This example of the planned path of NEOCP object CE6GWT2 is based on eight measurements of G96 and I52,
in 57.6 minutes, 13.5 hours ahead of schedule. Scout calculates a Sigma-1 deviation in R.A. of 14.5 arcmin
and a deviation in Declination. of 10.2 arcmin. The full range deviation is 44 arcmin in R.A. and 28 arcmin in Declination.
This screen is used in two ways. Firstly, mosaics can be created for selected deep sky objects; secondly, the paths of the planned objects,
including the sigma deviations, are displayed against the star background when the S key function in the
Revise screen is shown.
The Execute Search features were developed jointly by the NEO Planner user team. Knowledge of spherical geometry was essential for displaying
the star map and calculating the mosaic positions.
Many thanks to P. Christoph Gerhard OSB of K74 Muensterschwarzach and Bernd Koch of B72 Soerth for their valuable tips and formulas!
The decoding of the UCAC-3 binaries and the programming work was accomplished with the help of my talents.
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Creating mosaics for deep-sky objects
Interfaces to N.I.N.A.
The Execute Search function creates two files in the planning folder of NEO Planner for loading into N.I.N.A.
On the one hand an XML file for loading in the sequencer's open target set, on the other hand a JSON file for loading in the advanced sequencer.
The mosaic feature can be used for all observing purposes, including deep sky observing.
Selection of camera or scenario
Active camera or scenario. Clicking on 'QHY600L' takes you to the
CCD/CMOS parameters and you can select the active camera there.
Width and height of the camera field
The size of the active camera's sensor in arcmin (FoV) according to CCD/CMOS parameters.
Width and height of the mosiac
Size of the entire recording area according to the mosaic size in arcmin. (Mosaic selection area)
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Mosaic selection
Overlap of the mosaic in %
Amount of the overlap of the individual mosaic fields in percent in right ascension and declination.
The overlap is calculated correctly and the positions in the JSON and XML file are correct. The display in the starmap is still being revised.
Rows and Colunmns
Specifies the size of the mosaic. A maximum of 10 rows and 10 columns is possible.
R.A. and Declination
Central position of the mosaic. This also forms the center of the mosaic in the star field.
Search for Deep Sky Object
There is an exam for the existence of the deep sky object. Any catalog designation can be entered.
The object is then centered in the middle of the mosaic and displayed with its size and orientation.
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N.I.N.A. selection
Execute start time in hours and minutes in local time.
Exposure time and number of images/one mosaic field
When searching for Near Earth Objects, the key is to find objects moving faster than Main Belt asteroids or comets.
We recommend an exposure time of approx. 30 seconds and at least 36 images per series for a search with the help of the Tycho Synthetic Tracker.
Also if you blink the picture series with your eyes about 30 images per mosaic field are recommended.
Experience has shown that objects up to approx. 19 mag can be flashed visually under these conditions taken with high-intensity sensors.
The sequence of shots for N.I.N.A. follows this rule:
The telescope is positioned from lower R.A. to higher R.A. First, all columns per lower R.A. positioned, then jump to the nearest higher R.A. and processing of all columns and so on.
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Star map selection
Vmag and Check Boxes
The faintest Vmag brightness of stars and galaxies can be set. Objects from the S function in
Revise are not affected.
With deep sky: checked -> display galaxiesboth from the
UCAC-3 and
the revised NGC/IC catalogs.
With designations: checked -> displays existing designations of deep sky objects in the NGC/IC catalog.
Without SFx: checked -> The numbers of the mosaic fields are not displayed in the SFx format.
Switch N/S: checked -> The display of the objects in the starmap are mirrored vertically.
Switch E/W: checked -> The display of the objects in the starmap are mirrored horizontally.
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Display of the star map
After performing the Execute Search, the star map is displayed with the central search position in the middle of the single field / mosaic.
The green field borders show the dimensions of the image and the arrangement of the image series based on the sensor size.
The star map shows all Yale bright stars, Tycho and Hipparchus stars and all UCAC-3 stars up to about 17 mag.
In addition, all galaxies from the UCAC-3 catalog and the revised NGC/IC catalog are displayed if checked.
The revised NGC/IC catalog is copyrighted by Dr. Wolfgang Steinike et al. Corresponding information on the use of this catalog can be found
here.
Clicking any object displays all available information of the star, galaxy or of the selected object from the solar system below the star map.
(see the red circle in the star field). With a double click on any object it can be centered in the middle of the starmap. This new position is also used for the interface to
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S-function in Revise
Display object path
When using the S-function in Revise, the calculated start position of the object is positioned in the middle of the star map
and the path length of the object according to the plan is shown with a dark Goldenrod line.
The calculation of the path in the image is not based on the recording data of the object, but solely on the time difference between the start time of the object and the
start time of the next object in the plan.
