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This is an attempt to document a procedure I find very useful for framing an object for an imaging session. It uses MaxIm DL/CCD Ver 3.09 for camera and focus control, and TheSky Ver 5.00.043 for controlling my Paramount ME. CCDSoft V5 could just as easily be used, since the current version 5.00.084, supports FocusMax Ver 3.0.12 software. During an imaging session, I setup a link to my RoBoFocus and use FocusMax as my autofocusing software. The images on the left in the table below, show the screens for the particular function being described.
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I start TheSky first, link it to my Paramount ME, and start the homing process. While the mount is slewing to the home position, I start Maxim and connect to the camera and start it cooling. This first image shows the way I have MaxIm optioned to talk to my RoboFocus. It uses FocusMax software and it really works well for autofocusing. I have my RoBoFocus mounted on my JMI NGF-S. Since the Paramount is controlled from TheSky software, there is no need to connect to the telescope for this procedure. When I click connect, Maxim starts FocusMax and RoBoFocus. |
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After I have Maxim setup and connected to the Focuser and the camera, I click on TheSky icon  on my taskbar and switch over to it. I then use the "Find" function of TheSky to select my target. In this example I used M27. I key it in the box and then click on "Find". The green displayed in the image is my "Horizon Line". If you take the time to run your scope around your viewable horizon and record it, it helps when making TPoint runs as map points in the green are ignored as they are below your local horizon. |
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The object information window is displayed next, and I center the target on my screen by clicking on the center icon  in the object information window.(first icon on the left at the bottom of the window) |
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I then click on the telescope icon  in the object information window and this instructs TheSky to slew the Paramount to the target. The cross-hairs move across the sky with the telescope and end up positioned on the target at the end of the slew. |
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I then click on the Maxim icon  on the taskbar to switch back and issue an expose command to get an image of the actual place in the sky the scope is pointing. (If pointing is accurate, the target will be on the chip). I then go to Edit | Copy,and this places an 8 bit copy of the image on the clipboard. |
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I click on TheSky's icon on the taskbar to switch back and then go to Orientation | Zoom To | Telescope 1 ° to get the image in TheSky closer to the size of the image I just took. I then go to Edit | Paste and the image is transferred from the clipboard onto the screen. |
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I re-center the target, as TheSky will probably have updated its position (I have mine set: Data | Options - Stellar to a 5 min update period). I then click on the camera icon  (first on the left) to bring up the Image Link Setup window. I then click on Known scale, set the Search radius to 10 arc min, and then click on Unknown scale. Since TheSky defaults to a scale of 1.77 arcsec/pix, this allows TheSky to search a large area for a match and lets it also determine the scale, which does change with focus. Then I put a check in the "Show image frame and Show telescope frame" boxes. This is an important point as this will enable you to see the image with a green "box" or outline around it once it is linked. I then click on OK. |
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Next, I click on the "Link Wizard" icon  (last on the right) to start the process and when a match occurs I get the Image link results window. When I am satisfied that the match is a good one, I click on accept results and I am now linked to that spot in the sky with the telescope. |
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I have turned off my FOV so it is easy to see the "green frame" of the image. Now comes what I consider to be one of the best features of TheSky for framing your target. Since I am now "linked" to that spot in the sky, I can drive my telescope with the Paramount joystick (or if using another type of mount, your hand paddle), and voila ! watch the green frame move in real time on the screen !!! This is showing me where the telescope is pointing as it moves with the commands from the joystick. (or hand paddle) |
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All you have to do now is position the green frame around your target to get the "framing" you want for this particular shot. By having your FOV setup so that it matches the green frame, you can either estimate if a guide star will be on the chip, or just take another image and redo the image link, the FOV will follow the green frame, and you can quickly tell if a star will be on the guiding chip. The green frame will remain on the screen even if you need to zoom in or zoom out to get a better perspective while setting up the shot |