Bad Exposures (Kidney Beans?)

Noticed that if I just take a test exposure everything looks round and normal. But when I went a ran some exposures in a sequence they all looked like the picture below (motion of some sort). I was dithering every frame - so maybe the scope hadn’t settled before taking the next exposure?

The mount is an AP 1100 GTO and has worked flawlessly so I’m guessing I need a setting - I think I’m using the Guiding defaults of 10s settling and 1 pixel max error.

Hello,

depends on control you use for guiding, the guiding system always do a waiting before continue (example PHD2) also Voyager monitoring the amount of error and wait. In this case looking at image if this is a problem of settling you clearly can see from graph because you have a really big error during shot running. Do decide amount of error depends on your resolution.

But … my opinion looking at image is non just a problem of setting because star have a V shape error.
Are you sure calibration is ok , polar align is ok, power to mount is ok ?

All the best
LO

I’m using PHD2 for guiding and I guess what was happening was that PHD2 would stop guiding once the sequence began…I had to check the “guiding box” in the sequence panel IOT have Voyageur continue to allow PHD2 to guide?

Hello,

ok … is a problem of setting … with this settings Voyager doesn’t calibrate guide and doesn’t guide and this is the origin of your problem. Checkbox is unflagged. Your kidney beans is result of PE error of mount and polar error drift.
Generally where is a flag if not flagged option will be not used in Voyager, if you want to guide the sequence at least you need to flag the checkbox Guiding, if you want calibrate guide flag the checkbox Calibrate Guide and save sequence.

All the best
LO

Got it Leo, many thanks :slight_smile:

Forget, if you want to do dithering remember also to flag the Dithering check box.
I suggest also to flag Star Lost Detection flag if you guide
If you using the LocalField Focus and use guide or you use unguided sequence… i suggest to flag the realign to Target flag

Will do…thank you :slight_smile:

Let me know if you need more Tony, I think we got you fairly well squared away on the phone the other evening. If not, feel free to call back. :slight_smile:

Thanks Bill, as always your help has been invaluable!! :+1:

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Remember you can ask for remote support on PC to do setup and first light with Voyager …