Hi ya bunch of AstroNuts!
My 1100GTO-AEL showed up and now comes the part where I learn to use new software to operate it. :)
I know a couple of the programs I'll be using are NINA and PHD2, but what are the other main programs you all are using? Up till this point I've been using the ASIAir Plus to do everything, but I'm building an observatory and have a laptop that will be dedicated to the observatory and everything in it.
I'm using PixInsight after the imaging, but before then???
I know there are only a few other programs, and while I've seen several listed within other posts I wanted to see what the general consensus is.
Thank you,
Larry

I'm in love. :)

Thank you Marcelo!
IF I can ask one more question. 
Is one of these programs better than the others?       Starry Night - TheSkyX - MaxImDL
I'm reading through the information on each of them and can't pick one that stands out from the others. If this will be the software that controls my dome, targeting, tracking and all, I definitely want the best, of course. :)

On Mar 18, 2023, at 20:36, Newbee132 <sasquachh@...> wrote:

Thank you Marcelo!
IF I can ask one more question.
Is one of these programs better than the others? Starry Night - TheSkyX - MaxImDL
I'm reading through the information on each of them and can't pick one that stands out from the others. If this will be the software that controls my dome, targeting, tracking and all, I definitely want the best, of course. :)

So, I gather you want jump headlong into astro-imaging and you're starting at 0. And of course you want only the very best, because who doesn't? I'm going to be frank: This is a bad stance to take when you have no existing experience or orientation on the subject. It's also probably why you haven't gotten a much in the way of responses here to this open-ended query, simply because it's a laborious topic that can easily get bogged down in trifling details and arguments over semantics. You can readily find this on places like CN, but I'm not sure you'd walk away with much to go on past the first few responses.

The concept of "The Best" when it comes to many things, especially in the case of software, is as subjective as it is vague. "The Best" for one person isn't "The Best" for another and only well-defined requirements, goals, and personal preferences can elucidate a meaningful differentiation between one item and another. Often, there will be trade-offs between the options. This also means whatever is "The Best" isn't always going to magically compensate for a lack of experience or depth of knowledge on a topic. Even reasonably advanced, and/or expensive, software requires a certain base (note: base != basic) level of knowledge in several fields in order to be operated well.[1]

First, think of your goal in imaging. And, starting out, you should keep that goal as singular and focused as possible. Everything else beyond that which you might think of a goal will be more aspirational until you're comfortable with a basic well-functioning system. Then rank the aspects that are required to attain that goal in a progressively more detailed list. Ask others with similar goals about their workflows when it comes to deciding what to image, how best to image it, putting that "how" into the form of a sequence, and executing on it. There are some aspects that are common to most software and are a given. Imaging software starts standing apart mainly in _how_ it goes about doing something. This is where personal preferences start to creep in, where the workflow and UI of one app might be more grok-able than another. If you're not sure, ask people who use these apps about how they utilize them for the purpose. Don't be general with "how do you like X app?" questions - be specific, else you will just get general and largely non-actionable answers in return.

/dale

[1] That latter point is a common pitfall for newcomers (and taken for granted by the experienced) as they are under the impression that one can expend money to compensate. When this doesn't turn out to be the case then they either take up the challenge and learn, or they give up, with their kit ending up on CN or Astromart classifieds under the description "Moving on from the hobby, used only a few times." It is sad but it happens. People rarely quit because their mount has too much backlash or their optics aren't perfect, as you can certainly buy quality examples of either to eliminate those mechanical concerns. Rather, people tend to quit because the enormity of the corpus of knowledge involved in putting it all together with reliably repeatable results, with an understanding of any limitations and the common problems, dawns on them. It's certainly not for people who are looking for instant gratification or are not interested in problem solving.

All good points from Dale.

Larry, imaging has a long learning curve.  I have been taking astrophotos for 25 years and I'm still learning stuff.

Do you have a friend who is an experienced imager who cam mentor you and at least help you get started up the curve? If you are just beginning, then "best" may just be what your mentor is using.  You can define "best" for yourself as you progress.

The good news is that you have made an outstanding choice with the mount.  You may choose to upgrade optics, cameras or software as you progress, but you will never need to upgrade the mount... unless you get aperture fever and want to get giant optics.  You won't have to struggle with getting your AP1100 to work right because it is an outstanding performer out of the box and really the best in class for its weight capacity.
--
Dean Jacobsen
Astrobin Image Gallery - https://www.astrobin.com/users/deanjacobsen/

For what it is worth, here is my experience.

You may not need to use PHD2. I haven't felt a need for guiding for a long time. Since you have absolute encoders, I would put my energy into understanding APCC Pro and especially APPM.  If you build a good APPM model and use modern cameras you probably won't need to guide, so PHD2 becomes less important. There is a learning curve, but few things are more wonderful to witness than APPM building a 100-point pointing AND tracking model, and seeing one green box emerge after another (signifying successful plate-solves).

I have TheSkyX Pro but rarely use it anymore. It is very complex. If I want to nudge the telescope around with a planetarium program I just use Sky Safari 6 Pro. Much easier, not to mention cheaper. I used to use T-Point to build a pointing model, but APPM does that for me now and is also improves tracking as well. There are rare times when I'm using my 130GTX in the observatory in EAA mode and in those cases I'll let TSX run the observatory dome, etc.

