Hugonweb | Astrophotography Tips

On-site Checklist

This is after setting-up, mounting, and cabling-up everything

• Bring main and guide scopes to rough focus i.e. using marks or measurements on the focusers
• Balance scope on mount in both axes
• Power on mount and camera
• Set mount location and date (or sync from computer)
• Set mount home position ("Zero Mount" on iOpteron CEM40 hand-controller)
• Test that going home doesn't crash
• Manually focus the main and guide scopes (as opposed to with an auto-focus routine; may require higher than normal camera gain)
• Check settings for main and guide cameras:
  • Focal length
  • Gain
  • Temperature
• Polar align the mount
• Slew to a bright star near a target
• Check guiding
• Autofocus note focus measurements and/or make focus marks
• Slew to a target
• Take a test exposure and check FWHM
• Take more exposures

iOptron Mount with ASIAir

From the INDI website on 2024-10-02

• Turn daylight savings time (DST) off
• Turn periodic error correction (PEC) off
• To have the ASIAir control meridian flips on equatorial mounts:
  • In the ASIAir, set the degrees past the meridian < 14°
  • In the mount hand controller, set the SETUP -> Meridian Treatment -> Set Position Limit to greater than the ASIAir setting
  • In the mount hand controller, the SETUP -> Meridian Treatment -> Set Behavior setting doesn't impact ASIAir control, so set it as desired
  • Meridian flips only happen after meridian crossings on iOptron equatorial mounts