David's Astronomy - Notes 2025-12-15 (S1385)

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Notes - Session 1385 (2025-12-15)

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	Session Aims & Highlights
	- Observing Result - Night Summary Plot - Session Event Log

	Operational Issues
	- Critical Issues (0), Major Issues (1), Minor Issues (3), Small Defects (0), Continuous Improvement (4)
	- Figures (0)

	Images from 2025-12-15 >>

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Session Aims & Highlights (2025-12-15)

Main aims

Targets. Acquire images of a selection of variable stars, nearby stars, comets & deep sky targets as allowed by sky conditions.
Comets. Acquire

Equipment & Software

12" LX200 and ST-10XME
80mm APO and ZWO ASI 178MC
TheSky6 6.0.0.65, CCDSoft 5.00.201, DeviceHub 7.1.0.4707, MeadeGeneric 1.3.12.522, UPB 3, Pulsar Dome Firmware 1.51 & Driver 6.3.10
Pegasus-UI 2.10, Peg-Focuser 2.10, Peg-Switch 2.10, TCF-LSI 3.3.5
SharpCap 3.2, PHD2 2.6.13, Siril 1.0.6, deCONZ 1.18.2, ASCOM 7.1.0.4707
[ DomeLink 1.0 / 1.1 - not used ]
AstroMain 3.79.6 , AstroPlan 1.45.5, AstroShCap 1.3.16, AstroGuard 1.12.3 (any new items or versions in bold)
AstroMag 1.5.12, AstroVOE 1.16, AstroSN 1.15.1, AstroProtect 1.10.6, AstroMove 1.17.2
AstroWeather 1.29.5, AstroAllSky 3.26.4, AstroObsCam 1.12.2, AstroNorthCam 1.7.4, AstroLaunch 1.14.5

Highlights

Targets. 19/x planned targets were completed with 4 targets partially comleted. Eight targets failed due to CCDMonitor/CCDCamera issue at the start of the seesiondue to Cloud / Too few stars (one of which was already acquired as a ToO target (T CrB) ), and 3 planned targets were displaced by ToO targets 4 ToO Targets were completed (240P/NEAT, 3I/ATLAS (x2) , T CrB)
Comets. Images acquired of 5 comets : 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann,198P/ODAS, 240/NEAT (ToO), C/2025 K1 (ATLAS & C/2025 R2 (SWAN)
CCD Camera. Eight targets failed due to CCDMonitor/CCDCamera issue
Dome. No issues open/closing shutter. Dome was successfully parked at the end of the session

NotesNotes

Summary Plots & Logs

Observing Plan

Observing Result

Dome & Scope Slewing Performance

Slew/Centering Performance

Guiding Performance

Sky Conditions (Locate Frames)

Night Sky Summary Plot
Top axis: Sky Brightness at Zenith (in ADU/s)
Lefthand axis: Local Time (hh LT). Righthand axis: Sun Altitude (degs)
Note: The NorthCam Star Count line is unreliable and should be ignored
(The AstroNorthCam 'Find' Star method is producing many false positives from clouds)

