Just purchased SkyTools 4 Pro today. I'm liking it a lot so far. I have marked quick observations for several catalogs. Is there a way to see the total objects I've observed across all lists?

Also, how might I associate a group of targets together? For example, something like a galaxy cluster in the same field of view. Can it be done?


For what it's worth, I entered the entire O'Meara Secret Deep list. If it would be helpful to share it as a list, how do I upload it so others can grab it?

Thanks for all the fine work that has gone into this application. It was super-quick to enter targets tonight.

Doug

PS. Here's a screen shot from Astroplanner, demonstrating the way it shows the total observations in the top bar - and the way it "associates" objects in a list (attached).

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Hi,

I am looking for a way to quickly display some "pretty picture" from an object in my target list and / or in the interactive atlas.

I tried the "download DSS image" options and several of the available download sources there, but I didn't find any pictures in the repositories that gives me some idea how the object looks in RGB.

Is there any simple way that I haven't seen?

Wouldn't it be some idea for a feature in the interactive atlas to enable via a button some sort of sky survey image data, like in stellarium (Digitized Sky Survey (TOAST) button), which gives you some idea of the sky region/object.

Some good example is the "Deep Sky Compendium" from Gary Imm: it is an excel list with several deep sky objects. If you move the mouse over some list item, a "pretty picture preview" is visible, that would be great in ST4 too:
   

Thanks,

Markus

Hi, 

I just purchased ST and am starting to set it up on my Home PC, once done I will probably use it mostly on my Laptop or Observatory PC. I have had a look around for how to transfer the settings but couldn't find anything - presumably there is a configuration files(s) somewhere that I just need to copy into a folder that will populate the new PC with equipment details etc?.

Can someone point me in the right direction please.

Unless I'm doing something wrong, it appears Sequences sent over to N.I.N.A. will stop and prompt on each target asking for the rotator and filter to be set.  I don't have an auto-rotator, nor even a filter wheel, so this was an issue for me, especially with dozens of targets in the sequence. Maybe the Schedule's Plan Settings could have check boxes to disable the need for filters and rotation, if needed.  But for now, I came up with an easy workaround.  Simply select and connect to the Filter Wheel Simulator [.Net] in and Rotator Simulator .Net in N.I.N.A, then the sequence will flow without interruption.   

Anyone else encounter this?

Paul

SkyTools news!

Hi,

What is "Glover" as shown on the attached Exposure Table Help Page?  My only guess is it refers to Dr Robin Glover, maybe?  How should we use that number?

Thanks.

Paul

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Hi

I only saw Chroma narrowband, so I have this data from Chroma that can be uploaded into Sky Tools

LRGB - Data comes direct from Chroma


Hope they help someone

Brian

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  Red.txt (Size: 1.73 KB / Downloads: 11)
  Blue.txt (Size: 1.5 KB / Downloads: 9)
  Green.txt (Size: 1.46 KB / Downloads: 7)
  Lum.txt (Size: 1.62 KB / Downloads: 10)

Currently magnitude 38 due to extremely small phase angle, this little rock from space did a very close flyby on 17 Nov 03:40UT of just 24,296Km. I call these "whizzers". Unfortunately for us observers the initial reported observation by ATLAS Chile, Rio Hurtado on 2023-11-16 at mag 18, came too late.

It very quickly reach magnitude 11, very high in my sky the same day at 21:15 CST moving a degree and a half per minute!

Within the next hour, this small rock became totally unobservable as its phase angle dropped to single digits.

It takes a lot of work to get these recent discoveries into SkyTools and then get them plotted correctly. It's all about gravity.

So I have 15 minor planets identified on my Target Selection tab. Is there a way to have the system select them all and create Projects for them all?

I see I can expedite the process by using the Project Template function after creating a new Imaging Project (works well), just wondering if there is an even faster way to create projects for a large group of targets?

v/r

Paul

I imaged Jellyfish supernova remnant IC 443 for 11 hours last January from Casa Grande, AZ.  I got 114 5-min images, and it all went very well.  

I tried to go back and model that night in SkyTools so see what it would have recommended, and how its projected SNs would align with my actual collections (my ground truth). 

But for some reason the system cannot reach any SN at all:

• Filters can't reach a target SNR in a New Imaging Project / Exposure Goals tab
  
• As shown in attached, Exposure Calculator shows no detectable signal.