David's Astronomy Pages Notes - Session 820 (2020-10-23)

Notes (S819)

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Notes (S821)

	Session Aims & Highlights
	- Observing Result  - Night Summary Plot  - Session Event Log
	Operational Issues
	- Critical Issues (0),  Major Issues (0),  Minor Issues (18),  Continuous Improvement (4)
	Images from 2020-10-23 >>
	Investigation - Session unexpectedly moved to Suspended State (from Equilibration State)

Session Aims & Highlights (2020-10-23)

Main aims

1. Autoguide Monitoring / Charts. Check that autoguide monitoring / charts are now working correctly following revision to PHD2 Messaging Routines made in AstroMain 3.30.3
2. Targets.  Acquire images of a selection of deep sky targets
3. Bug fixes.  Check that bugs discovered in last session in AstroMain 3.30.3 have been fixed.

Equipment & Software

• 12" LX200 and ST-10XME
• 80mm APO and ZWO ASI 178MC
• CCDApp2, TheSky6, CCDSoft5, PHD2,  DeviceHub 4.6.1.11, UPB 1.5 
• Pegasus UPB & Motor Focus, TCF-S
• SharpCap 3.2, PHD2  2.6.9
   
• AstroMain 3.31,  AstroGuard 1.4.6,   AstroPlan 1.16.8  AstroShCap 1.2.28, AstroVOE 1.4.4, AstroProtect 1.4.1
  (AstroWeather 1.10.13, AstroAllSky 3.6)

Highlights

• Autoguide Monitoring / Charts. The problem that was caused autoguide monitoring to believe there was some 22 times more guidestep events than there actually were is confirmed to be fixed.
    Cloud / Poor Guiding. Conditons poor.

Summary Plots & Logs

Observing Plan

Observing Result

Dome & Scope Slewing Performance

Slew/Centering Performance

Guiding Performance

Sky Conditions (Locate Frames)

Night Sky Summary Plot Top axis: Sky Brightness at Zenith (in ADU/s) Lefthand axis: Local Time (hh LT). Righthand axis: Sun Altitude (degs)

Pre-Session Weather Forecast (API data from darksky.net) Pre-Session Weather forecast showed initial clear dry conditions (0-22% cloud cover), but becoming cloudy and increasingly windy from 01:00 onwards (51-95% loud cover, wind 15-33mph), with 36% chance of light rain at dawn.  Minimum temperature 6°C, rising to 9°C by dawn In the event conditions were good in the first part of the night with clear skies and light winds. Cloud rolled in at around 00:40 and ended the observing session.  Minimum temperature 3°C rising to 10°C by dawn Wind gradually increasing in strength after midnight, becoming quite stromg from 04:00 onwards.

