What is Plate Solving? Tips for Faster Astrophotography!

[@lawrencesaville3345]

Plate solve was a Eureka event when I 'discovered' it a few years back. Complete heaven sent Magic! Have to confess I use plate solving (SharpCap with AstroTortilla) to star align my mount in the first place. Dumb CGEM asks me to finesse the align and hit enter when centred on "star X" DUH?!? Plate solve nudges the mount all is happy in alignment-land. Saves my dumb-ass every time. Entre nous,also helps when I miss the daylight savings bump, a 15 deg error is a smoking gun that I've got the time wrong!!

[@praxxtv]

Platesolving is amazing. I do not understand why star alignment is ever preferred, with the exception of not having access to an available computer next to the telescope. Even if I want to visually observe, it is easy to platesolve through the guidescope, and have the telescope perfectly on target. No matter the focal length. I imagine Dylan is loving platesolving with the new SCT at an extraordinarily high focal length.

[@BIGV1N]

I'm glad you've kept the lab coat, instantly impressed EVERY TIME!

[@DylanODonnell]

It’s become a fixture hasn’t it ? 😆

[@jeffreypicard6022]

@@DylanODonnell Hell, I hit like 2 seconds into the video because of it.

[@MattBrunton1965]

@@DylanODonnell Like Colin Furze's "safety tie". Wear it for SCIENCE.

[@martynh5410]

Hah! Without a lab coat this stuff wouldn’t be near as good!

[@MrGp3po]

I used to have a couple lab coats, but after years in chemical laboratories, they had too many "ewwwww, what the hell is that?!" stains.

[@davidjames4915]

Ekos within KStars has a polar alignment module that uses plate solving to help you get your mount aligned - after a series of images and rotations around the pole, it presents you with a correction vector to follow using your altaz adjusters. 6:40 Photometric plate solving has told me that so far most of my telescopes' claimed or stated focal lengths actually understate the true focal length... usually by a small amount, but always understated. Additionally, my supposed 0.85x focal reducer is rather closer to 0.86x. So, there's that.

[@elmikol2443]

Plate solving is incredible! Don't know how I managed without it for the first year. Best thing since the destruction of your ST 4 guide cable!

[@mikemanning3388]

Thanks Dylan! Glad to know that even you have alignment issues on your mount too. I have a belt modded NEQ6 Pro with fairly decent PA and always have to use plate solving. I've set up EQMod with some reference points now to make it a bit better but next thing I need to adjust out is cone error! Keep up the great work, loving your videos

[@DylanODonnell]

Yeh the standard star align even with 4 calibration stars is still a basic sky model. I imagine having a proper large multipoint sky model would make gotos perfect but I’m not there yet.

[@dealingit]

I thought plate solving was when my wife repacks the dishwasher after I already DID IT! Admittedly you can fit a lot more in afterwards.

[@yobb89]

good introduction to plate solving, there are some handy settings in sgp for plate solving, setting the error allowance is a good option ie how many pixels out for a pass on the solve ectt. i believe a plate solve will usualy always fail if your alignment for say is the width of the moon out in a medium size focal length scope ,closer to the target faster as said in the video . if you don't know your camera angle, it will show in the plate solve very briefly ,once noted,type it in the camera settings. will be intresting to see some solving at 2800 - 3000mm fl in less dence star regions .

[@Barx1963]

Fun video Dylan. Interesting you mentioned alignment stars. I haven't done a star alignment in 4 years (with 1 small exception). I use a AZ/EQ6 mount and EQMOD and SGP and as long as I take care setting up the mount (level the tripod, make sue the axes are set up accurately in home position) it always gets it close enough to easily plate solve. I have a purely portable setup. Key is having the setup done as per he instructions for SGP in the manual. The only time I do a star alignment is if I go to a new site, I pop a small scope on the mount as soon as it get dark and run 2 star alignment followed by polar alignment routines from the handset to get me close enough to properly polar align with the Polemaster. At home, I don't need to do that. Not doing star alignments or syncing is a huge time saving!!

[@carltanner9065]

My plate solving is always off...every time I take the plates out of the dishwasher they still look dirty :) :P Plate solving is great, so long as the reference frames are accurate to begin with.

