple copies of each star and keep the rest. I process in a separate set of folders, and here I may copy in files from the capture folders from multiple imaging sessions or just load them into the APP to stack them. However, I end up with no workflow for documenting how many files I actually used in a particular image. Observatory encourages us to keep a plain text note in each folder. On the other hand, I'd like to use a Mac app, as a minimum Notes but possibly Day One, Agenda or Aeon Timeline to keep a journal about capturing and processing. All those apps keep all notes in a single repository, so I'd need a sustainable way to relate the individual notes into a repository app. Any thoughts would be welcome.

 

Edit: I had just come back to this thread to remind people about the comprehensive help and downloadable PDF. However a developer "knows too much" about their app and may not realize what is not obvious to other people. It's always good to connect with the developer if there's something you are struggling with as others may have the same issue. Apologies for not doing this myself!

[silverking]

Perhaps the crashing was because there were nested folders inside the folders I was dragging in, I don't know ... rather then note that you have no issues dragging folders, perhaps clarify what the dragging of folders can, or can't accomplish.

Nowhere does it say nested folders can't be dragged in (at least in the documentation I've found), so I drag in nested folders ... or perhaps it's something else I'm doing that conflicts with the software, but for which the conflict is undocumented? ... again, I don't know - but rather than searching endlessly for information, I'd rather have such information at hand, in detail, and such that I can begin using the software at its full functionality.

 

I've had Observatory on my computer since .v1 came out, and have returned to it multiple times in order to attempt to incorporate it into my workflow (re-read that sentence a couple of times!).

That I've not yet successfully incorporated it into that workflow for reasons noted earlier is ... to put it clearly, not anything to do with not wanting to use Observatory.

 

I'm hesitant to invest more money in .v2 when I've had no success to date with .v1 ... thus my comment that perhaps .v2 in its entirety should have been a complimentary upgrade for .v1 users. I understand that it is what it is ... it was a comment aimed at my stated goal of actually being able to use Observatory comfortably, in order to move away from the cumbersome, but simple use of dated folders on an external drive to document and store my files.

 

Meanwhile, I have .v2 on my computer, and, as noted earlier, was stymied by crashes upon initial use. Thus my earlier comments to that effect.

[sanderb]

The first folder I dragged into the library was a deeply nested folder, with many subfolders and images in wildly different sizes and formats. The second folder I dragged in was a flat folder with 1100 FITS files. Both scenarios are supported.

 

In Observatory, only albums can contain images. Folders can contain albums, smart albums and other folders. Because of this, when you drop a folder with nested folders onto a library, Observatory will create a nested structure with folders and albums. If you drop a flat folder, with no nested folders, it will only create an album for that.

 

The crash you are seeing when you drop a folder on a library may very well be caused by a single file in that folder. It is impossible for me to pinpoint the cause without receiving a crash report or working with you to figure out what is causing this. What I would suggest is to create an empty library, and drop some subfolders of that folder onto it, so we can start pinpointing what file is causing this. And then when we know what file that is, share that file with me using iCloud, so I can develop a fix. My main point is that you should contact me when you run into an issue. It is rare to have direct access to the developer of software on your computer, so use that opportunity with that "Contact Us" in the Help menu, or the Observatory forum.

 

DeepSky Di is right that a developer may not always see things the same way as the users of software. I need feedback for that. The best way for that is to use the Observatory forum (see link in Help menu). Many of the improvements in Observatory 2 started from requests in there and support questions I received.

 

Regarding the notes question, DeepSky Di, I think putting a text file in each folder on your file system is the best way to capture notes during image acquisition. Personally I mainly use Observatory's notes feature for fully processed images, so when I export them as PDF these notes are included. If you keep your notes elsewhere, maybe you can add links to them in Observatory. You may want to check if the software you use for creating the notes support this. I believe the upcoming macOS Sonoma Notes application will support links between its notes, but I don't know if one will also be able to copy those links into other applications.

 

In the meantime, Observatory 2.0.1 has been released.