Session Event Log

Time     Event Detail 19:16:58 Session Monitoring AutoStart monitoring for Live Session opportunity starting between 19:16 & 06:07 19:17:00 Session AutoStarting Session autostarting (19:17) 19:17:41   Camera1 Connected SBIG Camera Connected (set point -20°C) 19:17:43 Session Created Live Session Created (2020-10-23 S00820, ImageSaveNum: 820001) 19:17:45   Scope Switched On Telescope Power has been switched on via UPB Powerbox. 19:19:33   Services Started Observatory Services started 19:19:42 Observatory (Auto) Observatory placed in Fully-Automated Mode 19:19:45 Session Pending Session pending (2020-10-23) 19:19:47 Session Initiating Session initiating (2020-10-23) 19:19:49   Plan Requested Observing Plan requested from AstroPlan (1.16.8) 19:20:20   Plan Loaded Observing Plan loaded to queue (2020-10-23 V1 BEST PLAN, Plan ID: 555) 19:20:23   Camera1 Connected SBIG Camera Connected (set point -20°C) 19:20:28   Telescope Connected Telescope Connected (TheSky6) 19:20:38 Session Equilibration Session ready for dome & camera equilibration 19:22:45 Wait On Weather Waiting For acceptable conditions 19:22:47 Session Suspended Session suspended 19:22:49   Dome Closed Dome already closed (closure time is unknown) 19:22:51   Queue Started Observing Queue started (43 targets selected) 19:24:43 Observatory (Manual) Observatory placed in Manual Mode 19:25:40   Dome Opened Dome opened (opening time 44s) 19:28:36   Queue Aborted Job Queue aborted 19:30:06       Focusing Failed Foc1 Focusing Failed - unable to find a star (TCF-S) 19:30:07       Focusing Started-Foc2 Foc2 Focusing Started (Secondary Scope, using ShCap) 19:31:06       Focusing Failed Foc1 Focusing Failed - unable to find a star (TCF-S) 19:31:08       Focusing Started-Foc2 Foc2 Focusing Started (Secondary Scope, using ShCap) 19:32:32       Focusing Started-Foc1 Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S) 19:36:45       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 1) 19:39:19       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 1) 19:40:13       Focusing Started-Foc2 Foc2 Focusing Started (Secondary Scope, using ShCap) 19:43:26       Focusing Completed Foc2 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 2, wide) 19:45:49       Focusing Completed Foc2 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 2) 19:46:10       Focusing Checked Foc2 Focusing Check Succeeded 19:49:07     Target Started (1/1) Target started (1/1, M57) 19:57:42     Target Completed Target completed (1/1, M57) 20:00:51     Target Started (1/1) Target started (1/1, M57). Using SharpCap 20:01:14       Focusing Started-Foc1 Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S) 20:04:15       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 3) 20:15:03     Target Completed Target partially completed (1/1, M57) 20:18:44   Camera1 Connected SBIG Camera Connected (set point -20°C) 20:19:22 Observatory (Auto) Observatory placed in Fully-Automated Mode 20:19:24 Session Pending Session pending (2020-10-23) 20:19:26 Session Initiating Session initiating (2020-10-23) 20:19:26   Camera1 Connected SBIG Camera Connected (set point -20°C) 20:19:28   Plan Loaded Observing Plan loaded to queue (2020-10-23 V1 ACTIVE PLAN S820, Plan ID: 555) 20:19:31   Telescope Connected Telescope Connected (TheSky6) 20:19:42 Session Equilibration Session ready for dome & camera equilibration 20:19:44 Session Running Session running 20:19:46   Queue Started Observing Queue started (42 targets selected) 20:19:48     Target Missed (2/43) Target's time slot was missed (2/43, HIP 87937) 20:19:50     Target Missed (3/43) Target's time slot was missed (3/43, GCVS V Sge) 20:19:52     Target Missed (4/43) Target's time slot was missed (4/43, GCVS WZ Sge) 20:19:54     Target Started (5/43) Target started (5/43, 61 Cyg) 20:23:09       Focusing Started-Foc1 Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S) 20:25:48       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 4) 20:27:04     Target Completed Target completed (5/43, 61 Cyg) 20:27:06     Target Started (6/43) Target started (6/43, GCVS CY Lyr) 20:29:52       Focusing Started-Foc1 Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S) 20:32:41       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 5) 20:36:23     Target Completed Target completed (6/43, GCVS CY Lyr) 20:36:26     Target Started (7/43) Target started (7/43, GCVS CI Cyg) 20:38:47       Focusing Started-Foc1 Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S) 20:41:38       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 6) 20:45:26     Target Completed Target completed (7/43, GCVS CI Cyg) 20:45:28     Target Started (8/43) Target started (8/43, GCVS S Cyg) 20:47:51       Focusing Started-Foc1 Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S) 20:50:44       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 7) 21:00:42     Target Completed Target completed (8/43, GCVS S Cyg) 21:00:44     Target Started (9/43) Target started (9/43, GCVS BL Lac) 21:03:23       Focusing Started-Foc1 Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S) 21:06:14       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 8) 21:09:49     Target Completed Target completed (9/43, GCVS BL Lac) 21:09:52     Target Started (10/43) Target started (10/43, C/2019 L3 (ATLAS)) 21:13:15       Focusing Started-Foc1 Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S) 21:16:20       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 9) 21:22:21     Target Completed Target completed (10/43, C/2019 L3 (ATLAS)) 21:22:23     Target Started (11/43) Target started (11/43, WDS GRB 34) 21:24:40       Focusing Started-Foc1 Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S) 21:27:26       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 10) 21:29:09     Target Completed Target completed (11/43, WDS GRB 34) 21:29:42     Target Started (12/43) Target started (12/43, M31_AT2020vak) 21:31:52       Focusing Started-Foc1 Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S) 