Don't forget that you will also need to install a plate solver. Tiago sort of skipped that step in the video but it looks like he's using ASPS, which has to run under cygwin if you're running Windows. Then the sky index data files that the plate solver uses for matching are an extra download of several gb, and you have to enable tracking in sharpcap to allow the virtual ascom telescope to show you where you are in Stellarium. I was unable to make this work using ASTAP, but using ASPS as shown in this video does work. I had to turn the star detection sigma down to like 25, but if you watch sharpcap's onscreen error messages as the plate solver fails it will very briefly tell you how many stars it thinks it can see, which hints at which way to adjust the sigma (down, to get more stars) based on your camera setup and skies. I suspect that a sigma of 200 only works for him because he's using a $1000 camera with a TEC cooler. Some recent builds of Stellarium don't allow you to add an ascom telescope. If the "okay" button doesn't work as you follow Tiago's video instructions, go download the newest dev release and it should work afterwards. Then turn off all of the Stellarium plugins you're not using, especially the satellites, if Stellarium crashes too often. It took me more than a week to get sharpcap, ascom, asps with the correct data files, and stellarium to all play nicely together but once it's working it really is as easy as he makes it look on his livestreams.
Tiago, thanks for the explanation (again). I just ordered an astro camera. After it's arrived, I'm ready to go! So this explanation is just posted on the right time.. 😃
@@DobsonianPower Yes 🥳, I bought last Sunday a second hand Geoptik. I tested it yesterday and it works great! Today I ordered the camera. So I'm almost there..
@@timm2506 yay! Now the fun will start. Remember that any obstacle you find setting things up, just tell me. It may happen. Today a friend tried to install this push-to and i had to figure with him where the issue was. And now it's fine. This dob/camera/platform combo really changed my life for better, may do the same to you!
@@DobsonianPower I can't wait! I full of exportations.. especially with the high bortle level I'm living in. I will let you know if I need some help or sharing my first EAA image 💪
Hi Tiago, for what I've seen in the video, the "trakcking" is just for the astrofotography as we know. But I think you can do another video in which you show that "Stellarium+Ascom+Astrocamera" can be used as a good "push-to" for telescope without tracking. It could be very useful for people without tracking (like me) to find on internet/youtube this good way to push telescope on the right way!
Unfortunately without tracking the stars are always moving and sharpcap can't platesolve. For DSO tracking is a must have, even a poor one is enough but it's needed
@@DobsonianPower oh yes, you are right…..anyway I will try with my 10” Dobson using the minor magnification I can have. If it works I will give a feedback if you like
@@davidsarrocco7051 yes i would like to know. It may work if you get an hand on the telescope while platesolving to counteract the sky movement. But then, even working, you will have the same problem to live stack. It may work using very short exposures, try 1 sec. However, if i were you i would put energy in figure a way to get tracking, and have it all. Maybe you can build a platform...
Hey Tiago, thanks for the helpful video. I have followed all the instructions, but my telescope does not connect in Stellarium. I guess that the telescope + camera have to be pointed at the sky in order to recognize the location? This would explain why I did not see a brown circle on Stellarium? Looking forward to trying out this technique next time it clears up!
Great quick tutorial. Thanks for sharing! I have a 12" dob for about 6 months now and have been learning astrophotography with a dslr. I've learned quite a bit in that time, with much more to learn still. Now after watching your livestream, I think i want a cmos camera now!! Seems like there will be much less time spent in photoshop...if any at all? Do you process your photos the same way as with dslr photos?
Thank you for the video. I followed it exactly and configured all three pograms to your specification. However my Spacecap 51 telescope does not move to designated spot in Stellarium and it doesn’t seem sync together. My telescope is not the ‘Go To’ model. I am not sure where to troubleshoot this. Any help from you would be appreciated.
A classical dobsonian like yours and mine has no tracking,no guiding (has no Alt-Az motorised mount).So what's the meaning of: "you need a telescope with tracking" ?
@@DobsonianPower I supposed but until now I found associated the word tracking only as: "manual tracking" and "Go-To tracking" & "tracking with Eq mount" Thank you very much.
I think new stellarium versions might not work. I installed an older version for it to work. Link It's at description. Make sure you installed ascom first. Did you?
Does this method only work with an equatorial platform? I have a 8 inch dobsonian that has the star tracking motor and software. I have not been too successful with the 2 star alignment method.
