AstroImageJ (AIJ): Processing ExoPlanet Transits (Start to Finish)

[@_tyler-_-]

I just want to take a second to say thank you for making this topic accessible to a dummy like me. I really appreciate it. Fantastic introductory.

[@dimitrijepesic2607]

This video just saved me days of figuring this out through the manual alone I cant thank you enough. I can just say you have saved one aspiring astrophysicists finals

[@PatriotAstro]

LOL. I get a bunch of messages from people taking college classes. It's surprising to me how bad/vague the other tutorials are out there... Best of luck to you!

[@brandlc]

This is an excellent tutorial on AIJ - explained lots of nuances. I've been playing with AIJ for a while (variable star project) and self-learning so this video brought it all together nicely.

[@PatriotAstro]

Thank you so much! It took a long time for me to figure it out myself in such a way that I could teach it back to others. There is so much more to this tool, but it definitely has enough to get started. Glad I could help you!

[@nn1982in]

Was waiting for a video from you after seeing a series of quick drops… excited to see one today!

[@PatriotAstro]

This one's a little deeper and took an enormous amount of research and editing. I think it is the best intro AIJ available anywhere at this point, ... but I hope to never have to do this again... :) LOL!

[@jeffoldsimmer6096]

AIJ is over whelming in itself, but you have really made it much more understandable! Definitely adding this video to my notes. Thanks! Cannot wait for your HOPS video!

[@PatriotAstro]

Glad I can help!

[@alfredobeltran611]

Congratulations on this very good video, Chad. I think this is the only video I’ve seen on exoplanets processing and it’s worth trying the process. Thanks for all of the hard work to make it available. It’s amazing that technology today allows people to do science like this.

[@PatriotAstro]

Thank you. It was a lot of work so I'm certainly glad to see people are finding it worthwhile and helpful.

[@giamas72]

I'm really astonished!. one of the best amateur" tutorial I ever seen... better than some of the university's lessons I saw!

[@PatriotAstro]

Thanks! I watched so many videos watching professors sort of go through it. It was rough. I do feel like this is one of the better ones out there to get people started. There is so much more you can do with AIJ than I am exposing here!

[@LynchGaming1999]

Pro tip make sure you have H18 STar Database for ASTAP or else the batching for the files will not work if you are running into issues with ASTAP its probably that! cheers for the video mate! saved me a lotta trips from going back n fourth from observatory data!

[@PatriotAstro]

Good tip!

[@BrentMantooth]

I am a scientist by day - will have to give this a try and contribute to science at night. Thanks for putting this together and identifying a project to work on. Nothing like a good project to refine skills.

[@PatriotAstro]

It’s really a lot of fun, and surprisingly rewarding when you see that light curve and you’ve just proven to yourself that there’s a planet out there around that one bright dot in the sky. I guarantee seeing that curve will put a big smile on your face. :)

[@pamelawhitfield4570]

Me too - it seems to cause the kind of itch that you've got to scratch!

[@joeturner3970]

I loved this video. It was AWESOME. I have now managed to process some of my data and see a Transit. Thank-you very very much for making this. You are a star!

[@PatriotAstro]

AIJ is a beast BUT so powerful! Glad to help!

[@joshuasena4903]

Thank you so much for this video! This is a great tutorial. I will definitely be recommending this to my friends. I can now go into my research confident that I can process clean data. You are a hero!

[@PatriotAstro]

This is such powerful software! It took me forever to sort it out! Plus the existing vids were so specific to certain use cases and highlevel college coursework. Glad to hear it helped!

[@charliemiller3884]

An excellent tutorial on a complex piece of software. I had tried to use AIJ on my own a couple of years ago and just gave up.

[@pamelawhitfield4570]

Very timely - I managed to sit on a TESS object for 5hrs last night with minimal cloud interruption (for the UK!) I like the recent update to the NINA plugin to help filter all the candidates :-)

[@PatriotAstro]

Great! I gave Nick a bunch of ideas about the filtering and he did an absolutely awesome job with it. Now I only see 5-10 valid transits which is so much easier. These NINA contributors are absolutely amazing!

[@pamelawhitfield4570]

@@PatriotAstro I managed to analyse the data in HOPS and I got a 15millimag dip on a magnitude 10.8. It's not in the Exoclock database and clouds messed up the end baseline but Im well chuffed!

[@PatriotAstro]

@@pamelawhitfield4570 Fantastic!

[@LynchGaming1999]

1 month later I have confirmed my first exoplanet transit candidate and as well as a weird anomaly too from following this video on the process, thanks a lot @patriotastro!

