Contents
- Index
Features
Continuing to add features while improving ease of use, this version of CCDAutoPilot represents the seventh generation of automated image acquisition software. Originally intended to allow the computer to do the acquisition work while the operator was otherwise engaged (or asleep!), CCDAutoPilot has evolved into a tool to maximize your image acquisition quality by supporting a repeatable and reliable protocol. The feature set has been considerably enhanced to support unattended local or remote imaging and for the first time, comes with a complete tool set to help characterize your system for optimal results.
The user simply goes down the buttons on the left side to set up your unattended run literally from sunset to sunrise. A new status window reports on all activities as they occur in an easy to understand report. Of course, more detail is available if needed. A new Preferences page is added to the menu to set infrequently-changed items.
CCDAutoPilot comes in two versions - Basic and Professional. The Professional version provides unlimited multitarget imaging with the same easy-to-understand point-and-click user interface that CCDAutoPilot users have come to expect. It also includes remote reporting via text messaging or email of critical session events, as desired. The Professional version has the ability to interact with other programs via a platform-independent single line file structure so that other supervisory programs can access and control its function. The Basic version is limited to a single target and has none of the remote imaging and support tools of the Professional version..
CCDAutoPilot is a multi-threaded application. What this means is that instead of plodding from step to step, key events and activities can be monitored independently of the main session thread, allowing appropriate action such to be taken immediately instead of waiting to be asked.
Key Features
Enhanced User Interface: Sporting a completely revised user interface, version 4 puts everything you need to easily set up your unattended run. A set of major functions is accessed via the buttons from Settings to set up your equipment to Run Session to review and execute your run. Reference links are provided that are germane to each function. New data entry controls minimize the occurrence of locale-specific issues and reduce incorrect entries. The various entry fields have been simplified and rearranged for a more intuitive look and feel. The system profile is now "associated" with CCDAutoPilot such that double-clicking on a given system profile will launch CCDAutoPilot with that profile loaded.
Application Flexibility: Supports all popular camera control programs (CCDSoft and Maxim), telescope control programs (TheSky6 and ASCOM), focus control programs (FocusMax and @Focus2), rotators (RCOS PIR, Optec Pyxis and Astrodon TAKometer) and dome control programs (AutomaDome, ASCOM, Digital DomeWorks). When AutomaDome is used, a separate, high performance thread is used to keep the dome slot aligned during long exposures, eliminating the need to resource-hogging scripts. A required technology is plate solving and either PinPoint (full version), or the combination of CCDSoft and TheSky6 can be used. Integrated Flip-Flat support for artificial light source flat generation at the end of a session. Support for the Boltwood Cloud Sensor and other compatible weather stations is seamlessly integrated into operations via a high performance separate monitoring thread (Professional Version).
One Step Setup: For a given equipment arrangement, hitting the Initialize button calibrates your entire system, including your guider. You can then slew all over the sky with high accuracy, select a target and begin guiding without guider calibration. Just enter RA, Dec and PA and you will be right on the target. If you use TheSky6 (recommended!) you can position TheSky6's FOV Indicator as desired and begin accurate guiding, thanks to CCDAutoPilot's powerful internal algorithms for guider calibration.
Enhanced Target Selection: After a one-time imager and guider initialization, you can point to literally any point in the sky and the telescope will accurately point there. Additionally if there is a guide star in the FOV, your guider will be calibrated not based on a simple and somewhat inaccurate guider calibration routine, but instead based on an accurate algorithm for enhanced guiding. CCDAutoPilot works entirely from RA, Dec. and PA (Position Angle) to point the scope and rotator (if installed) to the desired target. There is no need to be aware or rotator position - it is handled "under the hood" by CCDAutoPilot. Convenient reference information for sun, moon and target rise and set information is available. A programmable target midpoint altitude is provided to define your preferred lower altitude limit and when it occurs.
MultiTarget Acquisition: Incorporating the ease-of-use CCDAutoPilot customers have come to expect, the Professional version provides a number of ways to acquire multiple targets. One can simply select the target by placing the FOVI (Field Of View Indicator) in TheSky6 as desired and hit a single button to get the coordinates. For mosaics, the user simply creates the Mosaic in TheSky6 and hits a single button to get the coordinates for all the mosaic sub-frames. There are also a number of importers. Plans created in CCDNavigator are easily imported. A plan from Starry Night Pro can be imported as well as the essentials of one from ACP. A user can also import a CSV (Comma Spaced Variables) file. Finally, target information can be entered manually via an edit window. Multiple target data can be acquired either with a common set of light frame data for all targets or individual sets, called profiles, for each target. The user has nearly unlimited flexibility.
Focusing: In addition to a generous selection of alternatives for focusing, filter offsets, starting focus exposure time and focusing using a user-specified filter (For those with parfocal filters) are provided. Focusing can be either temperature or time dependent as desired.