My primary management program is SGPro. It runs my mount, camera, observatory, focuser, rotator, etc. etc. It may be more complex that many people like but since I've gotten used to it I haven't explored other options such as NINA. My needs are also driven by the desire to operate semi-remotely and SGPro makes that pretty easy.

I concur with the recommendations to start simple -- learn APCC Pro and APPM. Keep the equipment straightforward at first. You'll have enough challenge getting the dome and mount to sync. (ASCOM is your friend here.) The first complication I'd suggest is an focuser so you can refocus automatically during long sessions.

Good luck!

Marty

Hi guys,

Thanks for the information and yeah, I do have a lot to learn, figured having good equipment was a good place to start which was why I went with Astro-Physics for the mount, and CFF for the scope. 
I have a few more months before the scope arrives so I'm playing around with NINA, getting more acquainted with it. Once an adapter arrives (allows adapting the 1100GTO to an iOptron  360 Tri-Pier) I'll be able to place my current scope (William Optics 132) on it and run NINA through the paces. I won't have the base of my permanent pier fixed till the observatory's completed so I can't mount the scope on it just yet. :(
Suppose what I should have asked when starting this post was "Is any of the third-party software (Starry Night, TheSkyX or similar) really necessary since I'll be using NINA?". I think that would have been a much better way to start off with. :)
Again, thank you guys for your input, it is appreciated,

Larry

On Mon, Mar 20, 2023 at 04:13 PM, Newbee132 wrote:

"Is any of the third-party software (Starry Night, TheSkyX or similar) really necessary since I'll be using NINA?".

I'm a fan of Stellarium, and generally use that for framing and then take that into NINA (it comes in with the touch of a button including sky angle). NINA has some options for a sky atlas internally, but Stellarium is cheap ($0) and awfully good, and integrates seamlessly.  You can even drive the mount with it, or have the mount's pointing location appear on the stellarium screen, though I generally just use it for framing.

And of course you need a plate solver (like ASTAP). 

You'll have fun!

Linwood

On 3/20/2023 4:13 PM, Newbee132 wrote:

Suppose what I should have asked when starting this post was "Is any of the third-party software (Starry Night, TheSkyX or similar) really necessary since I'll be using NINA?".

No, they're not necessary. You can point your scope at a target with the GTO hand box, then start taking images. I've done that myself. But i've moved on to computerized imaging.

I have no experience with NINA. I use MaxIm for camera control and ACP for automated imaging, and FocusMax for focusing (because that's what ACP requires).

With ACP I develop imaging plans (text files) that specify what I want to image, and how many exposures to make.

So how do I decide on a target? First I use CCDNavigator to tell me what's up tonight, and choose something I want. Then I go into SkyX to find the target. I have a FOV indicator in SkyX that shows me how the target relates to my camera. I can rotate the FOV indicator to frame the target, then capture those sky coordinates and camera angle with an ACP utility that creates a skeleton imaging plan specifically for that target. I edit the plan for my desired subframes and times, and I'm ready for the night.

So essentially, SkyX is essential to let me see how I want to image a target. It's especially helpful for mosaics, where the ACP utility will grab the coordinates of each frame and incorporate those into the plan.

Here's a four-frame mosaic of the Heart Nebula that this process made really simple and easy: <http://astronomy.mdodd.com/nebulae-26.html>

in my case, ACP works closely with SkyX. Other apps might have different capabilities with other planetarium programs. You don't NEED these, but they're really helpful.
hope this helps.

---Mike

--

Thanks again you guys! 
Life keeps getting in the way so I have yet to even power up the mount. In the meantime I'm looking into Stellarium. Sounds like it'll be helpful, and I'll keep my eyes open for any disconnection issues. I definitely want some type of framing software because I also have a PrimaLuceLab camera rotator ordered, so the Stellarium just.. might.. work. :)
I'll also keep the other programs in mind, and Mike, I love your Heart Nebula. Very nice!
I'm going to go over everyone's suggestions and hopefully have a game-plan ready by the time the equipment goes live. 
Thanks again everyone!!

On Thu, Mar 23, 2023 at 10:22 AM, Brian Valente wrote:

Stellarium doesn't just disconnect for me, it constantly quits when using remote desktop.

I am running 1.2 as well (specifically 1.22.5 QT 6.4.0), and have not run into that. I switch back and forth maybe 6-10 times per night between my desktop RDP'd to the NUC and my phone RDP'd to the NUC.  I just tried it again to be sure, and it stays up. 

I know that's not necessarily helpful to you, but it may be worth others trying it, as when it works it is a great tool.

FWIW I'm using a vanilla Windows 10 x 64 Pro on the NUC and the desktop, and Microsoft's RDP on Android.  I do keep my NUC windows systems very clean, no third party bloatware that isn't needed, no 3rd party antivirus, etc. 

Now all that said, a year or so ago I had a lot of trouble with it quitting even not on RDP, seemed to be a graphics thing.  Stellarium installs with a bunch of different screen handling setups. I have not looked at them closely to see which is what, but I know some use the GPU, some avoid it, etc.  It is possible that with your hardware one of these might be more stable.   I am running the vanilla mode (at the top), though I have no idea if that also matches one of the names shown. 

Linwood