38 replies to this topic

[CTYankee]

I am looking for suggestions for the best plate solving software to get. I am trying to find the most effective, easiest to learn, and user friendly software that I can. I did a little research, and see that there are many options out there... All Sky Plate Solver, Plate Solver 2, Astrotortilla, ASTAP, Astrometry.net, Point Craft, AnSvr, and maybe others? I am very new to astrophotography and could use some guidance. 

 

Fyi, if it matters in your response, I will have a Skywatcher EQ6-R-Pro mount, a Celestron Edge CPC OTA, and eventually a small refractor.  I anticipate using Stellarium, Phd2, NINA, and EQMOD.

 

If you have suggestions please let me know. I am looking for something free (or close to free) if possible. I realize there are probably many related CN posts out there, so if you could point me in the direction of a relevant thread I'd appreciate it. 

Edited by jsnatale, 04 November 2021 - 04:31 PM.

[scopewizard]

I use ASTAP with H18 data in NINA. Very fast, install and select in NINA. Make sure the focal length and camera data is correct in NINA (in equipment). Never had an issue with.

[SnowWolf]

I've tried Platesolver2, All Sky Plate Solver, Astro Tortilla and ASTAP on the acquisition computer. I'm currently using ASTAP.  My thoughts:

 

Platesolver2 - I was never able to get it to work at all.  This was in my early days of doing plate solving, so I was probably doing something wrong, but I never got any indication of what went wrong, just that it failed.

Astro Tortilla - It would succeed maybe 1 out of 3 tries.  It seemed to want between 300 and 900 stars.  Outside of that range and it would fail. And, it would take forever to fail - like minutes.

All Sky Plate Solver - This was the 3rd plate solver I tried.  It worked almost every time, but it took anywhere from 20-40 seconds. It doesn't like trailing stars.

ASTAP - This one just worked for me.  It's fairly tolerant of non-round stars and is blazingly fast.  1-2 seconds for a solution. Still, it doesn't like badly trailing stars, so I make sure I have a long settle time with the scope - 8 or 10 seconds and I do an autofocus before it gets used.

 

When I was using All Sky Plate Solver, I was using it stand-alone.  It would run and sync the scope, and then I would re-slew to the target with Stellarium.  It didn't like other applications being connected to the scope.  The sync would fail. I've since moved to doing all that within NINA and ASTAP works great, for me. 

[TelescopeGreg]

+1 for ASTAP.  The program is also a multi-purpose utility that can do lots of other things as well, but excels at plate solving.

[Phishin_phool]

I have found using NINA, PHD2,  and an EQ6-R pro myself that ASTAP just works. IIRC I think when I started I also tried astro-tortilla but found ASTAP to be more successful and easier to manage.

Edited by Phishin_phool, 04 November 2021 - 07:38 PM.

[Starman609]

I use SharpCap Pro and tried All Star Plate Solver with mixed success. Then I tried ASTAP and found it to be super quick and accurate to solve, sync and re-center. I use the H-18 data catalogue. Works for me.

[ngatel]

I use ASTAP with H18 data in NINA. Very fast, install and select in NINA. Make sure the focal length and camera data is correct in NINA (in equipment). Never had an issue with.

+1

[unimatrix0]

On the Linux side, I believe Ekos also uses ASTAP, not sure, but using the integrated plate solver in Ekos/Kstars is just as fast as ASTAP. 

[Juno18]

+1 ASTAP

[Wilsil]

ASTAP within NINA, it just works.

[OldManSky]

I use ASTAP with H18 data in NINA. Very fast, install and select in NINA. Make sure the focal length and camera data is correct in NINA (in equipment). Never had an issue with.

Same here.

I tried ASPS, and some others.  Nothing else is anywhere near as fast as ASTAP, I've only had it fail twice (on the same target -- M45!  My exposures were too long, blowing out all the sisters) in literally thousands of GOTOs and plate solves, and the best part is that I didn't have to learn anything -- so your part about "easiest to learn" was kind of irrelevant.  Put the right chip and scope parameters in NINA, and it all just works.