[@TheZ3roCool]

By the time I am Polar Aligned and focussed I am too drunk to Star Align so Plate Solving has really saved my bacon 👍👍🙏

[@gavin5326]

Woah, a star stuff video on my birthday! Best birthday yet. :)

[@Wolfie6020]

Thanks Dylan, this will be so helpful for a couple of friends starting out in the game. I love place solving. Sorry I didn't use it from the start. I'd waste 80% of the night trying to get a perfect polar and star alignment and it never 100% With plate solving and guiding near enough is good enough...

[@TheSupergrouperr]

Beautiful capture and great info! Thanks!

[@GaryMCurran]

Thanks Dylan, I understood the basic concept, but I'm glad you've elaborated. Thanks.

[@AstroDenny]

I was using PS2 but I can't believe how damn fast Astap is! Very good video, Dylan. Clear skies!

[@brianreynolds1098]

I had no idea what you were talking about (since I only do Planetary AP) but it was entertaining as always! Keep up the great work on the vids!

[@RaysAstrophotography]

Nice Video Dylan! Plate Solving, GPS, Driver less cars...we are automating everything!

[@DylanODonnell]

Thanks Ray!

[@iandobbin8068]

Great video 👍 and thanks for the binning tip, hadn't thought of that. Cheers.

[@howardbond1583]

Thanks Dylan for the explanation & Tips on Plate Solving. Since I’m still “ViewFinder” Astronomer I don’t have the advantage of “plate solving” to fine tune my Meade’s Goto. I really get frustrated in finding Deep Sky Object, & find comfort in have a few brews. I’m really leaning toward getting a Lab Coat & digital camera. Stay Safe!!!

[@jaredwellman1523]

Your "test shots" look better than most of the images I take on purpose! Thank you for another excellent video!

[@DylanODonnell]

Thanks for watching !

[@gastonmacmillan4849]

To learn more about those first “Super Computers” at Harvard that developed Plate solving read Dava Sobel’s The Glass Universe: How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars!

[@quitters911]

Thanks for the reference! I see it is available in English and German.

[@johngiromini5745]

I'm assuming M8 is what Jimi Hendrix was referencing when he wrote that "Purple Haze" tune. Nice explanation on plate solving. I've messed around with the Celestron Starsense a bit on my CGX but was not able to get sufficient accuracy. Primary reason for trying that was to get the scope setup quickly during star parties. Since we are star party-less for the foreseeable future, I haven't gotten back to diddling with it.

[@DylanODonnell]

Yeh I have a starsense but haven’t gotten round to playing with it. Same thoughts re mobile astronomy.

[@georgedoyle8795]

Great explanation as always!

[@jeffslade1892]

Thank you 🙂 Focussing. The Celestron Starsense uses plate solving to align and calibrate only you cannot get a picture out of the wretched thing, it's not designed like that (why❓ insert rude word of choice). First goes wasted 20 minutes shuffling about until it failed. Cursing the thing as poxed and a waste of cash until brainwave, it's out of focus. Focussing had to be done by iterative method turning the lens one turn at a time trial and error and then narrowing down to 1/4 turn then 1/8 turn, and yes it is as critical as 1/8 turn or less, until it would calibrate and align in a literally a matter of a few seconds. When it's good it's very good and that's with a street lamp by the yard obliterating the starlight. But we're still not finished for now we have to manually calibrate the finder to the OTA so we hit centre, nothing mechanical other than centre the OTA on the object and tell the finder that is the centre. Yes I can fit an astro-cam and use a software app but that won't calibrate the internal Celestron SLT goto. The point? Accurate initial set up saves wasting a lot of time later 🙂

[@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy]

Thank you, Dylan. Excellent tips, particularly about the length of exposure and the 2x2 binning. Now if I could only be able to plate solve under a cloudy sky?

[@jweebs1986]

Just recently started platesolving using Kstars running on astroberry and it almost feels like cheating. It’s a huge game changer for my back yard where my neighbors have tall trees and so I don’t always have good visibility to the alignment stars my mount would want me to use in the past.