21:34:59       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 11) 21:45:36     Target Completed Target completed (12/43, M31_AT2020vak) 21:47:04     Target Started (13/43) Target started (13/43, GCVS SS Cyg) 21:50:32       Focusing Started-Foc1 Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S) 21:53:22       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 12) 21:57:06     Target Completed Target completed (13/43, GCVS SS Cyg) 22:02:15     Target Started (14/43) Target started (14/43, GCVS HH And) 22:04:31       Focusing Started-Foc1 Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S) 22:07:23       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 13) 22:09:05     Target Completed Target completed (14/43, GCVS HH And) 22:10:30     Target Started (15/43) Target started (15/43, GCVS TT Ari) 22:13:10       Focusing Started-Foc1 Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S) 22:16:19       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 14) 22:22:38     Target Completed Target completed (15/43, GCVS TT Ari) 22:22:40     Target Started (16/43) Target started (16/43, UGC 1803) 22:23:52   Dome Running test to see Dome Driver is stalled 22:24:10   Dome Dome Driver/Dome Slaving found to be ok. 22:26:17       Focusing Failed Foc1 Focusing Failed - star is lost (TCF-S) 22:43:26     Target Completed Target completed (16/43, UGC 1803) 22:44:48     Target Started (17/43) Target started (17/43, NGC 779) 22:47:50       Focusing Failed Foc1 Focusing Failed - star is too dim (TCF-S) 23:05:13     Target Completed Target completed (17/43, NGC 779) 23:07:10     Target Started (18/43) Target started (18/43, GCVS RX And) 23:09:30       Focusing Started-Foc1 Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S) 23:12:18       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 15) 23:15:02     Target Completed Target completed (18/43, GCVS RX And) 23:15:30     Target Started (19/43) Target started (19/43, NGC 514) 23:18:07       Focusing Started-Foc1 Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S) 23:20:58       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 16) 23:31:32     Target Completed Target completed (19/43, NGC 514) 23:32:53     Target Started (20/43) Target started (20/43, UGCA 17) 23:35:33       Focusing Failed Foc1 Focusing Failed - star is too dim (TCF-S) 23:53:10     Target Completed Target completed (20/43, UGCA 17) 23:55:14     Target Started (21/43) Target started (21/43, NGC 584) 23:59:01       Focusing Failed Foc1 Focusing Failed - unable to find a star (TCF-S) 00:11:29     Target Completed Target completed (21/43, NGC 584) 00:12:36     Target Started (22/43) Target started (22/43, UGCA 38) 00:15:54       Focusing Failed Foc1 Focusing Failed - star is lost (TCF-S) 00:33:21     Target Completed Target completed (22/43, UGCA 38) 00:33:56   SoftSuspend Called Soft Suspend is called due to Deteriorating Conditions (too few stars) 00:33:58   Queue Paused Queue paused for SoftSuspend 00:34:01 Session Suspended Session suspended 00:34:51   Dome Closed Dome closed (closing time 50s) 00:54:20     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (23/43, UGCA 36) due to cloud 01:16:42     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (24/43, NGC 1051) due to cloud 01:30:14     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (25/43, GSC 1224:29) due to cloud 01:34:06   Camera1 SetPoint SBIG Camera Set Point Temperature Updated (new set point -15°C) 01:49:46     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (26/43, NGC 48) due to cloud 01:54:08   Camera1 SetPoint SBIG Camera Set Point Temperature Updated (new set point -15°C) 02:12:08     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (27/43, NGC 708) due to cloud 02:14:10   Camera1 SetPoint SBIG Camera Set Point Temperature Updated (new set point -15°C) 02:24:46     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (28/43, GCVS DY Per) due to cloud 02:44:38     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (29/43, UGCA 92) due to cloud 03:07:00     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (30/43, NGC 772) due to cloud 03:29:22     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (31/43, NGC 1637) due to cloud 03:51:44     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (32/43, UGCA 102) due to cloud 04:14:06     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (33/43, UGC 3904) due to cloud 04:36:28     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (34/43, NGC 2782) due to cloud 04:54:50     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (35/43, UGC 6930) due to cloud 05:06:48     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (36/43, GCVS U Mon) due to wind 05:16:59     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (37/43, LAMOST-HVS1) due to wind 05:36:45     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (38/43, Scholz's Star) due to wind 05:50:15     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (39/43, Berkeley 37) due to wind 05:59:33     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (40/43, GCVS U Gem) due to wind 06:10:50     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (41/43, GCVS DX Cnc) due to wind 06:19:54     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (42/43, GCVS SY Cnc) due to wind 06:39:57     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (43/43, GCVS ER UMa) due to wind 06:40:02   Queue Completed Job Queue completed 06:40:04 Session Closing Session closing 06:40:09   Dome Closed Dome already closed (closed at 00:34, closing time 50s) 06:40:45   Dome Parked Dome parked (parking time 34s), Az: 90.1 deg 06:41:28   Telescope Parked Telescope parked (parking time 36s) 06:41:58   Telescope Switched Off Telescope Power has been switched off via UPB Powerbox. 06:42:46   Services Stopped Night Services stopped 06:42:48 Session Housekeeping Housekeeping Started (Cleanup FITS, Create Fits Summary, Transfer Files) 06:43:05 Session Finished Session Finished