[Paul in Northern Michigan]

Sanderb,

 

I appreciate your reply.  It is good of you to address some of the hesitation in regards to the Observatory application.

 

When I bring up the question of whether the new version has improved "ease of use" it is because I would like to believe that it would be worth purchasing the upgrade.

 

I honestly do not understand how one cannot understand how to add a folder or album to an existing library. It has "New Album", "New Folder" menu items, you can use the contextual menu in the library navigator, you can drag & drop Finder folders onto a library, you can move them around and move images between them, it's all there. All standard macOS behavior. Is it because the "File" menu only contains items that affect the library, whereas the folder/album/smart album features are all grouped under the "Album" menu?

Up front, I am not a Mac power user but there was something with the Observatory application that in my experience diminished the ease of use.

 

I would like to be able to have a astro photo album that I can choose a folder for the Album and everything inside this album would stay up to date without needing to add new sub folders every time I add new data.

 

That in my specific experience is where the Observatory Application separates from standard macOS folder behavior and makes it difficult to keep things up to date.

 

Maybe I just don't understand how this software is meant to be used.

 

I would be envious of a good YouTube that shows someone setting up and using Observatory.

 

I know that it must be difficult being a 1 person developer all the way down to technical support.  I hope that your software does gain a lot of happy users.

[sanderb]

Hi Paul,

 

You may want to check out the Observatory Demo. It has all new features of Watched Folders enabled. In Observatory 1.x this feature was only capable of automatically importing new images it found in a folder on your filesystem (i.e. a source folder), and they always ended up in Inbox (i.e. not in any album). The full version of Observatory 2 however allows you to select a destination album, and more importantly, automatically create new albums when it detects new subfolders in your source folder. And the newly added source folders automatically become Watched themselves.

[Paul in Northern Michigan]

Hi Paul,

 

You may want to check out the Observatory Demo. It has all new features of Watched Folders enabled. In Observatory 1.x this feature was only capable of automatically importing new images it found in a folder on your filesystem (i.e. a source folder), and they always ended up in Inbox (i.e. not in any album). The full version of Observatory 2 however allows you to select a destination album, and more importantly, automatically create new albums when it detects new subfolders in your source folder. And the newly added source folders automatically become Watched themselves.

Thank you, I am glad that I asked.

 

This sounds like a great improvement.

[TheTribeofTheMoon]

Bookmarked for sure as a Mac user, wonderful resource, thank you.

[sanderb]

Astrophotography has reached the front page of the Mac App Store  Observatory 2 is listed under Best New Apps and Updates, currently on the front page. In the US App Store at least. Here you have "Astrophotography on the Mac" 

[DeepSky Di]

Here's another data point. M1 MBP, 32 GB memory. 1.17TB folder on external SSD, dragged into Observatory took 7 hours 19 minutes to complete. The library file is 87.68GB. There was no progress indication during import, just a spinner. I'm looking forward to trying out the new features.

 

I know we are recommended to use multiple small libraries rather than one big one, but again, with my terrestrial photos in Lightroom I use one library for all my files.

 

Since upgrading Observatory, I see that FITS file previews in the finder and Mac Quicklook now show an RA / DEC grid and metadata. In Quicklook with my 2600mm there's date, time, image pixel dimension, filter, exposure time, temperature, gain, pedestal, mount, focal length and camera. With my 071MC, I just see the pixel dimension, although other metadata is available in the finder.  I find the focal length useful to identify the OTA used when I'm using multiple rigs. Suggestion: a delete button on the Quicklook window would be great - this is how I do a first pass to get rid of unusable images with trees in them or streaking stars.

 

Edit: I looked back at 2020 when I was trying to find the Sadr Region and North America Nebula with my unmodded DSLR and never saw anything. Observatory's auto stretch is showing me that I did capture the Sadr region, I just had no idea how to process it back then :-).

[sanderb]

That's a large library file   Observatory 2 libraries are larger than Observatory 1.x libraries because in addition to the thumbnails they now also store full previews. I can imagine that if you have a camera with many pixels, those previews are rather large by themselves. For the Quick Look extension they are scaled to a maximum size for best performance and memory limits, but for the previews inside Observatory there is currently no such limit. I'll enhance that, so libraries don't get this large.