[@celestromel]

Thanks Dylan - this one is a goodie!

[@Mobius3c273]

Very interesting. I have never heard of plate solving before.

[@davepastern]

Thanks Dylan!

[@LowBlow]

Dylan, need your advice please. We are moving out to Bortle 4 / Bortle 3 skies in about a month. Recently Ive started to enjoy photographing the night sky with my R3 and 300mm f/2.8. Thinking about taking the next step and either getting a star tracker mount or just getting a 10 inch Dobsonian to enjoy the sky through an eye piece. Which would you do?

[@davidbrown1914]

Speaking of plate solving - What is your opinion of the Celestron Starsense Explorer telescopes? The telescope reviews well, however if I look at reviews for the app in the Google play store, it seems it is plagued with problems. Trying to decide if I should get a Starsense Explorer for the family for the benefit of easy navigation or just get a big dobsonian.

[@DylanODonnell]

The app works for me pretty well.. I helped beta test and initially it was a bit crashy but has worked fine for me since :)

[@davidbrown1914]

@@DylanODonnell thanks for the reply, was your app android or ios?

[@celestromel]

Another goody! Thanks Dylan.

[@DylanODonnell]

Cheers Mel!

[@edwarddewolf3392]

Thx Dylan, great video. I need to break down and build up my setup for each imaging night. I also have to take off the camera from my scope. Do you have any tips to use platesolving somehow for me to get my camera exactly in the same position as the night before, and not rotated so that I can take exactly the same image as the night before?

[@DylanODonnell]

I actually try to keep my sensor rotated exactly the same way for this reason. Bottom of chip facing the floor. It also means you capture the target as it’s seen from your hemisphere.

[@strelnikoff7]

Can you use platesolving to start in the first place? I.e. good polar alignment and then - no star alignment just plate solve where the scope is pointing and from there - move onto the target?

[@DylanODonnell]

Yes some software allows a multipoint model to be created of the sky .. more advanced but that’s what you mean :)

[@AnakChan]

Here's where I get confused too. I have a Starbook Ten, which is hooked up to my ASIAir Pro. I get what I think is contention of control of the scope and wonder if platesolving actually performing the alignment. If I use the Starbook Ten to align (after plate solving), my Starbook Ten asks me if I want to override...presumably override whatever alignment the ASIAir Pro has done? So these days I just skip the Starbook Ten alignment, and assume platesolving is aligning for me.

[@ricardoabh3242]

In an all app situation, iPad + DSLR Nikon. Is there a combination or unique app, like SynScan pro + Stellarium, that would allow for plate solving and tracking (with dedicated scope or latest image taken)

[@TheUrbanAstronomer]

Great video Dylan 👍👍

[@DylanODonnell]

Thanks mate !

[@spookydonkey2195]

Man, the colors in that Lagoon shot are absolutely amazing. I find myself liking color images more than narrowband/palette photos these days. Does that make me a bad person?

[@clungebucket23]

My solved DSOs are usually off centre. I understand the principles behind it. But it's almost as if the coordinates of the registered centre of a given DSO within the star database / sky coordinates is not the visual centre for AP purposes. I'm using ASTAP in NINA and its very fast but I have to manually recentre most objects. I'm using an Ioptron CEM40 and the GOTO is usually one degree off which is acceptable.... Would changing my Epoch make a difference? Also, I noticed that the centre of some objects in Stellarium are also off centre in exactly the same manner. I'm wondering / betting that a very small DSO would be better centred due to it not having a large vague nebulous area around it.

[@Kyle_Hubbard]

Hey Dylan. Why is the Lagoon Nebula called the Lagoon Nebula? Also the image you shared in the video kinda looks like a stingray. The Sequence Generator Pro that you mentioned is it worth using the free version? You said about open source and free but they have a subscription based version that I'm not personally fond of and wasn't sure if the free version is worth while.

[@schwags1969]

Very informative video.

[@DylanODonnell]

Glad you enjoyed it !