In the example above, the center position was set to a star to get a different positioning of the object on the FoV of the starmap.
Also an advantage is the visibility of the path of the object with the star background. If the object is moving across stars, you may need to adjust the planning times
to ensure a reliable measurement.
Origin Ephemeris
The origin ephemeris is displayed.
NEO and comets are typically determined using JPL Horizons API.
NEOCP objects access JPL's Scout API.
If the JPL API cannot be used, the MPC ephemeris is used.
The origin then appears in red. This can occur in rare cases, but it affects the determination of the object's track, which can then no longer be displayed.
The object's position is then indicated by a small orange dot in the star map.
Mosaic objects are displayed with their mosaic number.
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1-Sigma RA and Dec
Explanations regarding x-sigma:
What does a standard deviation of x-sigma mean for position determination? (derived from an internet explanation):
"With approximately normally distributed data, about 68% of all determined positions lie within one standard deviation of the mean
(1-sigma). About 95% lie within two standard deviations (2-sigma), and 99.7% lie within three standard deviations (3-sigma).
This is also known as the 68-95-99.7 rule."
The JPL Scout website provides 1-sigma values for NEOCP objects, while JPL Horizons provides
3-sigma values for all non-NEOCP objects.
Application in NEO Planner:
Extension of the Execute Search Window when using the
S-function in the Revise screen for NEOCP objects:
In addition to the planned path of a NEOCP object, its 1-sigma deviations are also displayed as as ellipses or rectangular if appropriate.
Based on the n-orbits set in the Object selection settings for the Scout API,
the 1-sigma deviations of NEOCP objects are determined and displayed here.
A red color indicates a 1-sigma deviation that is greater than the equipment's FoV and is not displayed in the image area.
If both the RA and Dec deviations are light blue, the 1-sigma values can be displayed as ellipses or rectangular in the image area.
The green-yellow color indicates that the 1-sigma range is below one-tenth of the FoV and the position is therefore largely secure.
If the 1-sigma values can reasonably be displayed in the image area, they are displayed as two colored ellipses or rectangular.
The green-colored ellipses or rectangular refers to the 1-sigma range of the object's starting position,
and the red ellipses or rectangular to the final position.
For non-NEOCP objects, the 3-sigma values and graphics from the Horizons API are displayed.
The calculation of symmetry points when displaying ellipses and rectangles for the 1-sigma deviations of NEOCP objects in Execute Search
has been precisely adapted to the data from the Scout API. This ensures the best possible alignment with the deviation plot in Scout.
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Manual preparation vs. NEO Planner:
NEO Planner transforms Scout's rather cryptic displays in the internet for NEOCP objects into a graphical representation against the star background,
showing the planned path of the NEOCP object, including its deviation environment.
This automatically provides the observer with a basis for evaluating the planned tracking of a newly discovered object and
allows him to quickly assess the success or failure of an observation.
In the following, I would like to outline the steps that would be necessary manually to even come close to achieving the quality of an evaluation.
First, we open JPL Scout, select an object and enter our planned observation times into it.
JPL Scout selection screen of NEOCP objects
After a few seconds, Scout displays the desired ephemerides of the object and offers a detailed view via a display link.
From the following display, one can try to form one's own idea of a realistic deviation from the true position of the object.
JPL Scout display screen of NEOCP objects
All calculated positions, i.e., 100% of the sample, are displayed = full range. The 1-sigma deviations are located around the central 0/0 position of the graph.
NEO Planner then calculates, within an ellipse oriented towards the position angle P.A., the 1-sigma deviations in R.A. and declination,
and, if desired, also the full-range deviations of the object at the start time and end time of the recording.
This allows for a realistic assessment of the success of an observation at a glance.
This example of the planned path of NEOCP object CE6GWT2 is based on eight measurements of G96 and I52,
in 57.6 minutes, 13.5 hours ahead of schedule. Scout calculates a Sigma-1 deviation in R.A. of 14.5 arcmin
and a deviation in Declination. of 10.2 arcmin. The full range deviation is 44 arcmin in R.A. and 28 arcmin in Declination.
NEO Planner extracts the 1-sigma value of all calculated positions from the supplied API response data and creates a realistic graph.
This graph shows both the object's path against the background stars at the time of observation, as well as a graphical display of the 1-sigma and full-range deviations.
In our example, the full-range positions are also located slightly outside the image.
The green ellipses represent the 1-sigma and full-range deviations from the starting position, the red ones show the deviations from the final position.
A single click on a row in "Revise" and a few seconds later the viewer receives an overview of the expected events.
The 1-sigma and full-range deviations of NEOCP objects can be analyzed numerically and graphically with a star background at the time of the image capture
via the S key in Revise on the Execute Search screen.
Position map on the right
The position map shows the R.A. and declination positions of the mosaic and their values in milliseconds: from R.A. 00h00m00s and from Declination -90 on.
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