David's Astronomy - Notes 2026-08-09 (S1443)

David's Astronomy Pages
Notes - Session 1443 (2026-08-09)

Notes
(S1442)

Notes
Main

Home
Page

Notes
(S1444)


	Session Aims & Highlights
	- Observing Result - Night Summary Plot - Session Event Log

	Operational Issues
	- Critical Issues (0), Major Issues (0), Minor Issues (2), Small Defects (2), Continuous Improvement (3)
	- Figures (0)

	Images from 2026-08-09 >>

Session Aims & Highlights (2026-08-09)

Main aims

Targets. Acquire images of a selection of variable stars, nearby stars, comets & deep sky targets as allowed by sky conditions.
AstroMain. Check new AstroMain xx.xx version for any issues or problems following introduction of a number of changes.

Equipment & Software

12" LX200 and ST-10XME
80mm APO and ZWO ASI 178MC
TheSky6 6.0.0.65, CCDSoft5 5.0.201, DeviceHub 7.1.0.4707, MeadeGeneric 1.3.12.522, UPB 3, PulsarDome 6.4.0.0
Peg-Unity 2.12, Peg-Focuser 2.12, Peg-Switch 2.12, TCF-LSI 3.3.5
SharpCap 3.2.6482, PHD2 2.6.14, Siril 1.4.2, deCONZ 2.18.2, ASCOM 7.1.0.4707
AstroMain 3.83.3, AstroPlan 1.47, AstroShCap 1.3.23, AstroGuard 1.13.2
AstroMag 1.5.12, AstroVOE 2.0.1, AstroSN 1.16.1, AstroProtect 1.7, AstroMove 1.18.2
AstroAllSky 3.28.1, AstroWeather 1.30.4, AstroObsCam 1.14, AstroNorthCam 1.10.4, AstroLaunch 1.14.9

Highlights

Targets. 0/14 planned targets were fully completed though 2 targets (Nova 2026 Aql (2026rdg) and BL Lac) were partially completely. Other targets failed due to cloud / session suspension. Sky conditions were noticeably poorer than forecast.
Dome. No issues open/closing shutter. Dome was successfully parked at the end of the session.

Notes

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)
Note: The NorthCam Star Count line is unreliable and should be ignored
(The AstroNorthCam 'Find' Star method is producing many false positives from clouds)