Session Alerts

Time     Alert Detail 20:46:29 Dome Discrepency Difference between Telescope Az and Dome Az is > 8 deg (GCVS S Cyg) 21:21:03 Dome Dome has been unexpectedly stationary for more than 10 mins 21:21:53 Dome Dome Movements have begun again (outage 10.9 mins) 22:23:52 Dome Dome didn't appear to move during the last telescope slew. 06:40:45 Dome Position Issue Reported park angle (90.1 degs) shows a discrepency of 0.1 degs

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Operational Issues (2020-10-23 S820)

• Critical Issues (0)
• Major Issues (0)
• Minor Issues (18)
• Continuous Improvement (4)

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Critical Issues

• None

Major Issues

• None

Minor Issues

• Session waiting for 1.1 mins at start of equilibration for no good reason, session could have progressed to running at earlier that it did. Whilst new code to skip equilibration when sun alt < -12 deg worked ok , obs.manager held up passage to 'Running' for 1.1 mins. Session started using AutoStart , sun alt was -13.6 deg.
  Fixed 2020-10-24 (AstroMain 3.31.1).
   
• Typo in the message dialog asking user to confirm Near Zenith Focusing. Message contains the word 'Park', which is inappropriate and reflects a copy/paste edit error duing coding.
  Fixed 2020-10-24 (AstroMain 3.31.1).
   
• Telescope didn't move to the near zenith focus location, but stayed close to its start-up/park position. After initiating Near Zenith Focus routine from 'Focus Near Zenith' button option, TheSky6 showed a error message saying that 'Slew Telescope Async could be conducted as Scope Tracking was off.  To be fixed by ensuring that Tracking is set to on before slewing to NearZenith Focus Point.   Routine should check that scope is at the near zenith point before focusing started and exit if telescope isn't at the intended focus field. Fixed by adding a Scope.IsTrackingOn check in the Scope.SlewTheSkyScope() routine and turn on telescope tracking if it isn't on.
  Fixed 2020-10-24 (AstroMain 3.31.1).
   
