How do you autoguide with PHD2?

Using PHD2 Guiding

  1. Hit the loop button and look at the available stars, adjusting focus if necessary. Move the mount or adjust the exposure duration as needed to find a suitable guide star.
  2. Click the ‘Auto-Select Star’ icon to choose the best guide star candidate.
  3. Press the PHD2 Guide button.

How does st4 autoguiding work?

The Autoguiding program detects that movement, and then figures out where the star was, where it is now, and where it should be. Through a calibration routine earlier on, the software knows HOW your mount moves, and will send commands to the mount to move the star back to where it was.

How can I improve my autoguiding?

Here are ten quick tips to help you get the most of your guiding setup and avoid some of the most common tracking errors.

  1. Polar align.
  2. Don’t overload your mount.
  3. Check your connections.
  4. Watch out for vibrations.
  5. Brightest isn’t always best.
  6. Don’t be afraid to defocus.
  7. Don’t overcompensate.
  8. Try guiding in just one axis.

Do I need an autoguider for astrophotography?

Even with your polar alignment spot-on, and your payload perfectly balanced, autoguiding is often necessary to track your object smoothly enough for astrophotography. This is especially true on beginner-level GoTo mounts such as the Sky-Watcher HEQ5 Pro pictured below.

What is an ST4 cable?

An ST4 cable connects your guide camera to your mount. It doesn’t need to be long. Are you looking for USB to serial cables to control the mount?

What is ST4?

ST4 or ST-4 may refer to: The Monospar ST-4, a variant of the Monospar aircraft, built by British aircraft manufacturer General Aircraft Limited. The Snow Trac ST4, a model in the Snow Trac family of Snowcat vehicles. The Ducati ST4s, a motorcycle manufactured by Ducati.

What is ST4 cable?

Many telescope mounts offer autoguiding via an ST4 style guide port (sometimes referred to as autoguide ports or CCD ports) and a suitable ST4 guide cable. This is the cable 🙂 Made from high quality round cable that is more flexible and less prone to snagging or twisting than flat cables.

What is SharpCap?

SharpCap is an easy-to-use and powerful astronomy camera capture tool. It can be used with dedicated astronomy cameras, webcams and USB frame grabbers.

What does PHD2 stand for?

PHD2 is telescope guiding software that simplifies the process of tracking a guide star, letting you concentrate on other aspects of deep-sky imaging or spectroscopy.

Do I need a guidescope?

If the focal length of your imaging scope is 1500mm, then you need a guide scope with a focal length of at least 150mm to give sufficient resolution for effective autoguiding. This is not a hard and fast rule, but it is helpful to understand what focal length you need.

What is the purpose of autoguider?

An autoguider is an automatic electronic guidance tool used in astronomy to keep a telescope pointed precisely at an object being observed. This prevents the object from drifting across the field of view during long-exposures which would create a blurred or elongated image.