Actual Weather vs Pre-Session Weather Forecast

Session Event Log

Time	Event	Detail
18:29:09	Session Monitoring	AutoStart monitoring for Live Session opportunity between 18:29 & 06:40
18:29:10	Session AutoStarting	Session autostarting (18:29)
18:29:23	CCDSoft Restarting	CCDSoft being restarted (to set AutoSave No.)
18:29:37	Session Created	Session Created (Live, 2025-12-15 S01385, ImageSaveNum: 1385001)
18:29:45	Scope Switched On	Telescope Power has been switched on via UPB Switch
18:31:36	Services Started	Observatory Services started
18:31:46	Observatory (Auto)	Observatory placed in Fully-Automated Mode
18:31:50	Session Pending	Session pending (2025-12-15)
18:31:53	Session Initiating	Session initiating (2025-12-15)
18:32:12	Camera1 Connected	SBIG Camera connected (Set point -20°C)
18:32:19	Plan Requested	Observing Plan requested from AstroPlan (1.45.5)
18:32:31	CcdCamera Frozen	CcdCamera appears to be frozen at around 18:32 in section 'GetProperty / CoolerPower'
18:33:01	Plan Loaded	Observing Plan loaded to queue (Plan ID: 1175)
18:33:25	Camera1 Connected	SBIG Camera connected (Set point -20°C)
18:34:01	Telescope Connected	Telescope connected (TheSky6)
18:34:25	Session Equilibration	Session ready to Open Dome
18:35:11	Dome Opened	Dome opened (Opening time 45s, Zigbee 41s)
18:35:21	Session Running	Session running
18:35:24	Queue Started	Observing Queue started (39 targets selected)
18:35:26	Target Started (NrZen)	Target started (Focus Field 0, HIP 106)
18:35:42	Dome Unparked	Dome unparked
18:36:38	CcdCamera Frozen	CcdCamera appears to be frozen at around 18:36 in section 'Waiting'
18:36:39	CCDSoft Issue	CCDSoft has encountered an image save issue [0000]
18:36:58	Camera1 Connected	SBIG Camera connected (Set point -20°C)
18:37:00	CcdCamera Frozen	CcdCamera appears to be frozen at around 18:37 in section 'Waiting'
18:37:19	Camera1 Connected	SBIG Camera connected (Set point -20°C)
18:37:24	CcdCamera Frozen	CcdCamera appears to be frozen at around 18:37 in section 'Waiting'
18:37:25	CCDSoft Issue	CCDSoft has encountered an image save issue [0000]
18:37:43	Camera1 Connected	SBIG Camera connected (Set point -20°C)
18:37:45	CcdCamera Frozen	CcdCamera appears to be frozen at around 18:37 in section 'Waiting'
18:40:20	Focusing Started-Foc2	Foc2 Focusing Started (Secondary Scope, using ShCap)
18:42:06	Focusing Completed	Foc2 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 1, wide)
18:43:54	Focusing Completed	Foc2 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 1)
18:44:15	Target Completed (NrZen)	Target completed (Focus Field 0, HIP 106)
18:48:47	Target Started (1/39)	Target started (1/39, M31 w/AT2025agmm)
18:49:31	CcdCamera Frozen	CcdCamera appears to be frozen at around 18:49 in section 'Waiting'
18:49:32	CCDSoft Issue	CCDSoft has encountered an image save issue [0000]
18:49:51	Camera1 Connected	SBIG Camera connected (Set point -20°C)
18:49:53	CcdCamera Frozen	CcdCamera appears to be frozen at around 18:49 in section 'Waiting'
18:50:12	Camera1 Connected	SBIG Camera connected (Set point -20°C)
18:50:17	CcdCamera Frozen	CcdCamera appears to be frozen at around 18:50 in section 'Waiting'
18:50:18	CCDSoft Issue	CCDSoft has encountered an image save issue [0000]
18:50:27	Critical Cloud Alert	Critical Cloud Alert (Obs.Manager will close the Dome)
18:50:29	HardSuspend Called	Hard Suspend called due to Critical Conditions (cloud)
18:50:36	Camera1 Connected	SBIG Camera connected (Set point -20°C)
18:50:39	Target Aborted (1/39)	Target aborted (1/39, M31 w/AT2025agmm) due to cloud
18:50:41	Queue Paused	Queue paused for Session Suspension
18:50:42	Session Suspending	Session suspending
18:51:33	Dome Closed	Dome closed (Closing time 50s, Zigbee 43s)
18:51:36	Session Suspended	Session suspended