It works with any tracked dobsonian. It may work fine with yours. The reason it needs tracking is only for sharpcap platesolve. For that, it needs the sky, and the stars, to be quiet. Try it, it's free and easy to do. Then give me your feedback for me to share because your idea may be brilliant and help other people with the same difficulty. :)
Tiago , question is how do we connect laptop with camera and telescope(without mount) ? what is needed for that? How does the software detect where telescope is pointed
@@DobsonianPower How the connection of Laptop with Telescope can be done, I have normal DLSR camera which I will try to connect to telescope but I am not sure how to connect with computer
@@karanchopras I don't use and know DSLR sorry. I use ZWO astro cameras and i just connect the camera to the laptop with a usb cable and the Sharpcap identify the camera.
Too bad your video didn't come out last year. Instead I have been using Dobson Dream hardware kit connected to my 10" Zhumell Dob. Works extremely well as a push-to paired with Ski Safari Plus loaded on my iPad to find deep sky objects fast and accurate. Setting circles and coordinate maps are gone like the buggy whip.
yes but it has to be modified for that. You have to search the information on google/youtube. My recommendation to all is to save for an astro camera. Anything you use will just delay the purchase of an astro camera because it's the best to use.
To know more about watch objects like i do, start here: th-cam.com/video/Mx0mxEcaZ_E/w-d-xo.html
Great video Tiago!
Thanks Richard
Don't forget that you will also need to install a plate solver. Tiago sort of skipped that step in the video but it looks like he's using ASPS, which has to run under cygwin if you're running Windows. Then the sky index data files that the plate solver uses for matching are an extra download of several gb, and you have to enable tracking in sharpcap to allow the virtual ascom telescope to show you where you are in Stellarium. I was unable to make this work using ASTAP, but using ASPS as shown in this video does work.
I had to turn the star detection sigma down to like 25, but if you watch sharpcap's onscreen error messages as the plate solver fails it will very briefly tell you how many stars it thinks it can see, which hints at which way to adjust the sigma (down, to get more stars) based on your camera setup and skies. I suspect that a sigma of 200 only works for him because he's using a $1000 camera with a TEC cooler.
Some recent builds of Stellarium don't allow you to add an ascom telescope. If the "okay" button doesn't work as you follow Tiago's video instructions, go download the newest dev release and it should work afterwards. Then turn off all of the Stellarium plugins you're not using, especially the satellites, if Stellarium crashes too often.
It took me more than a week to get sharpcap, ascom, asps with the correct data files, and stellarium to all play nicely together but once it's working it really is as easy as he makes it look on his livestreams.
That's right. Thanks mate
Tiago, thanks for the explanation (again). I just ordered an astro camera. After it's arrived, I'm ready to go! So this explanation is just posted on the right time.. 😃
Hey Tim. Those are great news! Did you already found the eq platform?
@@DobsonianPower Yes 🥳, I bought last Sunday a second hand Geoptik. I tested it yesterday and it works great! Today I ordered the camera. So I'm almost there..
@@timm2506 yay! Now the fun will start. Remember that any obstacle you find setting things up, just tell me. It may happen. Today a friend tried to install this push-to and i had to figure with him where the issue was. And now it's fine. This dob/camera/platform combo really changed my life for better, may do the same to you!
@@DobsonianPower I can't wait! I full of exportations.. especially with the high bortle level I'm living in. I will let you know if I need some help or sharing my first EAA image 💪
@@timm2506 yes, i wanna see that 1st image. It will be forever in your mind. What bortle do you have?
This is a very good tutorial from you. I might get a tracker in a few years when I have the time, so thank you in advance.
Great! Thank you.
Eso es maravilloso Tiago, lo estaba esperando. Muchas gracias
es buenisimo. Ahora siempre lo utilizo, es una pasada.
Great tutorial. I just ordered a eq platform (not the expensive ones) for my orion 14 inches. I hope I can do something like this
it will for sure. let us know then
Great Video Tiago. I guess This is Very Useful for Star tracker Users!! Im gonna Try shooting some Galaxies Tonight!!
Good luck! Here it's too windy right now.
@@DobsonianPower hmm. Does Your Scope Handle Speed Winds? Its Pretty Huge, I think it shouldn't be a big issue, Unless Its Too fast!
@@avt_astro206 No. Large Dobs are very sensitive to strong wind.
Hi Tiago, for what I've seen in the video, the "trakcking" is just for the astrofotography as we know. But I think you can do another video in which you show that "Stellarium+Ascom+Astrocamera" can be used as a good "push-to" for telescope without tracking. It could be very useful for people without tracking (like me) to find on internet/youtube this good way to push telescope on the right way!
