From: "doodlebun" <gbleser@bellsouth.net>

Date: November 6, 2008 2:41:43 PM MST

To: Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com

Subject: Re: Question about the focusing rings

--Milton,

Thanks, I misinterpreted that quote! Somehow I got it in my head 

that the star it looks at is the one placed near the reticle. There 

is no need for a reticle, just a single star. And as you said, the 

software finds the star without my help.

So I will use the CGE 1100 as it was intended.  

1. Select Advanced GoTO on the hand controller.

2. pick the object you want to photograph from the database

3. hit "enter" . The software finds the closest reasonably bright 

star.

4. Center the star in the eyepiece.

NOW flip the mirror to place the star on the CCD and with AstroIIDC...

5. adjust the brightness or shutter speed so the star is not 

saturated.

6. enable the FWHM focusing aid.

7. focus until the smallest rings are obtained 

8. Now hit ENTER on the Celestron hand controller and the scope slews 

to the object you selected to photograph.

9. Adjust shutter speed, exposure, etc  until the image captured 

looks correct.

10. Turn the flip mirror lever so the the image appears in the 

eyepiece. Since the image no longer is sent to the CCD, the CCD is 

dark and can be used for dark frame capture.

11. Enable the dark frame capture and capture 3-5 dark frames as is 

specified in the ASTRO IIDC camera preferences. 

12. Once the dark frames are finished, AstroIIDC enables 

the "subtract dark frame check box". Switch the flip mirror back to 

the CCD and verify that everything looks good with the first frame 

capture . Start movie capture. If I take 20 second exposures I try to 

get at least 50-100 subs. Therefore I walk away from the camera and 

scope and take a long break.

- In Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com, Milton Aupperle <milton@...> wrote:

The Astro IIDC software is all about planetary, solar or lunar

photography. Perhaps having a bunch of bright stars in the field  

screws

up the algorhythm. Can someone advise?

It clearly states in the Astro IIDC Manual on page 64 

that ""FWHM /  

HFD On"  method only works on SINGLE Star Like objects

Quote:

The "FWHM / HFD On" method is only designed to work with a single  

star like object and displays  the calculated "Full Width at Half  

Maximum" and "Half Flux Diameter" value.

And if Tool Tips are enabled, it also indicates this too as the 

help  

string for that meanu:

 "Calculates sharpness for a SINGLE STAR using Full Width Half 

Max  

and Half Flux Diameter."

So it will search for the brightest star, but if you have multiple  

stars in the FOV, it gets confused and may or may not find it.

Hope That Helps..

Milton J. Aupperle