 

How many images are in this library? The import performance has greatly improved in Observatory 2, and it makes well use of all the available performance cores in your MBP. I expect import performance now to be nearly linear with the number of performance and GPU cores, but I don't have a Mac Studio Ultra to test this. The performance is of course also strongly affected by the external SSD. As before, RAW files are much slower than FITS and XISF files. Observatory uses the native RAW support provided by macOS, and that is relatively slow.  

 

I happen to be working right now on improving the icon and list browser performance for a large number of images. With an external SSD you should be good, but scrolling can be choppy when a large number of items are displayed when the images are on a NAS. The library file itself should never be stored on a NAS of course, because Observatory needs quick access to it, but the images can be stored on a NAS. The choppiness is caused by the thumbnail badges, because Observatory has to check each file for the "missing master" and "modified master" badges. I have some ideas how to improve this, and intend to have that implemented in 2.0.2.

 

The progress indicator is available in the Activity panel of the toolbar. It's shown there for importing and plate solving, which are background tasks in Observatory 2. You have a good point though that for a new empty library, the main window only shows a spinner. It was easier to implement and looked nicer than a progress bar there, but I can imagine that having a progres bar there would be helpful. I'll add one. btw, if you have the full version of Observatory 2, the activity/STF/overlay panels can be dragged off the toolbar and turned into floating panels.

 

The Quick Look extension you see in Finder runs in a separate sandboxed process. I don't think it will be possible to add a Delete button there because that process won't give me permissions to delete a file. Even if I would find a workaround, it might become a reason for Apple to reject the application, as deleting files through Quick Look is not something it is intended to be used for. I don't think it is really needed though. You can preview a file in Finder by just pressing the spacebar. If you want to delete the file, press spacebar again and then press Command-Backspace. That will move it to the Trash. Inside Observatory 2 the spacebar also works for displaying previews btw, in the browser and also Virtual Observatory.

 

And yes, while in Observatory 1.x Quick Look only showed you the image, the full version of Observatory 2 also shows metadata and for plate solved images also the image scale, orientation and grid. That can all be toggled on/off, and you can even Invert the image in there. In 2.0.2 you will also be able to change the STF type of the preview (default/boosted or none). 

 

Thanks for taking Observatory 2 for a spin!

Edited by sanderb, 18 September 2023 - 10:29 AM.

[DeepSky Di]

Hi Sander - M1 Max, 10 CPU 24 GPU, running Ventura. The library is on the external SSD, I can try moving it. Is there an easy way to find the number of files in Observatory?

 

The cameras are mostly ZWO071MC, ZWO 2600MC and a few from Canon EOS 80D.

 

I get the point about not deleting files. Edit: I will try the keyboard shortcuts you suggested - thanks!

 

Again comparing with Lightroom, I can use the keyboard to mark files as bad and then get rid of the bad ones in one go. Apple Photos on the other hand, only has one markup, the heart. Seems bad form and maybe dangerous to use that to mark for delete.

[sanderb]

If you select "All Images" in the library navigator, the browser bar will display the total number of images. Stacks are here counted as one thought, but it will give you an idea. Also, if you didn't quit Observatory since importing the images, its console window (Window > Console, or the toolbar button) will show how many were imported.

 

Although you cannot remove the actual files directly with Observatory, in Observatory you can reject images with Control-Command-0, or use the contextual menu. To then remove all rejected images from your library, select "All Images" in the library navigator, and in the browser bar (or View > Image Type menu), deselect "Accepted". It will then only show all rejected images. You can select them all with Command-A and then Command-Backspace to move them to Observatory's Trash. To then truly remove them from the library, select File>Empty Trash.

 

If you want to actually delete the files, before emptying Observatory's Trash, select them all and then choose Image > Show Master in Finder (or use the contextual menu). It will then open Finder windows with those files selected, so you only have to press Command-Backspace in Finder to move them to the Trash. You may want to do that only if they are spread over not more than a few folders in your file system though, because otherwise Observatory might open many Finder windows.

