21 replies to this topic

[askinghyena]

Hello,

 

i've had trouble with the three point polar align plugin almost ever since i downloaded it. i think i used it once or twice before it just stopped working.

 

now here's the thing : three point polar align can never plate solve, is stuck in a loop of taking an exposure, trying to plate solve, fails, retries, etc.

This is not an issue of the exposure time being too low, gain being too low, being out of focus, etc.

it's failing because it won't run the star detection.

 

I can start the three point polar align, wait until it takes an exposure and fails to plate solve, then go to the imaging tab, take the very same exposure and manually run a plate solve on it, successfully, every time.

 

When TPPA gets an exposure, i can go to the star detection tab and see that it's as if star detection is simply turned off. nothing detected. but star detection is turned on in the imaging tab.

 

what's the problem here? should i go on the github and report a bug with TPPA or something?

 

 

[rj144]

What do you mean by manuallly run a plate solve?  You use the plate solve tab?

[lancing]

How did you setup plate solving in NINA? Is it using ASTAP with the required star database? Or are you using the online plate solving site?

[askinghyena]

What do you mean by manuallly run a plate solve?  You use the plate solve tab?

i go to the imaging tab, go to the imaging section where i see the last exposure, click on the "plate solve current image" button, and it then finds the star in the image and run plate solve successfully using ASTAP

[askinghyena]

How did you setup plate solving in NINA? Is it using ASTAP with the required star database? Or are you using the online plate solving site?

Using ASTAP with the required databases, set it up and while ago and can't remember the details of how i set it up exactly.

 

never had an unexplained plate solve fail outside of TPPA though.

[rkaufmann87]

Have you verified your focus is spot on? If it is not that would explain the problem.You can’t polar align what you cannot see.

Edited by rkaufmann87, 14 September 2024 - 10:45 PM.

[rj144]

i go to the imaging tab, go to the imaging section where i see the last exposure, click on the "plate solve current image" button, and it then finds the star in the image and run plate solve successfully using ASTAP

Have you tried using the plate solving tab?

[Oyaji]

 

what's the problem here? should i go on the github and report a bug with TPPA or something?

No, but you might go to the NINA Discord site and ask for help.  

[ayadai]

You might want to check your settings and ensure that ASTAP is set as both the primary and blind plate solver.

[askinghyena]

Have you verified your focus is spot on? If it is not that would explain the problem.You can’t polar align what you cannot see.

I did verify that.

 

Again, I can literally take the exposure that TPPA took, ask NINA to plate solve it, it works.

 

But when TPPA tries to plate solve, it's not detecting anything, as if star detection is off.

 

It's not just that it's detecting too few stars or stars of low quality like if you're running a bias frame through star detection. It's detecting literally nothing, as if star detection is off.

 

Focus is perfect. Exposure is fine. Gain is fine. Guiding accuracy is fine. Stars look round. Nothing shaking or moving. NINA and ASTAP install is fine, I reinstalled both twice just to check. Everything is up to date. No clouds, Bortle 5 so light pollution is not the issue. All the lights are off in and out of the house. Camera is cooled to -15. Mount is tracking sidereal. No dew in the optics. Optics are clean. 

 

I know I'm repeating myself here, but really, I spent hours on this. I've read every relevant forum topic I could find. I've read the NINA documentation. I'm posting here because I'm all out of ideas, short of deleting the TPPA plug-in entirely.

 

I can take images just fine when I use other methods of polar alignment, it's just that I would really like the accuracy of the TPPA.

[askinghyena]

You might want to check your settings and ensure that ASTAP is set as both the primary and blind plate solver.

Tried it, also didn't work. I tried every plate solve option available, none of them work.

[askinghyena]

Have you tried using the plate solving tab?

Yup, I can take exposures with the exact same settings as TPPA and get a plate solve every time. But when TPPA Tries it fails every time.

[Bob2023CL]

Can you describe your setup? Telescope, camera, NINA version, etc?