• PHD2 should be reconnected to equipment (Cam2) after Foc2 Autofocus is completed.  This is needed in order for Cam2 Temperature tracking to be continued.  It is unclear if the failure to reconnect Cam2 to PHD2 was because Near-Zenith focusing was manually initiated. It is unclear whether it would have worked ok when operating in fully-automated mode.
  Fixed 2020-10-28 (AstroMain 3.31.3).
   
• A red session alert was issued at 21:21:03 reporting that dome had been unexpectedly stationary for more more than 10 mins.  This was followed for a green alert at 21:21:53 reporting that dome movments had begun again. To be investigated.  Was the message produced because telescope tracking was off and that was the reason the dome wasn't moving ?
  At 21:09 the scope was slewed to Target 10/43 (C/2019 L3 (ATLAS) ) at Az 48.2 / Alt 74.1 and the dome made a corresponding slew to Az 55.2.  Between 21:09 and 21:21 the scope tracked to Az 47 deg / Alt 75 (relatively small amount of movement over 12 minutes, but the dome remained apparently stationary at Az 55 (no decimals), only moving to Az 54 at 21:22:02, just before slew to next target at 21:22:34. DeviceHub performs a review of the dome/scope position every 10s will doesn't perform a slew (nudge) of the Dome Azimuth if it is sufficiently close to the required azimuth.   Dome Slaving is set to check Dome position on a 10s frequency  and a precision of 1 deg (the minimum allowed).  It is clear that at some telescope  positions the slaved dome may remain stationary for more than 10 minutes without the Dome Driver/Dome Slaving being stalled.  Code modified to increase the the time that the dome is 'permitted' to be stationary before issuing an alert from 10 mins to a new value of 12 mins.  A preemptive fix also made to prevent a false alarm in situation where Scope hasn't been tracking for say 10 minutes and then begins tracking but has moved far enough in 2 minutes for dome to make a periodic slew adjustment
  Fixed 2020-10-24 (AstroMain 3.31.1).
   
• The wrong Dec Guide Mode was being set for Cam1 uni-directional guiding with PHD2.  This was not totally unexpected as guide images are North Down, compared to North Up images used from Cam2 (178MC). Checkboxes to set alternate transforms for Cam1 were hidden in 3.31 and couldn't be used during the session to flip the Dec mode.   Guiding for M57 target using TS80/178MC (North Up) showed North Star Drift and a corresponding Dec Guide Mode: South was selected. Guiding for M57 target using LX200/ST10 (North Down) showed North Star Drift (reported as north), but a Dec Guide Mode: North was selected,  which failed to make the necessary guide movements and the guide star continued to drift North.  Although checkboxes to set alternate transforms for Cam1 were hidden in 3.31, they were all set to True and still had any effect on the Star Drift / Dec Mode determinations.   It seems that TransformGuideDxDy and TransformGuideDistance need to be set to True and TransformDecDirection needs to be set to False to have the correct autoguiding effect.  
  Fixed 2020-10-24 (AstroMain 3.31.1).
   
• Manually initiated imaging for M57 using TS80/178MC didn't work as the take_image_set method didn't seem to initate Live Stacking in SharpCap, even though the request was received by AstroShCap.  This was not expected given the amount of recent testing done on the development computer. AstroShCap version/date on observatory computer was checked and found to be correct (ie it was the latest version and the same one as tested on the development computer).   The Loop in TakeSecondaryScopeFrames() that waited for the AstroShCap take_image_set to finished eventually exited when the M57 target reached the end of its alloted timeslot. S harpCap logs show ShCap server receiving request  'Received 'take_image set' request for M57' at 20:06:57, following by a long series of alternating get_appstate requests (with 'Imaging' returned as the result) and get_frameprogress requests (with "Take Focus Frame..." returned as the result).  At 20:14:48 AstroShCap received an 'abort' request which was intended to end the 'take_image_set' request,  but the ShCap log message  "Closing Focus Profile (V3)" along with earlier responses shows the "StartFwhmMonitor3" method request made at 19:45 (for final 3 repeat Focus Points at Best Focus Positon) that was was still running some 30 minutes later. Fix attempted by adding a calling ShCap.Abort (to send abort request to ShCap server) at the end of the Cam2 Focus Check.
  Fixed 2020-10-30 (AstroMain 3.31.6).
   
