This tool is designed to help you align and identify planetary satellites in your photos taken with the Seestar S50 telescope. You can listen to this video to check how to use this tool, or you can follow the steps described below to use the tool:
- Enter Photo Details:
- Upload Your Photo: Start by clicking "Choose file," and import a JPG image of a planet captured using the Seestar S50 telescope.
- Date (UTC): Input the date and time when the photo was taken in UTC format, e.g., 2024-08-16 18:30:00. If you are unsure of the UTC time in your location, check this website.
- Planet Name: In the select box, choose the name of the planet featured in the photo.
- Select Zoom: In the dropdown, choose the zoom level used in the Seestar telescope when the planet image was taken. If you captured the planet using the "Stargazing" mode instead of the "Solar System" mode, set the zoom to 1.
- Fetch Data: Click the "Fetch Data" button to retrieve the positions of the planet and its satellites at the time your photo was taken. This data is sourced from the PDS website. Once you have clicked, you should have further parameters which will apppear below:
- Display Data: Once the planet is centered, click "Display Data" to show both the satellites and the planet as they appeared at the time your photo was taken.
- Display Planet: If you want to display only the planet, tick the "Display Planet" checkbox. Note that it is unticked by default. If you decide to enable this option after clicking "Display Data," you may need to untick and retick the "Display Data" checkbox to ensure both the planet and satellites appear correctly.
- Adjust the Image:
- Rotation Angle: Since the photo taken by the Seestar S50 might not align perfectly with the celestial equator, use the rotation angle adjustment to correct the orientation.
- Zoom: Adjust the zoom level to achieve a better fit between your photo and the satellite data. This step is crucial for improving the accuracy of satellite identification.
Take your time to fine-tune the alignment for the best results. This tool will help you achieve a precise estimation of the satellites' positions relative to the planet in your image.