[@Nottsboy24]

Interesting tips Dylan 👌🔭

[@georgepistikoudis]

Hey Dylan great video, very informative for us who never before used plate solving. Let please me ask you something. I want to use the three point polar alignment of NINA software which is relying on plate solving with the ASTAP plate solver. I have a ASI 224MC planetary camera. Do you think I could plate solve if I pair it with a ZWO guide scope (aperture 30mm f/4, focal length 120mm)?

[@98vwgolf]

After I got an ASI Air, I discovered plate solving. I immediately ditched the hand controller. and my neighbors model 3 has been on a flatbed more than I can remember. I rented one for a road trip to utah and i'll never do that again.

[@jamesdougan8789]

g`day dylan do they do winter lab coats i still sit with the scope outside sheepskin lined lab coat maybe lol ..... no i am not a kiwi lol nice detail and structure in the "TEST" shot .... dang your good cheers james D

[@DylanODonnell]

I needed my Starlink hoodie last night 😆

[@mrxmry3264]

when you said "space is big" i thought you were gonna go for that famous quote, and you did. you know where your towel is :-)

[@luboinchina3013]

Can you use platesolving for better allignment? I know Celestron can do polar alignment without polaris, but I am using EQ mod and don't know how can I get better polar allignment. Polar allignment based on drift allignment takes too long time.

[@DylanODonnell]

I think skywatcher has an alignment routine in the Hc just like Celestron. Also phd2 has some alignment routines I think.

[@lassertje11]

Does the Celestron's starsense actually also platesolving during polar-alignment?

[@DennisCarmody]

Platesolving is the best! I wish it was more useful at 7050mm FL when trying to center Jupiter on my tiny ASI224MC sensor w/ a 3x Barlow!! What're you using (w/ what settings) to get those time-lapse shots at the end of the video?

[@DylanODonnell]

I agree! Those shots are usually 15s iso 3200 or 1600 with the canon dslr on a tripod :)

[@DennisCarmody]

Dylan O'Donnell thanks!

[@hypersphereengineering6015]

Based on your Focal Length of 7050mm . I am going to deduce you have a Celestron 9.25 inch Telescope. Am I correct?

[@petetube111]

Hey Dylan, do you use flats in your processing? (I never see it in your vids) and if not, could you do a little vid on what you do? I’ve seen somewhere you can do it in Pixinsight.

[@katebovski6947]

When you say Space is big are you referring to our little Universe or the Multiverse as a whole? and if it's our little Universe are you talking about all of it or just the bit we can see?

[@DylanODonnell]

In the context of a video about using a telescope and plate solving I’m just quoting Douglas Adams to illustrate that it’s big enough to sometimes not find the things you’re looking for :)

[@frackcenturion]

thanks for explaining it, very helpful 🔭👍

[@robsbackyardastrophotograp8885]

Once you go Platesolve, you can't go back. If my solve routine in SGP doesn't work, I play USB port roulette and restart Everything as opposed to manually navigating. I think it's a testament to how boring the world was without smartphones and Reddit. These amazing genius women willingly subjected themselves to solving without software.

[@shyamsr87]

Haha..I totally thought you said spice is big in the beginning 😂.. Aussie accent is great.. 😀

[@philipespinal3293]

Plate solving for me is just looking up an image of my target and trying to find any patterns of stars that match my test exposure. 👌

[@DylanODonnell]

That works too :)

[@reelrebellion7486]

My version is to look through the glass thingy and ask, "wtf is that?".

[@Danieltredway1431]

Thanks Dillan!

[@justforkiks29]

Are all go to mounts able to be connected to a computer to use this method?

[@DylanODonnell]

If they have an ascom driver and USB cable then yes :)

[@justforkiks29]

@@DylanODonnell Awesome, thank you! Just found your channel and I'm new to the hobby hoping to learn how to get some good shots.

[@gregkotz7949]

Thanks for the explanation. Can platesolve2 blind platesolve offline? I have no way of getting online at my dark location.

[@flanerpete2040]

Hey Dylan, thanks for another informative video. On a side note: my lab coat arrived today... 😉

[@DylanODonnell]

Yesssss

[@derekderek2570]

Good stuff, sir... now back to the beer.