[Bob2023CL]

Also where are you trying to do your TPPA?  It doesn't work if it's pointed at the pole or at az 0, 90, 180, or 270. 

Edited by Bob2023CL, 15 September 2024 - 08:36 AM.

[rj144]

I did verify that.

 

Again, I can literally take the exposure that TPPA took, ask NINA to plate solve it, it works.

 

But when TPPA tries to plate solve, it's not detecting anything, as if star detection is off.

 

It's not just that it's detecting too few stars or stars of low quality like if you're running a bias frame through star detection. It's detecting literally nothing, as if star detection is off.

 

Focus is perfect. Exposure is fine. Gain is fine. Guiding accuracy is fine. Stars look round. Nothing shaking or moving. NINA and ASTAP install is fine, I reinstalled both twice just to check. Everything is up to date. No clouds, Bortle 5 so light pollution is not the issue. All the lights are off in and out of the house. Camera is cooled to -15. Mount is tracking sidereal. No dew in the optics. Optics are clean. 

 

I know I'm repeating myself here, but really, I spent hours on this. I've read every relevant forum topic I could find. I've read the NINA documentation. I'm posting here because I'm all out of ideas, short of deleting the TPPA plug-in entirely.

 

I can take images just fine when I use other methods of polar alignment, it's just that I would really like the accuracy of the TPPA.

Have you tried using astronometry as a plate solver instead?

[askinghyena]

Can you describe your setup? Telescope, camera, NINA version, etc?

Celestron AVX mount

Skywatcher Evostar 80ed telescope

QHY163C camera

William Optics 50mm guide scope

ASI120mm Guide camera

Quieter3Q Mini PC running NINA and PHD2

 

Taken from my backyard in high bortle 5 / low bortle 6 skies

 

Camera settings : 20 gain, 15 offset

For platesolving, using 2 second exposures, though i've tested with up to 90sec exposures in TPPA and it still won't plate solve. 

[askinghyena]

Also where are you trying to do your TPPA?  It doesn't work if it's pointed at the pole or at az 0, 90, 180, or 270. 

I'm letting TPPA go to it's default location, near the pole. I've tried it in other locations and it has the same issue. 

 

It's not like TPPA even ever realizes where it's pointing since it can't plate solve.

[askinghyena]

Have you tried using astronometry as a plate solver instead?

I've tried every plate solver that I could in NINA. All failed in TPPA, but worked otherwise.

 

TPPA actually warns you that it won't work with astrometry.net since the plate solving times are too long. Tried anyway, didn't work.

[Bob2023CL]

Do you have access to discord? The NINA guys have a channel with good response times. You can talk directly to the TPPA developer. 

[dodmeatbox]

I'm letting TPPA go to it's default location, near the pole. I've tried it in other locations and it has the same issue.

Maybe try setting "Start From Current Position?" to ON, and "Solver Search Radius" to 180? It was my impression that TPPA wants to be within a few degrees of the celestial equator in Dec and to not cross the meridian in its 20⁰ RA slew. Just like PHD2 basically. That's what has worked for me anyway.

[Bob2023CL]

I use an altitude of 70 deg and azimuth of 315 deg to start the TPPA.  I have no view of Polaris or anything near North because my house and my neighbors house block that direction.  It seems to work well from there.  You can set the initial coordinates for altitude and azimuth in the plug in setup page.

[dodmeatbox]

I use an altitude of 70 deg and azimuth of 315 deg to start the TPPA.  I have no view of Polaris or anything near North because my house and my neighbors house block that direction.  It seems to work well from there.  You can set the initial coordinates for altitude and azimuth in the plug in setup page.

Yeah it will work from almost anywhere I think. Makes me suspect that OP is either crossing one of these "no-go" zones, or that NINA is not syncing properly to the mount and doesn't know where it's pointing.

 

One more thing that I didn't notice mentioned is to double check that your observatory location is set correctly. Once those settings got changed for me unknowingly and that makes TPPA act insane.

Edited by dodmeatbox, 16 September 2024 - 12:50 PM.