[@PatriotAstro]

I love looking at great deep space pictures but something about confirming your first ExoPlanet really gets the heart pumping. What an amazing feeling!

[@gianp9735]

Awesome job breaking this mouthful down! Wow

[@PatriotAstro]

It is a brutal interface at times, but these are the things we do for "Science". :)

[@christiangloor6504]

I was wondering why that video was taking so long to come up. Now, I know 😅. Amazing work preparing these videos Chad!

[@PatriotAstro]

Sooooo happy I finished that one. :)

[@kushchandaria1115]

Hey! Amazing video, really helpful and informative! I'm having an issue once I run the multi-aperture process. In my measurements table I only have one line of data and one data point that comes up. For some reason it doesnt plot the graphic nor continue through the other frames... any ideas? Cheers!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Dude that is beyond amazing. Congrats on confirming those transits!! I can't imagine how many tens of hours, sweat and tears went into this video. AIJ seems to be a piece of work, wow. I will wait for your further videos :-) By the way, for the calibration and star alignment, could I simply use PixInsight, convert back to fits, and then use that as the image sequence input?

[@PatriotAstro]

With AIJ, you should be fine using externally calibrated images, yep. AIJ is pretty easy for calibration though so you may find just staying there easier... unless of course you are already in PI, then... :)

[@PatriotAstro]

I forgot to mention the "hours, sweat, and tears comment"... LOL, I know, you know... HaHa. Some of these take forever!

[@PatriotAstro]

So, after digging some more, it appears that external calibration works as expected and for personal use is fine, BUT the caveat is that if you want to contribute your data to the exoplanet community, they want it calibrated and processed end-to-end in their tool. This is because they want to ensure repeatable and reproducible results - because of, you know, ... science. :)

[@cecomp64]

@@PatriotAstro I actually found that the way Pixinsight calibrates data changes the flux measurements, and makes the calibrated data incompatible with AIJ, and other photometry tools, like VPhot. For some reason the PI calibration does some kind of normalization and instead of getting ADU values in the normal range 0-65535, you get a decimal between 0 and 1. On the AAVSO forum, they also recommend doing calibration entirely in a single tool. My own experiment showed that I could use master dark, bias, flats from PI, just not the calibrated light images.

[@PatriotAstro]

@@cecomp64 it is true that the researchers want everything done in a single tool. In this way, the entire results process can be easily replicated if necessary.

[@SIGP229TPOC]

Absolutely outstanding video! Thanks so much for the walk-through. AIJ is convoluted ah, but very powerful it seems. GJ!

[@PatriotAstro]

Yeah, for sure. When I put my next processing video out on the HOPS software, you’ll see that it’s a bit easier to use. The only problem I have with that, is that it’s not as easy in mid processing to correct your data, and you’re not as flexible at all when it comes to plotting and graphing whatever you would like to look at. With all that being said, it may be what most amateurs would prefer. Easy.

[@TheAlros100]

Amazing ! Can’t image all the work you put into putting all this together !

[@PatriotAstro]

I don't even want to think about all the hours of research, testing, and processing. Glad it is behind me. :) On to the next one!

[@societenouvelledastronomie]

Thank you for this very usefull tuto ! I firts used Muniwin for exoplanets but I prefer AstroImageJ because plots are much nicer. I follow you now...

[@nicksastrophotography330]

You did an awesome job on this video. I'll definitely give it a try. Should have some clear skies tonight. Finally... I have two targets set up. Let's see how it goes. Cheers Nick

[@PatriotAstro]

Enjoy! You deserve it!

[@christophert131]

Please let me know how this goes and if you could, please provide some of the expected parameters I should look for when setting up a successful observation. I am not sure if what I am seeing wrt Exposure Times, ADU setting of 66% or some other, lack of companion stars identified is normal or not. I am still trying to understand what a successful data take looks like. Thank you very much for all you have done to provide all of us this super opportunity to do real science as amatures. Take care.

[@PatriotAstro]

​@@christophert131 I think I just responded to your other message below, so hopefully that helped. :) I wouldn't worry too much about comparison stars if they are not coming up (See below's message for tips)

[@davecurtis8833]

Wow, really impressive stuff. Something that I have always wanted to do.

[@PatriotAstro]

Definitely give it a shot. It is quite rewarding when that light curve comes back positive!

[@codacoder]

What an amazing video!