 

Observatory has a strict rule that it will never change or delete any of your master images. If you are interested, I could make one exception though, an option to actually delete rejected files (from the file system and from the library at the same time). It cannot be undone then, but I would of course move them to the Trash, and not immediately permanently delete them from the filesystem.

[DeepSky Di]

If you select "All Images" in the library navigator, the browser bar will display the total number of images. Stacks are here counted as one thought, but it will give you an idea. Also, if you didn't quit Observatory since importing the images, its console window (Window > Console, or the toolbar button) will show how many were imported.

 

Although you cannot remove the actual files directly with Observatory, in Observatory you can reject images with Control-Command-0, or use the contextual menu. To then remove all rejected images from your library, select "All Images" in the library navigator, and in the browser bar (or View > Image Type menu), deselect "Accepted". It will then only show all rejected images. You can select them all with Command-A and then Command-Backspace to move them to Observatory's Trash. To then truly remove them from the library, select File>Empty Trash.

 

If you want to actually delete the files, before emptying Observatory's Trash, select them all and then choose Image > Show Master in Finder (or use the contextual menu). It will then open Finder windows with those files selected, so you only have to press Command-Backspace in Finder to move them to the Trash. You may want to do that only if they are spread over not more than a few folders in your file system though, because otherwise Observatory might open many Finder windows.

 

Observatory has a strict rule that it will never change or delete any of your master images. If you are interested, I could make one exception though, an option to actually delete rejected files (from the file system and from the library at the same time). It cannot be undone then, but I would of course move them to the Trash, and not immediately permanently delete them from the filesystem.

Well it says 26241 images. 

 

So the other thing I tried to do with the bad files is move them to a "bad" folder from where they could then be deleted in one go. Can Observatory move files in the file system?

[sanderb]

Well it says 26241 images. 

 

So the other thing I tried to do with the bad files is move them to a "bad" folder from where they could then be deleted in one go. Can Observatory move files in the file system?

No, it doesn't move, copy, modify or delete files and folders in the file system.

 

The only "change" Observatory 2 makes is when you plate solve an image with Observatory. It sets an extended attribute for the master image in the file system. This allows the Quick Look extension to show the orientation, scale and grid for plate solved images even if the actual files don't contain any astrometric solution at all. It doesn't change the file itself for that nifty feat.

 

With 26,241 images, that's 1 second per image on average. Not too shabby with images of that size on an external SSD and the library on there as well.

Edited by sanderb, 18 September 2023 - 07:08 PM.

[DeepSky Di]

No, it doesn't move, copy, modify or delete files and folders in the file system.

 

The only "change" Observatory 2 makes is when you plate solve an image with Observatory. It sets an extended attribute for the master image in the file system. This allows the Quick Look extension to show the orientation, scale and grid for plate solved images even if the actual files don't contain any astrometric solution at all. It doesn't change the file itself for that nifty feat.

 

With 26,241 images, that's 1 second per image on average. Not too shabby with images of that size on an external SSD and the library on there as well.

Thanks for the clarifications! Hope others find this speed test useful. 

[sanderb]

Diane,

 

You may want to take a look at Observatory 2.0.2 which was released to the Mac App Store earlier today. It has a new handy “Delete Rejected Masters…” feature you may like. Mark images as rejected with Control-Command-Zero, and then choose this menu item to move those images to Finder's Trash. So this is one new instance where it does change the file system. It also has the linear progress indicator you were missing in the New Library view. And it has significant optimizations for NAS users, supports the new astrometric XISF properties that were introduced in PixInsight 1.8.9–2, etc. More info here: https://codeobsessio...ervatory-2-0-2/

[DeepSky Di]

Thank you!

[Paul Romero]

I just want to thank sanderb for the excellent and committed support for Observatory 2.0.2. I had a question at 2 am Sunday, and got an answer the same morning!

Clear Skies,

Paul

Edited by Paul Romero, 15 October 2023 - 02:16 PM.