Actual Weather vs Pre-Session Weather Forecast

Session Event Log

Time	Event	Detail
21:24:58	Session Monitoring	AutoStart monitoring for Live Session opportunity between 22:15 & 03:32
21:25:02	AutoStart Waiting	AutoStart waiting till earliest start time at 22:15
22:15:21	Session AutoStarting	Session autostarting (22:15)
22:15:27	Session Created	Session Created (Live, 2026-08-09 S01443)
22:15:30	CCDSoft Restarting	CCDSoft being restarted (to set AutoSave No.)
22:15:52	Scope Switched On	Telescope Power has been switched on via UPB Switch
22:17:40	Services Started	Observatory Services started
22:17:50	Observatory (Auto)	Observatory placed in Fully-Automated Mode
22:17:52	Session Pending	Session pending (2026-08-09)
22:17:54	Session Initiating	Session initiating (2026-08-09)
22:18:16	Camera1 Connected	SBIG Camera connected (Set point -10°C)
22:18:19	Plan Requested	Observing Plan requested from AstroPlan (1.47)
22:19:36	Plan Loaded	Observing Plan loaded to queue (PlanID: 1244)
22:20:16	Telescope Connected	Telescope connected (TheSky6)
22:20:39	Session Equilibration	Session ready to Open Dome
22:20:41	Wait On Weather	Waiting for acceptable conditions
22:20:43	Session Suspending	Session suspending
22:20:45	Dome Closed	Dome already closed
22:20:47	Session Suspended	Session suspended
22:21:20	Queue Started	Observing Queue started (14 targets selected)
22:23:15	Session Resuming	Session resuming
22:24:00	Dome Opened	Dome opened (Opening time 45s, Zigbee 40s)
22:24:03	Session Running	Session running
22:24:06	Queue Resumed	Observing Queue resumed
22:24:07	Target Started (1/14)	Target started (1/14, AT2026rdg)
22:24:16	Dome Unparked	Dome unparked
22:28:42	Focusing Started-Foc2	Foc2 Focusing Started (Secondary Scope, using ShCap)
22:30:48	Focusing Completed	Foc2 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 1, wide)
22:32:10	Focusing Failed	Foc2 focusing failed - star lost
22:33:45	Focusing Started-Foc1	Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S)
22:34:43	Focusing Failed	Foc1 focusing failed - star lost
22:43:37	Critical RainThreat Alert	Critical Rain Threat Alert (Obs.Manager will close the Dome)
22:43:39	HardSuspend Called	Hard Suspend called due to Critical Conditions (threat of rain)
22:43:41	Target Aborted (1/14)	Target aborted (1/14, AT2026rdg) due to threat of rain
22:43:43	Queue Paused	Queue paused for Session Suspension
22:43:45	Session Suspending	Session suspending
22:44:32	Dome Closed	Dome closed (Closing time 50s, Zigbee 43s)
22:44:34	Session Suspended	Session suspended
22:46:37	Session Resuming	Session resuming
22:47:22	Dome Opened	Dome opened (Opening time 45s, Zigbee 40s)
22:47:26	Session Running	Session running
22:47:28	Queue Resumed	Observing Queue resumed
22:47:30	Target Started (1/14)	Target started (1/14, AT2026rdg)
22:56:53	Critical Cloud Alert	Critical Cloud Alert (Obs.Manager will close the Dome)
22:56:55	HardSuspend Called	Hard Suspend called due to Critical Conditions (cloud)
22:56:57	Target Aborted (1/14)	Target aborted (1/14, AT2026rdg) due to cloud
22:56:59	Queue Paused	Queue paused for Session Suspension
22:57:01	Session Suspending	Session suspending
22:57:48	Dome Closed	Dome closed (Closing time 50s, Zigbee 43s)
22:57:51	Session Suspended	Session suspended
23:01:43	Target Cancelled	Target cancelled (1/14, AT2026rdg) due to cloud
23:22:33	Target Cancelled	Target cancelled (2/14, NGC 4205 w/SN2026fvx) due to cloud
23:44:53	Target Cancelled	Target cancelled (3/14, NGC 6070 w/SN2026ejy) due to cloud
23:58:19	Target Cancelled	Target cancelled (4/14, T CrB) due to cloud
00:14:09	Target Cancelled	Target cancelled (5/14, AT 2026stb (Nova)) due to cloud
00:25:27	Target Cancelled	Target cancelled (6/14, GCVS CY Lyr) due to cloud
00:36:35	Target Cancelled	Target cancelled (7/14, GCVS CI Cyg) due to cloud
00:38:12	Session Resuming	Session resuming
00:38:57	Dome Opened	Dome opened (Opening time 45s, Zigbee 40s)
00:39:00	Session Running	Session running
00:39:02	Queue Resumed	Observing Queue resumed
00:39:04	Target Started (8/14)	Target started (8/14, GCVS BL Lac)
00:43:32	Focusing Started-Foc1	Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S)
00:46:18	Focusing Completed	Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 2, wide)
00:48:01	Focusing Completed	Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 2)
00:51:28	Critical Cloud Alert	Critical Cloud Alert (Obs.Manager will close the Dome)
00:51:30	HardSuspend Called	Hard Suspend called due to Critical Conditions (cloud)