Unfortunately without tracking the stars are always moving and sharpcap can't platesolve. For DSO tracking is a must have, even a poor one is enough but it's needed
@@DobsonianPower oh yes, you are right…..anyway I will try with my 10” Dobson using the minor magnification I can have. If it works I will give a feedback if you like
@@davidsarrocco7051 yes i would like to know. It may work if you get an hand on the telescope while platesolving to counteract the sky movement. But then, even working, you will have the same problem to live stack. It may work using very short exposures, try 1 sec. However, if i were you i would put energy in figure a way to get tracking, and have it all. Maybe you can build a platform...
Hey Tiago, thanks for the helpful video. I have followed all the instructions, but my telescope does not connect in Stellarium. I guess that the telescope + camera have to be pointed at the sky in order to recognize the location? This would explain why I did not see a brown circle on Stellarium?
Looking forward to trying out this technique next time it clears up!
Need to be pointing near the object. But read the video description, there was an important update
Great info, thank you. 👍🏻
Great quick tutorial. Thanks for sharing! I have a 12" dob for about 6 months now and have been learning astrophotography with a dslr. I've learned quite a bit in that time, with much more to learn still. Now after watching your livestream, I think i want a cmos camera now!! Seems like there will be much less time spent in photoshop...if any at all? Do you process your photos the same way as with dslr photos?
Shane, i almost don't post process my photos. I like to watch like i do on the live stream. But you can benefit a lot from a dedicated astro camera.
@@DobsonianPower Cool... I'm pricing out cameras now. I'll definitely be getting one... And watching your videos. 👍
Thank you for the video. I followed it exactly and configured all three pograms to your specification. However my Spacecap 51 telescope does not move to designated spot in Stellarium and it doesn’t seem sync together. My telescope is not the ‘Go To’ model. I am not sure where to troubleshoot this. Any help from you would be appreciated.
Also my gps coordinates seem to change in stellarium.
The telescope doesn't move. You have to move the telescope manually to match what stellarium show.
@@DobsonianPower I moved it by hand but didn’t move in stallarium after plate solving
You have to make sure it communicates with stellarium. Please read the video description where i address some fix like tracking button.
A classical dobsonian like yours and mine has no tracking,no guiding (has no Alt-Az motorised mount).So what's the meaning of: "you need a telescope with tracking" ?
I have tracking, eq platform
@@DobsonianPower I supposed but until now I found associated the word tracking only as: "manual tracking" and "Go-To tracking" & "tracking with Eq mount" Thank you very much.
"go to telescope controle, click on "load at startup" then "configure" ;
Configure button cannot be activated WHY ?
I think new stellarium versions might not work. I installed an older version for it to work. Link It's at description.
Make sure you installed ascom first. Did you?
Does this method only work with an equatorial platform? I have a 8 inch dobsonian that has the star tracking motor and software. I have not been too successful with the 2 star alignment method.
It works with any tracked dobsonian. It may work fine with yours. The reason it needs tracking is only for sharpcap platesolve. For that, it needs the sky, and the stars, to be quiet. Try it, it's free and easy to do. Then give me your feedback for me to share because your idea may be brilliant and help other people with the same difficulty. :)
Tiago , question is how do we connect laptop with camera and telescope(without mount) ? what is needed for that? How does the software detect where telescope is pointed
Just do as i explain in the video. Install SHARPCAP, STELLARIUM AND ASCOM
@@DobsonianPower How the connection of Laptop with Telescope can be done, I have normal DLSR camera which I will try to connect to telescope but I am not sure how to connect with computer
@@karanchopras I don't use and know DSLR sorry. I use ZWO astro cameras and i just connect the camera to the laptop with a usb cable and the Sharpcap identify the camera.
@@DobsonianPower Thankyou very much for clarification! may i will try to see if it works with other cameras
@@karanchopras 👍👍
Too bad your video didn't come out last year. Instead I have been using Dobson Dream hardware kit connected to my 10" Zhumell Dob. Works extremely well as a push-to paired with Ski Safari Plus loaded on my iPad to find deep sky objects fast and accurate. Setting circles and coordinate maps are gone like the buggy whip.
Yeah, setting circles belong to history IMO.
I HAVE AN DOUBT INSTEAD OF ASTRO CAMERA CAN I USE WEBCAM
yes but it has to be modified for that. You have to search the information on google/youtube. My recommendation to all is to save for an astro camera. Anything you use will just delay the purchase of an astro camera because it's the best to use.
GREAT VIDEO
Thanks!!