[KJR]

I have an almost 9 year old 2015 15" MacBook Pro I7 2.5ghz Iris Pro Graphics, 16g ram and 500g SSD and I'm trying the 14 day trial version of Parallels 19. I have been comparing running Siril 1.2.0 native on the Mac and I've also installed it under the Windows 11 virtual machine and I'm pretty surprised that running Windows on my old Intel mac is so far pretty good at least for image processing. I don't see any issues running the Windows version of Siril. I've just installed PIPP on the Windows side and will try that program next.

 

I'm going through the learning curve of learning Windows and how Parallels works between the two environments. Somewhat confusing right now but I'll get it sorted out.

 

For all the Mac users running new models I wouldn't hesitate to try Parallels. 

[Ron359]

I have an almost 9 year old 2015 15" MacBook Pro I7 2.5ghz Iris Pro Graphics, 16g ram and 500g SSD and I'm trying the 14 day trial version of Parallels 19. I have been comparing running Siril 1.2.0 native on the Mac and I've also installed it under the Windows 11 virtual machine and I'm pretty surprised that running Windows on my old Intel mac is so far pretty good at least for image processing. I don't see any issues running the Windows version of Siril. I've just installed PIPP on the Windows side and will try that program next.

 

I'm going through the learning curve of learning Windows and how Parallels works between the two environments. Somewhat confusing right now but I'll get it sorted out.

 

For all the Mac users running new models I wouldn't hesitate to try Parallels. 

Question I have is, why?  If it runs native on Mac why would anyone run a Windoze version on a Mac??!  

[Paul Romero]

Hi,

I paid an intro price for Parallels and at first, enjoyed the quick switch over to Windows. After the year subscription ran out, I declined to extend it because I did not use it. I think its niche is in the business world.

Clear Skies,

Paul

[KJR]

I'm trying Parallels out to try some of the tools not available on MacOS. 

[KJR]

I'm trying to understand Firecapture. I'm starting to run through the youTube videos by the developer. They are 8 years old. I guess the general design is the same. I'm surprise there are hardly any youTubers doing videos on how to use this software. And of course the developer hasn't provided any documentation. I know, its free, so figure it out I guess.

 

So I've installed it on my 2015 15" MacBook Pro 2.5ghz Quad Core, 16 g ram. I connected my ASI585MC to one of my USB3 ports and started Firecapture 2.7.12. First thing I notice its running 128% CPU and my fan is on always. And its doing nothing other than displaying a black picture, my lens cap is over the camera.

 

The I read somewhere its a Java based program. Is that why my CPU is running so much? What can I expect when its capturing a target? I shut it down and used the dummy camera. Then I went back and connected the camera and now its running about 38%. That's better

 

How does Firecapture control a mount? I've got an ASIAir Plus and it provides tracking to keep the target in the FOV. Do you run another USB cable from another port or just get a powered USB hub? I have an AVX mount. Do I connect my USB to Mini USB cable from the laptop to the bottom of the hand controller. Does it give instructions to track the planet to the mount?

 

Or do I just let the mount track independent of Firecapture and go through a Two Star Alignment plus some calibration stars on the AVX mount. Center the target in the finder, maybe use an eyepiece to confirm it centered then plug your planetary camera into the OTA and then start Firecapture. 

 

Thanks for any advice.

Edited by KJR, 05 November 2023 - 12:45 AM.

[DeepSky Di]

I was using DaisyDisk to tidy up my hard disk and found 130GB in private/var which mostly turns out to be PixInsight swap files, some from last year. Any idea what these are for and how to manage them?

 

Edit: As is often the case I found out more after posting.

 

I have been using PI for over a year and have just discovered the Edit -> Global Preferences. Within that, there is a section for Directories and Network. Within that dialog, PI had chosen (for I surely did not!) a hidden location to keep its swp files. These are supposedly deleted if PI quits normally, but are retained if PI crashes. I have had my share of crashes over the year.

 

I shifted the files off to another disk and deleted them from my internal disk. They all have names starting with ~PI~ then random characters and then an image name, so in some cases I recognize the name. I'll verify the projects are OK before deleting.