Author Topic: Star Alignment error  (Read 2619 times)

Offline gmcfall

  • Newcomer
  • Posts: 10
Star Alignment error
« on: 2017 June 11 06:01:17 »
When I do a star alignment on my Fit files I get the following error message. [ RANSAC unable to find a valid set of star pairs,    cannot integrate less than 3 frames ].  I have the same problem using a script or by using individual processing steps. I have followed the video tutorials to the letter, but still have the problem. Obviously I'm missing something. What am I doing wrong?
Thanks.   

Offline Niall Saunders

  • PTeam Member
  • PixInsight Jedi Knight
  • *****
  • Posts: 1456
  • We have cookies? Where ?
Re: Star Alignment error
« Reply #1 on: 2017 June 11 07:18:22 »
Hi,

First - how many frames are you trying to integrate?

Second, what are the settings that you are using in the StarAlignment Process?

One thing to try and aim for is a setting that gives you around 10 - 50 putative star matches (in other words, each image seems to have about 40-ish stars that the SA porcess has identified as 'usable' in the matching process). Too many, and the process can simply fail because it cannot find a reasonable solution; too few, and you get the error message that you have seen.

You might want to temporarily 'pin' the ProcessConsole window to be 'permanently open', and then you want to clear the output prior to running the SA process, having made a mental note of the settings, or having saved the procees to the Workspace. Run the process, and try to understand what the output is telling you.

Then, see if you can use this feedback information to make an informed decision about which single parameter you want to change. Change it, clear the ProcessConsole, and re-run the SA Process. Did the change make any observable difference in the feedback reults? If so, are things better, or worse? Make further changes, until you feel happy that you have resolved the issue with at least this one SA parameter. Repeat for other parameters.

Sorry that I can't offer you a "magic bullet" solution - I had similar problems to you, but simply reset the SA Process parameters 'back to default' and did what I have tried to describe to you. I did get there - it may have taken me an hour, but I felt that I was 'in contorl', not just pecking and hacking blindly at all the SA options in the vain hope that something 'good' might happen (it never does  ;) ).

Let us know if you get anywhere, or if you are still struggling.
Cheers,
Niall Saunders
Clinterty Observatories
Aberdeen, UK

Altair Astro GSO 10" f/8 Ritchey Chrétien CF OTA on EQ8 mount with homebrew 3D Balance and Pier
Moonfish ED80 APO & Celestron Omni XLT 120
QHY10 CCD & QHY5L-II Colour
9mm TS-OAG and Meade DSI-IIC

Offline gmcfall

  • Newcomer
  • Posts: 10
Re: Star Alignment error
« Reply #2 on: 2017 June 11 14:17:18 »
Niall,
Thanks for the quick input. I will give it try.
Gary

Offline John_Gill

  • PixInsight Old Hand
  • ****
  • Posts: 368
Re: Star Alignment error
« Reply #3 on: 2017 June 12 06:45:16 »
Hi,

Follow Niall's suggestion and make a single change and see if things get better.

These are a couple of parameters that you can adjust to allow the "SA" to stack more images:
Star Alignment ---> Star Detection ---> Detection Scales ---> 5 - 7
Star Alignmnet ---> Star Detection ---> Noise Reduction ---> 0 - 3
Star Alignment ---> Star Matching ---> RANSAC Tolerance ---> 2.00 - 6.00

Look up
John



APM 107/700 apo on CGX mount
ZWO Optics - Autoguiding
ZWO1600mm and filters
... when there are no clouds ...

Offline gmcfall

  • Newcomer
  • Posts: 10
Re: Star Alignment error
« Reply #4 on: 2017 June 12 18:49:35 »
Thanks everybody.
 The problem was the "use preview" box was checked, but there were no previews.
When I unchecked the box everything ran fine using the default settings.
Thanks again.
Gary

Offline Niall Saunders

  • PTeam Member
  • PixInsight Jedi Knight
  • *****
  • Posts: 1456
  • We have cookies? Where ?
Re: Star Alignment error
« Reply #5 on: 2017 June 13 05:11:05 »
Hi Gary,

Glad you sorted things out - I'm sure that you learned from the experience (as we rarely ever learn anything when nothing goes wrong  ;) )
Cheers,
Niall Saunders
Clinterty Observatories
Aberdeen, UK

Altair Astro GSO 10" f/8 Ritchey Chrétien CF OTA on EQ8 mount with homebrew 3D Balance and Pier
Moonfish ED80 APO & Celestron Omni XLT 120
QHY10 CCD & QHY5L-II Colour
9mm TS-OAG and Meade DSI-IIC