00:51:32	Target Aborted (8/14)	Target aborted (8/14, GCVS BL Lac) due to cloud
00:51:34	Queue Paused	Queue paused for Session Suspension
00:51:36	Session Suspending	Session suspending
00:52:24	Dome Closed	Dome closed (Closing time 50s, Zigbee 43s)
00:52:26	Session Suspended	Session suspended
01:06:28	Target Cancelled	Target cancelled (9/14, IC 5191 w/SN2026myp) due to cloud
01:26:32	Session Resuming	Session resuming
01:27:17	Dome Opened	Dome opened (Opening time 45s, Zigbee 40s)
01:27:20	Session Running	Session running
01:27:22	Queue Resumed	Observing Queue resumed
01:27:24	Target Started (10/14)	Target started (10/14, NGC 7293). Using SharpCap
01:31:56	Focusing Skipped	Foc1 focusing skipped - unable to find a star (TCF-LSI)
01:50:34	Critical Cloud Alert	Critical Cloud Alert (Obs.Manager will close the Dome)
01:50:36	HardSuspend Called	Hard Suspend called due to Critical Conditions (cloud)
01:51:09	Target Aborted (10/14)	Target aborted (10/14, NGC 7293) due to cloud
01:51:11	Queue Paused	Queue paused for Session Suspension
01:51:14	Session Suspending	Session suspending
01:52:04	Dome Closed	Dome closed (Closing time 50s, Zigbee 43s)
01:52:06	Session Suspended	Session suspended
01:54:34	Session Resuming	Session resuming
01:55:20	Dome Opened	Dome opened (Opening time 45s, Zigbee 40s)
01:55:22	Session Running	Session running
01:55:25	Queue Resumed	Observing Queue resumed
01:55:27	Target Started (10/14)	Target started (10/14, NGC 7293). Using SharpCap
01:56:19	CCDSoft Issue	CCDSoft has encountered an image save issue [0000]
01:57:58	CCDSoft Issue	CCDSoft has encountered an image save issue [0000]
01:59:37	CCDSoft Issue	CCDSoft has encountered an image save issue [0000]
02:01:16	CCDSoft Issue	CCDSoft has encountered an image save issue [0000]
02:04:15	Critical Cloud Alert	Critical Cloud Alert (Obs.Manager will close the Dome)
02:04:17	HardSuspend Called	Hard Suspend called due to Critical Conditions (cloud)
02:04:19	PHD2 Communication	PHD2 is potentially stalled ('LoopingExposures' Events not detected)
02:04:34	PHD2 Restarted	PHD2 service restarted
02:05:03	Target Aborted (10/14)	Target aborted (10/14, NGC 7293) due to cloud
02:05:05	Queue Paused	Queue paused for Session Suspension
02:05:08	Session Suspending	Session suspending
02:05:51	Dome Closed	Dome closed (Closing time 45s, Zigbee 43s)
02:05:53	Session Suspended	Session suspended
02:06:48	Target Cancelled	Target cancelled (10/14, NGC 7293) due to cloud
02:07:55	Session Resuming	Session resuming
02:08:40	Dome Opened	Dome opened (Opening time 45s, Zigbee 40s)
02:08:44	Session Running	Session running
02:08:46	Queue Resumed	Observing Queue resumed
02:08:48	Target Started (11/14)	Target started (11/14, LEDA 214810 w/SN2026lda)
02:08:50	Critical Cloud Alert	Critical Cloud Alert (Obs.Manager will close the Dome)
02:08:52	HardSuspend Called	Hard Suspend called due to Critical Conditions (cloud)
02:08:55	Target Aborted (11/14)	Target aborted (11/14, LEDA 214810 w/SN2026lda) due to cloud
02:08:57	Queue Paused	Queue paused for Session Suspension
02:08:59	Session Suspending	Session suspending
02:09:41	Dome Closed	Dome closed (Closing time 45s, Zigbee 43s)
02:09:44	Session Suspended	Session suspended
02:28:08	Target Cancelled	Target cancelled (11/14, LEDA 214810 w/SN2026lda) due to cloud
02:50:28	Target Cancelled	Target cancelled (12/14, UGC 12613) due to cloud
03:12:28	Target Cancelled	Target cancelled (13/14, M31 w/M31N 2026-06a?) due to cloud
03:34:38	Target Cancelled	Target cancelled (14/14, GCVS RX And) due to cloud
03:34:42	Queue Completed	Job Queue completed
03:34:48	Session Closing	Session closing
03:34:50	Dome Closed	Dome already closed (closed at 02:09, closing time 45s, zigbee 43s)
03:35:43	Dome Parked	Dome parked (parking time 43s), Az: 90.0 deg
03:36:21	Telescope Parked	Telescope parked (parking time 30s total)
03:36:45	Telescope State	Handbox reads 'Scope parked Turn scope off.'
03:37:42	Telescope Switched Off	Telescope Power has been switched off via UPB Switch.
03:39:06	Services Stopped	Night Services stopped
03:39:09	Session Finishing	Session Finishing started (Create Fits Summary, Transfer Files)
03:39:21	Dome (Find Park)	Find Park started (Search Az 88.0 to 92.0°, Step 0.2°, Narrow)
03:40:03	Dome	Find Park found (Best Park Az 90.2°)
03:40:09	Dome	Dome has been synced at park position (Az 90.0°, Adjustment: -0.2°)
03:40:11	Dome Parked	Dome parked
03:43:14	Dome Charging	Dome is parked and well charged (95%, 14.9v)
03:43:16	Session Finished	Session Finished