[@davidduncan3454]

I have another tip.... Make sure the time is set correctly on the mount. I forgot to reset the time back to daylight savings time and couldn't figure out why my plate solving was failing. It took me hours to get it figured out.

[@EdMG99]

English Using plate resolution, is it necessary to align stars? It works without aligning but I'm not sure if I can skip that step. Español Utilizando la resolución de placas, es necesario alinear a estrellas? Me funciona sin alinear pero no estoy seguro si puedo saltarme ese paso

[@DylanODonnell]

Yeh plate solving gets you close but the natural drift even with good polar alignment will slightly misalign the stars.

[@EdMG99]

@ Thanks! So far it has worked much better for me than aligning stars, it just solves again and adjusts again. I no longer have to climb up onto the roof so often in the cold to change objects 😅

[@williamgorham7339]

When even your failed images turn out well your on Dylan’s level lol 😂.

[@TheAngryAstronomer]

If your go-tos are a bit off I'm asking if you've checked your cone error bro.

[@briandenley]

Ok. How can I get into plate solving with my Evolution 8 alt-az and Neximage 5? What else do I need

[@pompeymonkey3271]

Platesolving is pure Witchcraft. And I love it! :)

[@DylanODonnell]

Hah yes that’s what I meant to say

[@depayanmondal]

So plate solving uses a previously taken photo to guide to the target then how does observetories discover new things in space that weren't known before?? Plate solving won't work here and with those massive telescopes it would be even more difficult to find anything.

[@robwarren4296]

Nice plate!

[@DylanODonnell]

Thx! I’m proud of the plate.

[@robwarren4296]

Yes, it’s a beauty, plate solved! : )

[@chrisblacklock9468]

One more tip...make sure your computer has good internet access for it to get the plate solving reference pictures! My WiFi in the back yard was shit and caused it to fail till I figured that one out - DOH!

[@DylanODonnell]

Depending on the software many have options to install the libraries locally which may be useful at a dark sky site or poor wifi backyard :)

[@user-dz3ph7dl4m]

yes - haven't made the leap to plate solving probably should consider it... but hey at least bad sex is still sex right?

[@ndpitch]

Hi Dylan! Figured I'd say hello in the first comment of the video.

[@DylanODonnell]

Howdy :)

[@jimmyb998]

Start alignment? What's that? Oh, that thing where you used to have to LOOK through the telescope with your OWN EYES, and "press ENTER when centered"? So last century :D I have marks on the ground where my tripod legs go, so that the mount is polar aligned to within a few arcminutes. I turn on the mount, and tell ccdciel to goto whatever I want to photograph. It takes pictures, solves, slews, as often as it takes (usually just one iteration), all while I'm drinking beer and browsing youtube. done. Star alignment? Never heard of it ...

[@paulwilson8367]

Recently watched an old video by well known Tucson AP’er Adam Block. He sez, show him an image made by any of about 30 top Astro photographers in the world and he will tell you who did it by their style. Dylan would he know you by your style? How would you characterize your style?

[@DylanODonnell]

Interesting! He wouldn't be able to recognise my style because I'm not in the top 30 .. or anywhere close :) I imagine he wouldn't even know who I am! But yes, I definitely think I have a style. Low contrast, medium saturation and high black point (I don't make black black and tend to keep the image as bright as possible.

[@paulwilson8367]

Dylan O'Donnell great answer! I’m going to looking to recognize those subtleties in your photos and it’s cool you know your style. One thing about Adam though it’s totally thanks to his own efforts. He gets to win awards using his style and technique along with Big scopes atop Mt. Lemon.

[@TheParachaz]

Ha! I bet your wife is glad you can plate solve, no more “ fiddling” for you.

[@wolfyjaz]

Dylan with just a t shirt: 🤨🙄 Dylan with lab coat: 😃😲👏👏

[@DylanODonnell]

Hehe

[@OhanSmit]

plate solving be like, astromagically getting in the right sex position... :D

[@vladimirlenin4080]

1:05 Based 😳

[@area51xi]

What if the plate is tupperware?

[@Lank871]

My gf says you look like a dentist with the lab coat 😆

[@greyraven1245]

Happy accident 🤣. Great pic Dylan. and a great video.