• Reconnect Camera1 at c. 20:18, failed with error 'SBIG driver: Camera not found. Error code = 1001 (0x3e9).'  Error occured following programmed abort of ShapCapTS80/178MC Imaging of M57 (guiding with PHD2, LX200/ST10). It is presumed that PHD2 equipment hadn't been disconnected in order for ST10 camera to be successfully reconnected to CCDSoft. Issue fixed at time by running a Cam2 Profile Connection, which released the ST10 camera from PHD2 and then reconnect it to CCDSoft. Fixed by running objconsole.SetPhd2Cam2() routine after finishing 'SharpCap' target. SetPhd2Cam2() updated so that Cam2 (178MC) is disconnected from SharpCap before switching PHD2 from Cam1 (ST10) to Cam2 (178MC).
  Fixed 2020-10-24 (AstroMain 3.31.1).
   
• The base chart for the Slewing Performance Chart was incompletely drawn. Chart was missing i) compass directions on the Dome Graph, the base layout for the Scope Graph and iii) the legend.   Dome and Telescope slewing data were both plotted ok. Unclear why this happened, it appears to be a glitch, as its being working on all recent live and tests session including a test session earlier in the data.  Log files show there was an Exception in DomeChart.DrawChartBase at 19:17:20.84 ('Object is currently in use elsewhere')  There was another exception at almost exactly the same time in DrawLegend FocusTemp or DrawLegend CcdTemp (again, 'Object is currently in use elsewhere'). It not thought that there is a linkage between the two Chart objects.  It is assumed that Chart Base was still being drawn when there was an attempt to add a data point to the chart causing the graphics object 'g' to throw an exception.   A new variable (bBaseIsDrawn) is added to flag when the Base has finished drawing and prevent AddPoint  or AddScopePoint routines from continuing if the base hasn't finished drawing.
  Fixed 2020-10-24 (AstroMain 3.31.1).
   
• Are the first few altitude Values on GuideSummary table correct ?  This was an issue from an earlier session (S777, 2020-05-02)  and although a fix has been attempted, it doesn't appear to have resolved the issue.  Looking at data from session S820 - M57 (Guide )  has altitude 28.9 to 28.7 deg reported in the guide summary table. However the actual target altitude was 58.9 deg.  61 Cyg (Guide 3) had altitude of 35.5 deg report in guide summary table, however the actual target altitude was 71.4 deg. CY Lyr (Guide 4) had altitude of 23.9 deg in table, but actual target altitude of 48.9 deg. The altitude values shown on Guiding Charts are correct (after allowing for small differences in time between data points). The largest altitude value tabulated from all targets is 38 deg.     Code seems to be reporting the median altitude for the guiding period as (GStats.Altitude + Scope.Altitude)/2. If we assume that GStats.Altitude had the value it would explain why M57 Guide had an erronous table value of 28.9 (since (0+58.9)/2 = 29.4),  and why 61 Cyg Guide had an erronous table value of 35.5 (since (0+71.4)/2 = 35.7), so GStats.Altitude is clearly not been set at the start of a guide period.  Bug was tracked down to the GetGuideStats() routine where the required statement GS.Altitude = GuideStats(k).Altitude was missing.
  Fixed 2020-10-24 (AstroMain 3.31.1).
   