Tracking and Guiding: Depending on whether your are doing guided or unguided imaging a number of options are provided. You can dither to the desired amount with either technique. You can image through the meridian, depending on your equipment capability to go through minimal atmosphere for those all-important clear or luminance frames. A number of options and alternatives are provided to support your specific equipment complement. If unguided, your scope will be realigned periodically to take out any cumulative drift. If guided, you can use the new auto-exposure capability to adjust your guide exposure to meet a defined level or program your guide exposure as a function of filter chosen and enable the Automatic Guide Star Recovery feature. With AGRS, CCDAutoPilot will wait until the guide error is within a specified accuracy within a specified number of attempts. If it isn't, AGRS will attempt to reacquire the guide star and change guide star exposures to continue guiding.
Slewing: Precision slewing can now be repeated to get pointing within a user-specified accuracy. A Double Slew capability is provided for those mounts that would benefit from such a feature. Keep-out regions can be defined to prevent your OTA from coming too close to the pier.
Guider Calibration: For the first time anywhere, CCDAutoPilot brings a new and powerful approach to guider calibration. Instead of relying on a single guider calibration, and perhaps modifying that calibration result as the camera is rotated or the sky position changes as other products do, a completely new approach is used. Based on a system calibration via CCDAutoPilot's new Initialize function, guiding is optimally determined by analytical prediction and replaces guider calibration in the camera control program by these optimal vectors. No longer are multiple calibrations required to get good guider performance. And once initialized, this optimum guider performance is achieved no matter where in the sky the system is pointed, no matter how the camera is rotated, manually or automatically.
AutoLevel Guide Exposure: For guided operation, CCDAutoPilot will automatically adjust your guide exposure within user-specified limits to the target signal level you specify.
Light Frames: Using a simple point-and-click user interface, CCDAutoPilot adds some editing aids to make data entry easier. You can also elect to focus on the first exposure of a series or not. From the same page, you can edit the target exposure settings (target profiles) for every target on your list.
Dark and Bias Frames: You can easily select specific dark and bias frames to be acquired either before the light frames while waiting for the target to rise, or afterward, when the light frames are complete, or both. Or, you can acquire these calibration frames immediately. You can optionally flush the imager before any frames are acquired.
Flat Frames: Flat frames can be acquired from either TheSky or a light box. Additionally, you can specify a position angle for the flat to match key target data, a direct rotator angle or no rotation. Automatic exposure dawn and dusk sky flats are supported with either tracking off or tracking on and dithered, depending on your preferences. If you desire a specific alt/az location for flats, it can be entered by the user. Flats can be taken either in a best effort order or in a user defined order to tune your flat acquisition strategy for best efficiency.
Session Tasks: More automation tasks are provided including opening your dome and starting your cooler at a specified time. After your light frames you can park your scope and optionally close your dome. If you elect dawn flats, you can leave the dome open and at the appropriate time, the telescope will unpark, take dawn flats, re park the scope and warm up the cooler. At key points in the evening's activities, user developed applications or scripts can be run for maximum flexibility. To aid in data management, folders for the evenings activities can be automatically generated if desired, giving a readily recognizable folder name as to date and target.
Run Session: Here the equipment setup can be reviewed as well as the session plan. Warning messages are provided to make sure nothing has been overlooked. Once satisfied, hitting the Run Session button minimizes the main window and opens the status window, enabling the user to track session progress to the degree desired. Of course the ability to pause and resume a run, as well as abort one, is provided.
Professional Support: Stand FITS keywords, spectroscopy binning and inserting of World Coordinate System data in the FITS header is provided for professional users.
Smart Sub-framing: With the advent of larger imaging sensors, many optical systems prevent full illumination of the sensors. Smart Sub-framing allows only useful data, as defined by the user, to be taken and downloaded. Once the user has defined the sub-frame size to be used, it is applied equally to light, dark, bias and flat frames. Any slew adjustments are then made to the center of the sub-frame.
Tools: A number of tools are provided to make imaging easier and more efficient. Provisions are included for inputting min./max. move and aggressiveness to your CCDSoft or Maxim guide routines. Automatic guide exposure makes guessing at guide star exposures unnecessary. A single button push will suggest a dither value that is optimal for your system. After framing an appropriate G2V star, a single button push measures that star through each of your filters and develops your color combine ratio, automatically compensating for atmospheric extinction. A single button push will characterize your camera's gain and read noise. Following that, another button push and you can determine your sky glow, which enables setting your ideal sub-exposure, based on your selected image sensor. Finally recommendations are made for camera operating temperature and even the number of dark frames you will need. Improved run time estimation is achieved via heuristic modeling of the various times involved in the system. Over a number of runs, estimates for download times, focusing times, and other key time variables are learned and adjusted to make the run time estimates even more accurate.
Remote Control (Professional Version): CCDAutoPilot can be controlled by an external text file to start a run, pause and restart it and report problems via a text message or email. At the conclusion of a session, an email notification with the log file can be optionally sent. Whether sent by email or not, CCDAutoPilot will aggregate all color exposures taken for a given target and, noting the altitude of each exposure, will calculate and log an extinction-corrected color combine ratio. A Boltwood Cloud Sensor or compatible weather/control system can be monitored and a session aborted upon a user-defined wind speed or humidity being exceeded, in the event of rain or very cloudy weather.