The StellarMate Plus Manual
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· Box: Sets the box size used to enclose the focus star. Increase if you have
very large stars.
· Annulus: During full field focusing, stars which are inside this percentage of
the frame are filtered out of HFR calculation (default 0%). Detection
algorithms may also have an inherent filter.
· Settle: Sets the amount of seconds to wait before resuming guiding.
· Detection: Select star detection algorithm. Each algorithm has its strengths
and weaknesses. It is recommended to keep the default value unless it fails to
properly detect stars.
o SEP: Source Extractor and Photometry, an efficient source detection
method based on Source Extractor (Bertin and Arnouts 1996; Bertin
2016). See SEP: Source Extractor as a library in the Journal of Open
Source Software.
o Centroid: a source detection based on estimating star mass around
signal peaks.
o Gradient: a single source detection based on the Sobel filter. Initial or
full-field analysis will use SEP instead of this method.
o Threshold: a single source detection based on pixel values. Initial or
full-field analysis will use SEP instead of this method.
o Bahtinov: This is useful for users who do not have a motorized focuser
and prefer to focus manually with the aid of a Bahtinov Mask. After
capturing an image in the focus module with the Bahtinov mask
algorithm selected, Ekos would analyze the images and stars within it. If
Ekos recognizes the Bahtinov star pattern, it will draw lines over the star
pattern in circles on the center and on an offset to indicate the focus.
· Threshold: Threshold percentage value is used for star detection using
the Threshold detection algorithm. Increase to restrict the centroid to bright
cores. Decrease to enclose fuzzy stars.
· Effect: Apply filter to image after capture to enhance it for preview purposes.
It is highly advisable to turn off any effects during the focusing process as it
may interfere with HFR calculations.
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