• GuideBox position on the Guide Reference and Guide Frame pictures created by SaveFitsToJpg routine is incorrect. Guide box is plotted too low on the pictures and doesn't reflect the actual position of the guide box/guide star in PHD2. This is most-likely a bug due to execution of code that was still tweaked to testing the routine with simulator camera producing pictures with a different aspect ratio as the live images from ZWO ASI178MC camera.
  Fixed 2020-10-24 (AstroMain 3.31.1).
   
• Slew to SS Cyg had an unexpectedly pointing error (27 arc mins).  Slew to Target 13/43 (SS Cyg) at 21:47 had an anomously large pointing error of 27.18 arc mins.  This was much larger than slews to other targets in the session (typical values 0.6 to 2.5 arc min).  Centering operation brought the target to centre of FOV after 2nd locate image the situation was automatically recovered ok. Unclear why this occurred - a glitch, a cable hang up ?  In the case of a rogue slew like this one it canbe argued that the slew discrepency shouldn't be use dto update the Slew adjustment (the run time tweak designed to slightly improve slew accuracy).   Issue closed as there is not enough information to understand why the issue occurred on this particular target slew and it clearly an anomaly and not the norm.
  Closed 2020-10-24, not enough information to understand cause (Session).
   
• A red session alert was issued at 22:23:52 reporting that dome hadn't appeared to have moved during last slew. To be investigated. During slew to Target 16/43 (UGC 1803), scope moved from Az 127.2 / Alt 38 to Az 128.2 / Alt 28.9. Dome didn't move, Az 129.0 deg pre-slew,  Az 129.0 deg post-slew. It would appear that DeviceHub had worked-out that a dome slew wasn't required.  Activity Log captured to look at later.  Issue is closed as there was no problem with DeviceHub (Dome wasn't Stalled),  but code should be looked at. Should the alert have been issued when the telescope slew was so small.   Job executor automatically ran a test for stalled dome after spotting that dome hadn't moved during slew and successfully concluded that the dome motion/dome slaving was working normally.  Given that a red alert has been issued, a green alert should have been issued when it had been proven that that Dome Movement/Dome Slaving was ok. DeviceHub's Activity Log was examined but it appeared to have only captured the most recent data or at least only copy the most recent data to the clipboard (seems to be either the last 15 minutes worth of data or the last 1778 rows of data), and didn't cover the period where the slew to UGC 1803 was made.
  Fixed 2020-10-24 (AstroMain 3.31.1). 
   
• Black/White range for Cam1 Focus Frames produces a very dark .jpg pictures. This is a result of the histogram process operating on entire FITS image captured from PHD2 Guider includes a bakground expanse of zero values beyond the guide box. This will be a problem anytime that Sub-Frames are used which is the normal mode for Cam1 guiding where SBIG camera is too slow to allow full-frame download during guiding (for Cam2 subframes aren't normally used as the speed of ZWO ASI178MC easily allows full frame downloads during guiding.  This requires an image to be made which is cropped back to the sub-frame and  black-white selection made on that image using just the subframe histogram stats, and then applied to the full frame picture.  CCDSoft doesn't seem to allow the image to be cropped without selecting an area with the mouse, which would be difficult (though not impossible) to achieve through programming. Examining options shows that the required black/white range can be achieved by specifying 'weak' on the first box, and 'strong' in the second box.
  Fixed 2020-10-24 (AstroMain 3.31.1). 
   
• 2 files are being uploaded to website from Development Computer by AstroPlan's web upload routine.  Only live session and general files on the Observatory Computer should be getting uploaded to website. It is presumed that these 2 files are a carry-over from earlier testing. They need to be disabled. Checking code showed the files "alarm.dat"  & "event.dat" where being selectively allowed to upload from Development Computer.
  Fixed 2020-10-24 (AstroPlan  1.16.9). 
   
