Get coordinates from Stellarium/Cartes du Ciel

[Stanley Dimant]

Idea:

Not everyone uses the SkyAtlas or Framing wizard for framing their targets (e.g. if site has no Internet available). People still tend to use Stellarium or Cartes du Ciel. For this a plugin for those application should be developed, so NINA can get the coordinates from those applications and use it for, for example, the Sequence target.

Improves upon:

• Quality of Life of the User Experience
• Selecting Targets
• Can improve #106 if implemented
• Can be the start of #30 or #6 if implemented

Implementation hints:

• Plugins need to be developed for those applications
• A button in sequencing and telescope should be added that says "sync to Stellarium/CdC"
• NINA should pull the target coordinates from the plugins on demand
• NINA should push current coordinates to the plugins periodically
• NINA needs to offer an interface via WCF/Pipe or TCP for the plugins to connect against (this could be generalized and extended for other purposes as well, for example #30)

Risks:

• [High] Writing a plugin for Stellarium or Cartes du Ciel could take more effort than expected
• [High] Stellarium/CdC could not support the synchronization properly

[Stanley Dimant]

Partially obsolete as per b076e30

Still necessary to pursue in the future?

Few features are missing that CdC or Stellarium use.

[Han K]

Not everybody is comfortable with a database approach to select objects to image. A map approach is easier to operate and allows setting a frame around two or more objects and the camera orientation. Also a planetarium can provide the position of moving objects as comets, asteroids. And it allows in some case to prepare for imaging a mosaic and access to deepsky survey images to review the whole area. A planetarium program also allows setting the target position for wide field imaging.

Here an example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1GW1neM3zk

I would setup a client <-> server link for importing RA, DEC and orientation. Exporting the positions and images to a planetarium program is less important. Consider the following planetarium programs having a server link:

CDC C2A SkytechX HNSKY Stellarium

[Stanley Dimant]

We already have a map approach in the Framing Wizard -> Offline Framing Source.

[Han K]

That looks good and fulfills most requirements! What only could wish is comets and oval shapes with the correct orientation for galaxies like M31 but that is minor. You could use DSS background for orientation.