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  1. #1

    Default Sky Condition for Scheduler from FWHM of images

    Hi guys.


    I implemented SkyServer for ACPS to automatization of sky condition based on FWHM of the latest images. I suppose it's good idea to control sky condition by acquiring images and based on their values of FWHM set up - Excellent, Good, Fair or Poor.


    First, i want to explain the algoritm of SkyServer. I use UserActions.wsc to measure FWHM and save this value to the special log file. UserActions.wsc has some events which we can use to adding our scripts. I use ImageComplete. You can find this script (UserActions.wsc) in attachment with my script for getting FWHM. Everytime after acquiring an image my script measures FWHM by Pinpoint and saves this value with date and name of the image file into the log file. What you need to change in this script:


    1. You should set date (-12h or other) in this script for your location to have one log file during the night. I use date as UTC-12h for using one log file for one night. My location is UTC+3h.
    2. You should specify the path where script will save the log files.
    3. You should specify the type of Catalog and path for it for PinPoint. For more please see the documentation of PinPoint. I use UCAC4 in my script.


    Second, SkyServer.wsc is used as com-server for ACPS. SkyServer gets all records from the log file and selects records in the last hour and calculates the avarage value of FWHM. Based on this value SkyServer sets the sky condition - Excellent, Good, Fair or Poor. What you need to change in this script:


    1. Date as in the previous UserActions.wsc script.
    2. You should set the path for log files, specified in the UserActions.wsc script.
    3. You should specify the time for calculate the avarage value of FWHM. In my scripts - 60 minutes.
    4. And values of FHWM for setting the sky conditions. In my script - Excellent < 2.5, 2.5 < Good < 4.0, 4.0 < Fair < 5.5, Poor > 5.5.


    Third, you should register two scripts:
    Right click on UserActions.wsc and select Register (if you didn't do it before). If you see a success popup, it's ready to go. If you see a failure popup, there is a mistake in the code or XML.
    On 64-bit systems it's a bit more complicated, as UserActions must be registered with the 32-bit siubsystem of Windows:

    1. Run C:\Windows\SysWOW64\cmd.exe <--- Yes, SysWOW64!
    2. ...> CD "\Program Files\ACP Obs Control" <-- Note quotes
    3. ...> regsvr32 UserActions.wsc


    For SkyServer.wsc the registration is same.


    Forth, You should check your SkyServer as com-server. Please use Skytest.vbs and run it. You should see two popup windows. First - with True, second - with 2 (the default setting for SkyServer).


    Fifth, You should specify the ID of SkyServer in ACPS properties. The ID of SkyServer is FWHM.SkyServer.


    Enjoy. =)


    P.S. Sorry for my English.
    Attached Files Attached Files
    Last edited by Andrei Ioda; Feb 14, 2014 at 03:20.
    Astrosib RC360,
    WS-240, SitechII,
    ScopeDome M3 v3,
    FLI (PL16803+CFW7+LRGB+Ha+OIII+SII),
    RoboFocus, Optec Gemini Focusing Rotator
    Off-axis - SX Lodestar X2

    http://astro.ioda.by

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Mesa, AZ
    Posts
    33,149

    Default

    THANK YOU!!

    Would you mind if I put a link to this inside Scheduler 3.6 online help?
    -- Bob

  3. #3

    Default

    I don't mind.


    Bob, i think you can implement the log file of FWHM in next version of ACP. It's ease. ACP measures FWHM after acquiring an image, need to save this value in log file.


    After implementing this feature will not need to use UserAction script and don't need to solve image two times.


    And if you want you can use my SkyServer script to implement SkyServer in next version of ACPS.
    Astrosib RC360,
    WS-240, SitechII,
    ScopeDome M3 v3,
    FLI (PL16803+CFW7+LRGB+Ha+OIII+SII),
    RoboFocus, Optec Gemini Focusing Rotator
    Off-axis - SX Lodestar X2

    http://astro.ioda.by

  4. #4

    Default

    Below you can see the FWHM log of my astrosetup during one night. My sky condition settings are:


    Excellent < 2.5
    2.5 < Good < 3.5


    The first part of the night ACPS acquired images with bin2 and color filters (Good condition). After a few hours later the sky conditions was changed to Excellent and ACPS started acquiring images with bin1 and Luminance filter.


    UTC-12h, FWHM, file name.