• Log file reports exception getting XY coordinates in CalculatePointingError ('Error: command failed. Error code = 206'). There were 3 incidents with this exception during the session:  at 22:24:36 during target 16/43 (UGC 1803),  at 22:45:56.23 during target 17/43 (NGC 779)  and at 00:13:27.65 during target 22/43 (UGCA 38). Issue might be related in someway to recent code changes introducing TagCoords.    In case of incident at 22:24:36 (UGC 1803) problem occurred on Locate Image 2 (#820103).  ImageLink (Image) coords are reported as being 'RA= 00 00 00.000 Dec= +00 00 00.00 | Epoch 2000' which is anomalous. Problem didn't seem to impact overall Centering Operations.   Other occurances of 'Ra = 00, Dec=00' occurred at 22:45:52,   00:13:25 which ties in with the occurance of the two other exceptions (NGC 779 & UGCA 38).  Appears to be the same issue that was reported in session S792 (See S792, 2020-07-03 Op.Issues).  Issue closed following review 2021-05-13 as Issue resolved or otherwise no longer occurs.
  Closed 2021-05-13 (AstroMain).
   
• LiveStack Images were collected 'manually' in SharpCap, but it proved very difficult to adjust the histogram to get the detail required. Auto buttons didn't produce an acceptable result, and the manipulation of white, mid and black positions proved difficult to manipulate.  Undocking the LiveStack Window allows it to be widened, making it easier to manipulate controls. Closed 2023-02-21 as SharpCap Live Stacking is no longer used (due to histogram difficulties) - whilst SharpCap/AstroShCap is still used for capturing images, Siril is now used instead for the process of aligning and stacking frames).
  Closed 2023-02-15 (SharpCap).
    
• Session unexpectedly moved to suspended mode just as job was about to be started. After starting the session and waiting for 1.1 minutes in the Equilibration State the Obs.Manager reported a 'Wait on weather  Hold' with the message "Waiting on acceptable conditions (cloud)"  and the Session moved to a Suspended State.  This was totally unexpected as AutoStart monitor was happy to begin new session and sky conditions were good (Clarity 38, AllSky Stars 23).   Session suspended with Target 1/1 (U Her) started/waiting even though Near Zenith Focusing hadn't been conducted. U Her reported that "Session is suspended due to non-defined reason (0)". It is unclear whether execution would have at some point moved to U Her or it would have moved to Near Zenith Focusing if Session had resumed by itself.   Rather than wait to see what would happen an intervention was made; job execution was aborted and the session moved to manual mode in order to progress the session.   Incident investigated (see  Investigation - Session unexpectedly moved to suspended mode) This concluded that the criteria under which CanResume SkyState can be set to Good should be reviewed.  Prehaps it is for routines using SkyState to consider the MinutesSince(TimeSufficientStars) themselves before deciding action.
   To be Fixed (AstroMain).

Continuous Improvement

• Extend Cam2 Temperature monitoring to include temperatures when camera is connected in SharpCap.   Cam2 Sensor Temperature monitoring has been introduced (AstroMain 3.31) but so far only read temperature data when Cam2 is connected in PHD2.
  Fixed 2020-10-31 (AstroMain 3.31.7)
   
• Add AstroSN to list of AstroSuite programs that can be transfer and backed up using AstroMove.
  Done 2020-10-26 (AstroMove 1.5.4). 
   
• Add AstroSN to list of programs that can be started from Observatory Computer using AstroLaunch.
  Fixed 2020-10-26 (AstroLaunch 1.4.6). 
   
• Introduce a ROI to Guide request to force PHD2 guide star selection away from edges of Cam2 field of view.  bThis changes gives redcued possibility of rotational guide discrepences, less chance of guide box positions that conflict with annotation on jpg frame pictures.   ROI shrunk to give a 11% band all all sides of the image area where guide star won't be chosen.
  Done 2021-01-31 (AstroMain 3.35.9 ).

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Investigation - Session unexpectedly moved to Suspended State (from Equilibration State)

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