Session Alerts & Alarms

Time	Type		Name	Detail
01:56:19	Red	Alert	CCDSoft	Image file [0000] hasn't been saved to disk, possible CCDSoft issue
01:57:58	Red	Alert	CCDSoft	Image file [0000] hasn't been saved to disk, possible CCDSoft issue
01:59:37	Red	Alert	CCDSoft	Image file [0000] hasn't been saved to disk, possible CCDSoft issue
02:01:16	Red	Alert	CCDSoft	Image file [0000] hasn't been saved to disk, possible CCDSoft issue
03:43:14	Yellow	Alert	Dome Charging	Dome is parked and well charged (95%, 14.9v)

Operational Issues (2026-08-09 S1443)

Critical Issues (0)
Major Issues (0)
Minor Issues (2)
Small Defects (2)
Continuous Improvement (3)
Figures (0)

[ Prev | Next ]

Critical Issues

None

Major Issues

None

Minor Issues

Observatory Door Zigbee Sensor is currently unreachable. Door Sensor is showing as 'Unreachable', with last seen date of 2026-07-31 07:51, with battery at 95%. Visit made to observatory sensor was re-added to deConz Network using the PhosCon app on 2026-10-10 (daytime). Although the sensor reconnected and for a while was showing as Open/Closed, it became unreachable again, and as of 2026-08-13 was showing Last Seen/Last Updated of 2026-08-10T13:54:04Z (14:54 BST). A new battery was added in May 2026, but came from a possible bad batch. Alternatively the unit has failed, as happened with Bot Shutter Sensor in May 2026. A spare open/close sensor was installed as new "Observatory Door" sensor with id=27 on 2026-08-14 after which AstroMain 3.83.6 was modified to point to the new sensor id (27).
Resolved 2026-08-14 (Zigbee Network, Observavtory Door Sensor, AstroMain 3.83.6)
Several Red CCDSoft Alerts "Image file [0000] hasn't been saved to disk " (01:56 to 02:01). There were 4 red CCDSoft alerts between 01:56 and 02:01 with the message "Image file [0000] hasn't been saved to disk, possible CCDSoft issue". Earlier 01:50 at a Hard Suspend whilst attempting to perform ShCap imaging of Target 10/14 (NGC 7293) with SBIG Camera connected to PHD2 for autoguiding.. There were issues taking Cam2 image :
   PHD2 Profile (Cam2)   Fail   Cannot set profile when equipment is connected    PHD2 Camera           Fail   Unable to set Profile (3)
Followed by errors at 01:51 there were Connecting Camera errors:
   Connecting Camera     Fail   SBIG Camera is being used by PHD2",      Reconnect Camera1     Fail   SBIG driver: Camera not found. Error code = 1001 (0x3e9)
The red alert at 01:56 seems to have come from an second attempt at Target 10 (NGC 7293) whilst attempting 15s Locate Frame 1
with error "CCD Image [0000] has not saved to disk. Restarting CCDSoft.. "
There was then an error during reconnection:
   Check SBIG USB Camera Fail   Camera issue      (Camera not listed in DeviceManager)    Start SBIG Camera     Fail   Camera is not operational at this time
After checking SBIG camera again (successful) there was a further error:
    Connecting camera...   Fail   SBIG Camera is being used by PHD2Locate Frames 2 to 4 are failed with same camera connection issues.   Issue was not resolved before end of session. AstroMain, CCDSoft, PHD2, SharpCap closed down and restarted. CCDSoft/SBIg Camera connection tested ok.   There were no issues with CCDSoft/SBIG Camera during the following session (2026-08-13 S1444). Issue closed after review 2026-08-14
Closed after review 2026-08-10 (AstroMain, SBIG Camera)