    04:22,2.59518394382195,IC342-Blue-bin2-600sec-E-20140203@162153.fts
    04:33,2.71857842007054,IC342-Blue-bin2-600sec-E-20140203@163312.fts
    04:45,2.67337367905484,IC342-Blue-bin2-600sec-E-20140203@164438.fts
    05:06,2.54302613792319,IC342-Blue-bin2-600sec-W-20140203@170601.fts
    05:18,2.47483279276069,IC342-Blue-bin2-600sec-W-20140203@171743.fts
    05:30,2.60317319419667,IC342-Blue-bin2-600sec-W-20140203@172916.fts
    05:46,2.50457027848132,NGC1530-Blue-bin2-600sec-W-20140203@174554.fts
    05:57,2.5214913268949,NGC1530-Blue-bin2-600sec-W-20140203@175731.fts
    06:09,2.54620934562053,NGC1530-Blue-bin2-600sec-W-20140203@180901.fts
    06:20,2.43795077904575,NGC1530-Blue-bin2-600sec-W-20140203@182036.fts
    06:32,2.51318112161783,NGC1530-Blue-bin2-600sec-W-20140203@183155.fts
    06:43,2.55197529495166,NGC1530-Blue-bin2-600sec-W-20140203@184315.fts
    07:00,2.18972310453617,M1-OIII-bin2-900sec-W-20140203@185956.fts
    07:16,2.27504640385205,M1-OIII-bin2-900sec-W-20140203@191626.fts
    07:33,2.23994476028378,M1-OIII-bin2-900sec-W-20140203@193259.fts
    07:49,2.24096414547017,M1-OIII-bin2-900sec-W-20140203@194927.fts
    08:10,2.35978435444878,M1-Luminance-bin1-900sec-W-20140203@201002.fts
    08:27,2.31242218427967,M1-Luminance-bin1-900sec-W-20140203@202730.fts
    08:48,2.23962068865931,M1-Luminance-bin1-900sec-W-20140203@204830.fts
    09:06,2.15084531141868,M1-Luminance-bin1-900sec-W-20140203@210548.fts
    09:28,1.84614202535109,NGC2403-Luminance-bin1-900sec-W-20140203@212732.fts
    09:45,1.97878184195373,NGC2403-Luminance-bin1-900sec-W-20140203@214514.fts
    10:07,1.88838401436958,NGC2403-Luminance-bin1-900sec-W-20140203@220636.fts
    10:24,2.07454692428251,NGC2403-Luminance-bin1-900sec-W-20140203@222410.fts
    10:46,1.92879874669453,M106-Luminance-bin1-600sec-E-20140203@224608.fts
    10:58,1.95554410608897,M106-Luminance-bin1-600sec-E-20140203@225823.fts
    11:11,1.85087206749898,M106-Luminance-bin1-600sec-E-20140203@231040.fts
    11:23,2.00518337117509,M106-Luminance-bin1-600sec-E-20140203@232300.fts
    11:35,1.9228685588972,M106-Luminance-bin1-600sec-E-20140203@233519.fts
    11:48,1.94286707561312,M106-Luminance-bin1-600sec-E-20140203@234735.fts
    12:04,2.43726005272183,M51-Luminance-bin1-900sec-E-20140203@000405.fts
    12:21,2.14517365847098,M51-Luminance-bin1-900sec-E-20140203@002116.fts
    12:38,2.4683433308601,M51-Luminance-bin1-900sec-E-20140203@003830.fts
    12:55,2.17787545596451,M51-Luminance-bin1-900sec-E-20140203@005539.fts
    13:16,2.2635741811651,M51-Luminance-bin1-900sec-E-20140203@011636.fts
    13:34,2.62456703690351,M51-Luminance-bin1-900sec-E-20140203@013356.fts
    13:51,2.08973902755981,M51-Luminance-bin1-900sec-E-20140203@015104.fts
    14:08,2.0987771798816,M51-Luminance-bin1-900sec-E-20140203@020818.fts
    15:07,2.0205035272006,M106-Luminance-bin1-600sec-W-20140203@030703.fts
    15:20,1.79516997543397,M106-Luminance-bin1-600sec-W-20140203@031926.fts
    15:33,1.88759364874078,M106-Luminance-bin1-600sec-W-20140203@033240.fts
    15:47,2.11101052471287,M106-Luminance-bin1-600sec-W-20140203@034557.fts
    16:00,2.02569615734178,M106-Luminance-bin1-600sec-W-20140203@035925.fts
    16:13,2.14386887940674,M106-Luminance-bin1-600sec-W-20140203@041224.fts
    Astrosib RC360,
    WS-240, SitechII,
    ScopeDome M3 v3,
    FLI (PL16803+CFW7+LRGB+Ha+OIII+SII),
    RoboFocus, Optec Gemini Focusing Rotator
    Off-axis - SX Lodestar X2

    http://astro.ioda.by

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
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    Mesa, AZ
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    This is really fantastic!

    I decided it was a bit premature to link to it from Scheduler 3.6 help.
    -- Bob

  6. #6

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    I find this script very interesting. Andrei, do you still use these scripts and if so have you made any improvements?

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
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    Mesa, AZ
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    Default

    We need to wish Andrei well… he’s in Belarus and things are dicey with the Russians staging their tanks and forces there.
    -- Bob

  8. #8

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    I've been thinking more about this and I wondering if this would be better done outside of ACP or in a separate thread. Once the image is read to disk it could be grabbed and read separately while ACP/Scheduler is still imaging/operating. That way plate solving the image a second time isn't another bit of overhead to add to the scheduler.

  9. #9
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    Oct 2005
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    After taking the image and solving it, the FWHM in arc seconds is available within a UserAction as Util.Script.SUP.LastSolveFWHM. If it doesn't solve then the value should be 0. Don't ask, it's magic (well maybe you can see how that works). It's worth a shot to test the current FWHM and hope it doesn't change too fast.
    -- Bob

 

 

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