[@clungebucket23]

Platesolving is a godsend. For APT users, check out Kurt Zeppetello at AstroQuest1 for in-depth tutorials.

[@piotrjakuc6357]

Dylan, what kind of job do you have to afford both a Tesla and an Astrophotography rig? Asking for a friend...

[@GuybrushThriftweed]

He is a doctor OFC. Look at his labcoat...

[@piotrjakuc6357]

Of course! It all makes sense now!

[@techydude]

“haphazardly slewing around the universe” is probably an accurate description of God 🎤💧

[@AstroExploring]

This man is wearing a lab coat! He knows what he’s talking about!!

[@clartypaths840]

8 out of 10 lab coat wearers agree with this statement.

[@jackfrost4033]

I didn’t understand the allusion at « bad sex »

[@ricardoabh3242]

Is it still legal to use grandma to plate-solve? It’s cheaper!😊

[@GarnettLeary]

Mermaid Waters and sexual references. Good stuff. Nice image at upper of 2000mm. I just solved my plate of bacon. Clear skies.

[@TMG_Dude]

Lab coat is required from this point forward

[@gloubiboulgazeblob]

Hi Dylan, First of all, thanks for sharing all your videos, fun and instructive. Guitar and IT, sounds very familiar to me... I took a look at your Bintel astronomy calculator, that is cool. I think it would have been better to list all cameras that are good given the telescope/refractor parameters instead of choosing, one by one, the ones that match a correct sampling, or simply calculate the best pixel size. Moreover, these calculations are theorical...In real life, you know, "Everything is meaningless, and we're all going to die", nothing is ideal and probably nobody will meet these theoretical figures in their entire life... Other youtubers say that we should multiply pixel size by 2, at least, because of seeing, light pollution and all that sh... What do you think ? P.S. : don't forget, humans are diurnal, sleep a bit more, you look terrible sometimes :-D

[@kristhompson8112]

Where do I find a plate solving women like that, ???

[@TheWonkyAstronomer]

But will it solve bad sex? (Asking for myself)

[@tchallalemou5307]

Boom there it is. un-pixelated blob below camera at 1:13. My sweet eternal rest awaits.

[@DylanODonnell]

Hehehe

[@Zealor365]

If my lab coat says "Western Mental Hospital", will viewers still be impressed?

[@mmixlinus]

2:50 You mention women "primitive supercomputers" and then at 3:10 say that we now have *Actual Computers* to do the calculations.. Let me turn it around by saying that the women were the *Actual Computers* - Computers is what they were. Nowadays we use Electronic Computers. Right? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_(job_description)

[@DylanODonnell]

It’s a bit semantic but I’m actually implying they were analog supercomputers as opposed to digital regular-computers.

[@mmixlinus]

@@DylanODonnell yes, it's easy for me to sit in my armchair and criticize someone for their choice of a couple of words. You're doing a good job! ❤️

[@RobertoGiana]

You can do even more with plate solving: kzbin.info/www/bejne/g2GrmpZoZbl-q8U

[@dtvm7469]

Yada yada yada! What is Plate solving in one sentence?

[@DylanODonnell]

This isn’t the google search box :)

[@MrMa1981]

So what Plate Solving actually is? The goals were already known.

[@JacquesMare]

It's like bad sex...... that needs what? Fiddling..... you say? 😄😄😄😄😄😄😄

[@mike-lu8di]

No such thing as bad Sex, you either get Sex or you don"t :).

[@DylanODonnell]

And when it’s bad .. it’s still pretty good.

[@mike-lu8di]

@@DylanODonnell And if it is Bad then Life is meaningless and where all going to Die :)

[@paulduffy7902]

Please, people watch this to learn about plate solving, nobody wants to know about your electric vehicle.

[@DylanODonnell]

Too bad :)

[@Steve_The_Ignorant_Astronomer]

What the heck is a Bottle Shop ??? Speak english man

[@DylanODonnell]

It’s a magical place...

[@Steve_The_Ignorant_Astronomer]

@@DylanODonnell Oh it must be , have to go visit one day