Hi all,
Had a great couple of nights learning how to use the ST-4. Can't say the images will be good since there was a thin layer of moisture high in the atmosphere. It was coming slowly up from the south, which allowed me to start an image in a clear sky, and then eventually have it start to haze up.
But, since I was largely practicing, anyway, I just moved to a target further north, and started over.
Which brings up a question. When the alarm goes off in the ST-4 saying I've lost the guide star, do I need to stop the exposure immediately, may I wait for a few cycles, or what?
Since I knew the exposures were not going to be the greatest (because of the high thin haze), I just let the ST-4 run. After a cycle or two it would run another ten minutes before losing the star again. Watching the readout while the alarm beeped, I noticed the star stayed in the same position (same x-y coordinates) even as the brightness reading fell significantly. Then, the haze would pass, and it would guide happily a few more minutes.
Can I just keep it running, as long as the x-y coordinates stay the same or vary by at most one (or two or how many) from cycle to cycle? (I realize the image may not come out well as far as exposure and contrast because of the haze---but let us consider only tracking for this question).
Alex
Had a great couple of nights learning how to use the ST-4. Can't say the images will be good since there was a thin layer of moisture high in the atmosphere. It was coming slowly up from the south, which allowed me to start an image in a clear sky, and then eventually have it start to haze up.
But, since I was largely practicing, anyway, I just moved to a target further north, and started over.
Which brings up a question. When the alarm goes off in the ST-4 saying I've lost the guide star, do I need to stop the exposure immediately, may I wait for a few cycles, or what?
Since I knew the exposures were not going to be the greatest (because of the high thin haze), I just let the ST-4 run. After a cycle or two it would run another ten minutes before losing the star again. Watching the readout while the alarm beeped, I noticed the star stayed in the same position (same x-y coordinates) even as the brightness reading fell significantly. Then, the haze would pass, and it would guide happily a few more minutes.
Can I just keep it running, as long as the x-y coordinates stay the same or vary by at most one (or two or how many) from cycle to cycle? (I realize the image may not come out well as far as exposure and contrast because of the haze---but let us consider only tracking for this question).
Alex