[@PatriotAstro]

Thanks! I had to watch a lot of really bad videos to sort this app out on my own! LOL

[@paul_bracken]

Great video! Thank you. I had some data that I previously processed using NASA's Exotic script, and I wanted to see if I could get similar results with AIJ. Using your step-by-step approach, I got exactly the results I was expecting. My data was already pre-calibrated and aligned, so I was able to skip some of the processing. I also allowed the software to automatically choose some initial comparison stars, which I then adjusted as necessary. One minor thing that didn't work for me was that when I applied the model and increased the line width, it also increased the width of the lines joining up my data points. In your video, only the thickness of the trend line increased, which looked a lot nicer. Not sure if this is a limitation with the latest version of AIJ, or if there's a parameter or preference setting that I am missing. Please let me know what you think. Cheers, Paul.

[@taker_freaks798]

Wow, you saved me BIG TIME. Thank you

[@enqueir]

great achievement again! absolutely an astonishing job and video (as usual)!, my question now is , we have an RC12 inches mounted on iOptron Cem 120 with asi 2600 mono. Our problem is that we have different gradients affecting the referenced stars that change along the exposures during the night, .. we tried yesterday night with TOI 4045.01, a candidate exoplanet with 7.99 days period orbiting a start 580 parsec from here (16 05 27.48 and +55 11 09.62) but we found a lot of problems with these gradients .. how we can solve this issue ? how we can clean the referenced stars each one with gradients that change over the night ?

[@PatriotAstro]

I’m actually surprised you’re having that type of an issue with that focal length. Are you imaging close to the horizon in this case? I would expect the combination of the calibration frames and the air mass determination at the altitudes to help with that automatically. You may need just to try some different reference stars or cut back on the number you’re using.

[@umdobservatory7902]

There's a little red x on a stack, left end of the option... easier way to delete slices from the stack...

[@PatriotAstro]

An easier way in AIJ? Can it be possible? :) Thanks!!!

[@ahnikagee]

amazing video! thank you

[@PatriotAstro]

Glad to help... learning this was incredibly painful and I really didnt want anyone else to feel that amount of pain. LOL!

[@christophert131]

I was hoping you could either provide a description in the reply to this comment or if you have the time, a short video showing an actual observation from start to finish. I am struggling with settings and what values I should expect from the plug-in in order to have a good chance at a successful data session. For example, I am experiencing several instances where the Exposure Time calculated by the plug-in is the max default or at the least 100s of secs and out of 10 attempts and 4 full observations, I have only been able to register cal-stars once. Is this normal or at least acceptable conditions for successful data takes or do I have to have some c-stars and an exposure time of

[@PatriotAstro]

It is not unusual to get higher exposure lengths for some of these stars. You may have a couple options to explore, in this order: 1. Make sure you have the latest plugin version (it has recently updated), then go to the plugin page and adjust the settings (there are 2 'sections' of settings with the left side being where you click to see the others). You can adjust several parameters to ensure you are only getting available and bright stars in the first place. You also need to tell it to retrieve comparisons and variables if desired. You may have that turned off. 2. Maybe try another filter or none at all. If using an agressive UV/IR filter, it may be forcing longer exposures. Maybe no filter or Red? 3. Drop the ADU Target in the calculation. I lowered mine from 66% to 45% in my last acquisition and it worked fine (at least in this case). 5. Maybe try other camera settings like Gain and Binning to help with the exposure lengths that are required. For me, this would be the last resort. On the topic of Comparison Stars, don't worry. You can always use AAVSO or just AIJ itself via the Peak/Value/Int_Cnts manual comparison method. Side note: I should be re-releasing my "Shared Advanced Sequences" soon. I am including an ExoPlanet sequence I use in that update (in case you feel like you need a sequence as well).

[@chriskagy6143]

@patriotastro, 2 questions: 1) Did you find any recommendations of what filter to use (if any) when using a monochrome camera to capture images for this kind of effort? Of course, every amateur would prefer to be able to use one of the standard (LRGBHaSIIOIII) if possible. 2) Are bias frames really needed? Astrophotography with current cameras seem to avoid using bias frames for calibration, so I'm curious if you've seen anything that suggests they can be avoided here, too? I'm excited to get the next clear night and give this a try!

[@PatriotAstro]

I am using a standard L filter and it is working fine. They do sell photometric filters of course and it seems most of the recommendations lean towards Red Photometric filters. But unless you are looking to really contribute heavily, I'd just stick with an L, UV/IR, etc. I hear you on the bias frames... Depending on your camera, they may not be too important, but since they are not temperature or image train specific, I'd just snap 5 or 10 of them one day and use that batch every single time just to keep the software happy. Also, if you plan on contributing your findings, they seem like to see that they were used.