 

ASTAP has lots of other features (image analysis, stacking, etc. etc.) that you can learn and use if you want to.  But for plate solving, it's the speed and ease of use champ.

[Fegato]

ASTAP within NINA, it just works.

and another!

[CTYankee]

Sounds like ASTAP is the clear winner!  Thanks for all the info on this and the other plate solver programs. 

[BCaldwell]

Absolutely ASTAP, has very rarely failed even with a poor image. We are lucky to have it, especially for free.

[Rac19]

I use ansvr (Astrometry.net) through Sharpcap and it works very well. I got the impression, somewhere, that some or all of the others make use of Astrometry.net, but I could be wrong about that.

 

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Edited by Rac19, 05 November 2021 - 06:00 AM.

[Rac19]

Regarding post #15, it seems to be true for Astrotortilla at least.
 

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Edited by Rac19, 05 November 2021 - 06:30 AM.

[TheBrochan]

ASTAP + Nina with the H17 Database. Once your focal length and pixel size are correct, its extremely fast. No issues at all.

[ClownFish]

ASTAP within EKOS is lightning fast, and works great with the built-in planetarium.  Combined with a rotator, it quickly projects your camera FOV onto the planetarium so you can adjust the image composition easily.  It also works with EKOS's polar-alignment system to nail down your PA in a minute.

[fmendes]

ASTAP is a marvelous piece of software. Impressive that it does plate solving so well, as it is not even the main intent of the program.

 

A hint: in NINA, set search radius to 120 degrees for ASTAP so it can do an almost blind solving. If focal length is close enough, it will always solve.

[acrh2]

The best plate serving software is probably PlateUp!, followed closely by Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?!

Edited by acrh2, 29 November 2022 - 06:11 PM.

[Pauls72]

I have been using Astrotortilla and it works very well for me.

The only catch in getting it to work well is getting it configured correctly.

 

https://www.cloudyni...nner/?p=9879760

[Der_Pit]

ASTAP within EKOS is lightning fast, and works great with the built-in planetarium.  

Faster than the built-in Stellarsolver lib?  Sounds hard to believe, with the additional overhead of calling an external program...

[TelescopeGreg]

Faster than the built-in Stellarsolver lib?  Sounds hard to believe, with the additional overhead of calling an external program...

At some point it kind of doesn't matter.  I use ASTAP on a Raspberry Pi 4B, launched from CCDciel which is the session manager.  I get plate solved results in just a few seconds, even on that rather limited platform.

 

It probably helps that CCDciel is passing a FITS image to ASTAP with the mount's current RA/Dec, so the solve isn't blind. I think that's the key.

[Bladerunner88]

I have found using NINA, PHD2,  and an EQ6-R pro myself that ASTAP just works. IIRC I think when I started I also tried astro-tortilla but found ASTAP to be more successful and easier to manage.

Since OP had his question answered, why PHD2?

[TelescopeGreg]

Since OP had his question answered, why PHD2?

Why not PHD2?  It's mature, multi-platform, functions well, is easily adapted, and widely used (so lots of resources, some of which are actually helpful).  It's the standard bearer for autoguiding.

 

That said, I've moved from PHD2 to the new functionality in CCDciel, the session manager I use for most everything else.  Its guide function is not yet mature, and I'm working with the author to track down an anomaly.  But one bit of PHD2's charming personality is that (on my system at least) it tends to freak out for reasons unknown and claim that I changed some camera parameter or other, forcing me to rebuild the dark library and recalibrate the world.  Usually when I have a line of folks watching my laptop at a Star Party for an image to appear.  Very annoying.  Better the young child with potential, than the occasionally ill-mannered young adult that thinks it knows everything.

 

<rant>

I appreciate that PHD2 is trying to be robust and helpful, but I am using it to actively control my mount's tracking, not evaluate it.  If it doesn't like something about the camera's apparent configuration, it should do as told and control it.  At most, let me know what its doing, but don't punish me for what appears to be a bug.

</rant>