smart project builder - odd results

[theresamarie11]

Hi,

I noticed that the system listed in the top left box of  the SPB  is for a "TEC 140 and 6200MM". Does this system really have a 6.2 meter focal length, or am I misinterpreting this? Is this a result of the focal extender?

Phil S.

6200MM refers to the camera, an ASI6200MM.

Terri

---

Hello,

1. I am concerned that the files you used for your filters may not be formatted correctly. Please send a screen capture, with the Edit Filter dialog open for one of your filters, so I can see the graph.

2. If you want to check things out, I suggest a different target. You happened to pick IC 410, which currently doesn't have any emission line data available for it. There are no emission line catalogs for HII regions, so I have been building my own, based on my own photometry. Its a laborious project, but I have it rolling along now. I am working on a big data drop, and it should be available very soon, like the end of the week if things go well. This will add line strengths for many more nebulae that are common narrowband targets. Without the line actual strengths, they are estimated, based on available broadband color data, and its not always that accurate. To tell if the data is estimated, open the Object Info. It is also indicated on the Exposure page of the Imaging Project, once one is created.

Lets work with M27 for the time being because I know it has valid emission line data.

3. How do you use SNR to help set exposure or plan a night of imaging. There are more steps after the SPB. Its purpose is to create an Imaging Project, and especially it will fill out the exposure goals for each filter. A goal can be to reach a given exposure time, or to reach a given SNR. SNR is a measure of the quality of your images. I suggest reading the SPB help page for an explanation of how SNR is used as a goal. Its the most powerful feature of the software. If you have questions after reading that, and maybe the help for the Imaging Project as well, please feel free to ask.

Once you have an Imaging Project with exposure goals, you usually use the Scheduler to plan a night of imaging. The Scheduler will work more efficiently if you have more than one project defined, because it determines the best time of night to image in each filter for a target, and it is common for one target to not be available for the entire night (or even the part of the night you are imaging).

The Scheduler will attempt to get all of your observations in one night to reach your goals. If not, you enter a summary of what images were obtained in the Observations tab of the Imaging Project. This keeps track of what you have already done, and the Scheduler will only schedule images that are needed to finish the project.

1) I can do screen captures of the filter data.    That was the first place I went when the B and R filters were not being shown, but the graphs look correct to me.   See screenshots below.  The G and L along with narrow band are represented in the Smart Project builder but not the B and R.   Not sure why

2) So does the software then not work for all targets?   Can you help me understand, maybe I'm trying to use something that isn't ready.   How do we know what targets have valid emission line data?  How many  of the targets?   My goal for purchasing this tool are:
1) find targets appropriate to image in quality/ability and scale for my telescope.   IC410 is A and A for IQ and scale for where i'm going.
2) optimize the time i'm imaging to make the best use of my limited time on targets by optimizing exposure per filter.
(I'll read but I'm unclear on this capability now)

3) I guess maybe the thing that you may not understand is how limited opportunities exist in some areas.  like visiting a dark sky area for a week, or living in Vermont.   Sometimes we have one or two nights out of 2 months to capture all of a project in the winter months.   This is not unusual and many people I know have the same issue in various parts of the country.  This is not like a observatory in Chile or NM where you have 250 clear nights and will plan a 1/2 dozen targets to shoot daily.   So I want to optimize my very limited time to capture a target.    Maybe the software does not do this.

Can you clarify?

Terri

---

One other thing out of curiosity: are you using a Mac or Linux? The fonts in your screen captures look weird.

I am using Windows 10 pro, 64 bit.

Terri