[@christophert131]

@@PatriotAstro Do you any recommendations on filters for a OSC or would they be the same as for mono? Thank you.

[@PatriotAstro]

@@christophert131 I personally haven't tried OSC yet but from what I have read: Clear, L(UV/IR), or even Green (assuming RGGB). Some have found green to work really well especially with DSLR.

[@thedonahoes]

So cool! Thank you!

[@PatriotAstro]

Best of luck! Let me know if you end up with questions.

[@Ajajqiqjaa]

Hiya, since i'm a beginner, how did you obtain the folder AU_C8_EXO_2021>HAT-P-32-bSCIENCE_DATA>light ? what link or program do i need for it, since I think you skipped it over a bit too fast for me

[@Ajajqiqjaa]

is kzbin.info/www/bejne/mn_CpJJqfc-GkLc Nina the prerequisite to this? where can i obtain the pictures if i don't own a telescope? (aside from the WASP-12b example calibrated fits file from AstroImageJ)

[@PatriotAstro]

I use Nina and the EXOplanet plug-in. That plug-in makes it so much easier to choose and image your target star. kzbin.info/www/bejne/mn_CpJJqfc-GkLc

[@salohiddinergashev8268]

Perfect! Thank you!

[@Boekoe12]

Hi, thank you for this video i have tried to capture a transit twice now without any luck. I had a few questions 1: when I load my Fits files, for some reason i can see my bayer pattern in the image when I load it into AIJ (even after calibration) I was wondering if you know if this causes a problem. 2: I was wondering if there's guaranteed a transit because with the 2 attempts there was nothing with the two attempts. thanks

[@PatriotAstro]

It’s a little bit tricky with a color camera. There are a couple steps you should do first. My recommendation would be to first debayer your color images. Next, separate the RGB channels into individual images. You can use the green channel alone for photometry with most color cameras since they tend to use RGGB bayer patterns. G will be the strongest channel. Then move in the the normal process. As far as guaranteeing a transit. The purpose of these transit databases is for citizen scientists to confirm the expected transits… so I won’t exactly say guarantee, however I do think all of the ones you’re looking at in these databases should occur. What may vary slightly will be the start and end time as well as the transit depth. Speaking of that, make sure you’re attempting a transit with a large transit depth that is detectible. You need a large flux change to occur to have an easier detection possibility.

[@Boekoe12]

@@PatriotAstro Alright thank you, i will try these extra steps out!

[@cristogrinberg7587]

How do you name your files (that includes the coordinates and all the info) and is it possible to calibrate without flats? Thanks!

[@PatriotAstro]

The name of the files comes directly out of NINA this way. It is configured in Options > Imaging. This video covers it somewhere along the way. You use variables to set the path and name dynamically.kzbin.info/www/bejne/h4iUmWiBmch5ars

[@PatriotAstro]

You can calibrate without flats but some of the software is picky about having it. We are tracking light levels down to the parts per thousand so a really good and complete calibration is important.

[@markomesarc4844]

Hi, ASTAP is not working for me and I do not know reason why. The ASTAP do not create duplicate of the fits images as you showed in this video. Any guess why?

[@Apagadorable]

Running into the same problem. Did you figure out what went wrong?

[@markomesarc4844]

@@Apagadorable nope, some of the files are converted to WCS some not. Then, I have to manually label those which are not converted I try to do it once again. It is working that way.

[@Broccoli_32]

Oh boy I’m going down the rabbit hole now, I probably should’ve just stuck with simple astrophotography.

[@PatriotAstro]

I’ve taken a lot of really cool pictures, but proving an exoplanet existed almost moved me to tears. It is absolutely unbelievable that we can do this with a terrestrial scope. One of the coolest things I ever did.

[@Broccoli_32]

​@@PatriotAstro It's one of the many reasons why I love Astrophotography/Astronomy. There aren't many fields of science that ordinary people can make major contributions to. Also the Astrophotography community is one of the most helpful groups I've ever seen, I would've never been able to figure anything out if it weren't for people like you.

[@Chris_NGC6188Ara]

Wow....thanks Chad, but WAY!!!!! above my pay grade LOL.

[@PatriotAstro]

Ha Ha - LOL :) I know the feeling!

[@Andiap-y1t]

This video was really helpful for me. I would be grateful if you could check your email 🌷