Hello
exposure / integration planning for DSO is not easy as 1,2,3 :-). Yet, this is a super important feature to make the most of our nights and our ZWO gear.
Sharcap has a nice feature to optimize exposure / integration (Smart histogram) and it's useful. SkyTools does the same in the planning phase.
Also, the math already exists out there in multiple sheets:
Best one I found: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1EnRw69iA5_kTBxObnU9CKj5GilnZW8VJ
In a simple ASIAIR workflow It could work that way
- User chooses target from the atlas
- Take target magnitude from the database
- Measure skyglow ADU from a single shot - or take a user input Bortle/SQM value
- Measure bias / dark ADU from calibration shots or assume it from camera specs
- Use dark current/readout noise from the camera spec sheets
- Option: use user supplied filters specs (although many of the above sheets already have data for common LRGB, SHO, BB filters)
- Propose combinations of exposure / integration / gain to maximise target signal over skyglow + noise under certain constraints (e.g. total integration time because night are not infinite, max exposure time because guiding can be an issue for some, minimum signal to noise ratio wanted because quality means different things for different users) etc ...
That would be very useful and can be integrated either in preview mode or in the Autorun/Planning mode in order to make sure people maximize the outcome out of their night as today this thing is not as easy as 1,2,3 :-)
Thoughts ?