Small Defects

Model Line for Ross 248 is being drawn as a stepped line rather than a smooth line. In AstroMain Astrometry's Graph plotting the line curve for Ross 248 (HH And) is showing as a stepped line with step of up to 3 pixels or so, rather than a smooth line. Investigating showed that the problem was that 'worldPoly' list was a list of PointF with only single precision. This is insufficient for holding real world precision down to 1 mas. Fixed in AstroMain 3.83.5 worldPoly changed to list of PointD (a new point type of (X: double, Y:double). .
Done 2026-08-11 (AstroMain 3.82.5)
Both temperature/humidity zigbee sensors in the Greenhouse are currently unreachable. Both T/H/P Sensors (Greenhouse and Greenhouse2) are showing as 'Unreachable', with last seen date of 2026-07-12 with battery at 95% and 82% respectively.
To fix 2026-08-10 (Greenhouse, Zigbee Network)

Continuous Improvement

Add a 'DayOfYear' axis type, labelled monthly for better resolution of parallax sinsuiods in RaOffset, DecOffset data. Parallax plots (DecOffset (deltaRa) vs RaOffset (deltaRA*Cos(Dec) of astrometric stars data (Total Motion - ProperMotion) typically show noise that masks the visual recognition of a convincing Parallax ellipse. It is proposed to plot DecOffset vs Day of Year or earth orbital phase so that seasonal change in deltaRA and deltaDec can be better visualised and appreciated. This requires addition of a two new axist ypes 'DayOfYearMonth' and 'DayOfYearNumeric' to AstroVMA and customisation of Astrometric Graph plotting routines to support DayOfYear. Impplemented in AstroVMA 1.1.2 and AstroMain 3.83.5
Done 2026-08-12 (AstroVma, 1.1.2, AstroMain 3.83.5)
Convert Parallax Graph Plotting routines to use a specific Model Family per layer instead of a 'Use First Model Layer Hack'. AstroMain's Parallax Graphs require an Astrometric model to subtract Proper Motion from Observed Data to derive PM removed coordinates that visually show the Parallax data for a star. In AstroMain 3.83.5 the model to use to determine the Proper Motion to be removed is defined by a 'Use First Model Layer' method. Whilst it works it is a hack. It is proposed to replace this 'Use First Model Layer Hack' directly from a Layer Specification of the Model Family to to be used. Implemented in AstroMain 3.83.6. A new column/field called 'PM_ModelFamily has been added to the DataGridView on the Graph Configuration Form, to the Astrometry GraphLayer table, to the Tlayer and TPlotLayer classes. Database retrieval and saving routines have been updated. The ComputeParallax() routine has been modified to access and use PM_ModelFamily. .
Done 2026-08-13 (AstroMain 3.82.6)
Modify GraphConfig Form's DataGirdView to display combobox listing when first clicked on. Currently when a Combobox type column cell is clicked on , it then requires a second click to display the combobox items. It would be more helpful if the list of combobox items appears upon the first click in cells belong to combobox type columns such as 'PM_ModelFamily', Colour, Symbol etc. Implemented in AstroVMA 1.1.3 by changing the datagridview EditMode to 'Edit on Entry' and addiition of a special handler. .
Done 2026-08-13 (AstroVma, 1.1.3)

[ Prev | Next ]

Fig 1.

[ Prev | Next ]

This Web Page	Notes - Session 1443 (2026-08-09)
Last Updated :	2026-08-16
Site Owner :	David Richards
Home Page :	David's Astronomy Web Site

David's Astronomy Pages Notes - Session 1443 (2026-08-09)

Session Aims & Highlights (2026-08-09)

Operational Issues (2026-08-09 S1443)

David's Astronomy Pages
Notes - Session 1443 (2026-08-09)