19:07:43	Target Cancelled	Target cancelled (1/39, M31 w/AT2025agmm) due to cloud
19:20:01	Target Cancelled	Target cancelled (2/39, GCVS CY Lyr) due to too few stars
19:23:00	Session Resuming	Session resuming
19:23:45	Dome Opened	Dome opened (Opening time 45s, Zigbee 41s)
19:23:48	Session Running	Session running
19:23:50	Queue Resumed	Observing Queue resumed
19:23:53	Target Started (3/39)	Target started (3/39, 61 Cyg)
19:25:01	CcdCamera Frozen	CcdCamera appears to be frozen at around 19:25 in section 'Waiting'
19:25:02	CCDSoft Issue	CCDSoft has encountered an image save issue [0000]
19:25:20	Camera1 Connected	SBIG Camera connected (Set point -20°C)
19:25:22	CcdCamera Frozen	CcdCamera appears to be frozen at around 19:25 in section 'Waiting'
		(red events not shown here)
19:31:46	Target Failed (3/39)	Target failed due to no images (3/39, 61 Cyg)
19:31:48	Target Started (4/39)	Target started (4/39, GCVS HH And)
		(red events not shown here)
19:39:48	Target Failed (4/39)	Target failed due to no images (4/39, GCVS HH And)
19:39:50	Target Started (5/39)	Target started (5/39, UGCA 9)
19:40:51	CcdCamera Frozen	CcdCamera appears to be frozen at around 19:40 in section 'Waiting'
19:40:52	CCDSoft Issue	CCDSoft has encountered an image save issue [0000]
19:41:10	Camera1 Connected	SBIG Camera connected (Set point -20°C)
19:41:12	CcdCamera Frozen	CcdCamera appears to be frozen at around 19:41 in section 'Waiting'
		(red events not shown here)
19:47:38	Target Failed (5/39)	Target failed due to no images (5/39, UGCA 9)
19:58:58	Target Started (6/39)	Target started (6/39, Gliese 65)
19:59:48	CcdCamera Frozen	CcdCamera appears to be frozen at around 19:59 in section 'Waiting'
19:59:49	CCDSoft Issue	CCDSoft has encountered an image save issue [0000]
20:00:07	Camera1 Connected	SBIG Camera connected (Set point -25°C)
20:00:09	CcdCamera Frozen	CcdCamera appears to be frozen at around 20:00 in section 'Waiting'
		(red events not shown here)
20:07:47	Target Failed (6/39)	Target failed due to no images (6/39, Gliese 65)
20:11:56	Target Started (7/39)	Target started (7/39, GCVS GK Per)
20:12:52	CcdCamera Frozen	CcdCamera appears to be frozen at around 20:12 in section 'Waiting'
20:12:53	CCDSoft Issue	CCDSoft has encountered an image save issue [0000]
20:13:11	Camera1 Connected	SBIG Camera connected (Set point -25°C)
20:13:14	CcdCamera Frozen	CcdCamera appears to be frozen at around 20:13 in section 'Waiting'
		(red events not shown here)
20:21:53	Target Failed (7/39)	Target failed due to no images (7/39, GCVS GK Per)
20:21:55	Target Started (8/39)	Target started (8/39, M31 w/AT2025agwf)
20:23:06	CcdCamera Frozen	CcdCamera appears to be frozen at around 20:23 in section 'Waiting'
20:23:07	CCDSoft Issue	CCDSoft has encountered an image save issue [0000]
20:23:25	Camera1 Connected	SBIG Camera connected (Set point -25°C)
20:23:27	CcdCamera Frozen	CcdCamera appears to be frozen at around 20:23 in section 'SetProperty / AutoSaveOn'
20:29:40	Target Failed (8/39)	Target failed due to no images (8/39, M31 w/AT2025agwf)
20:36:15	User Intervention	User Intervention to abort job queue & switch back to Manual Mode
		(red events not shown here)
20:36:17	Queue Aborted	Job Queue aborted
20:36:19	Observatory (Manual)	Observatory placed in Manual Mode
20:36:37	Services Stopped	Observatory Services stopped
20:36:53	Session Closed	Session closed by User
20:36:56	Program Closed	Program closed by User
20:37:35	Program Opened	Program Opened (AstroMain 3.79.6)
20:37:37	CCDSoft Restarting	CCDSoft being restarted (to set AutoSave No.)
20:37:52	Session Resumed	Session Resumed (Live, 2025-12-15 S01385, ImageSaveNum: 1385001)
20:37:57	Obs.Overseer Started	Obs.Overseer started
20:38:30	Obs.Manager Started	Obs.Manager started
20:38:36	Services Started	Observatory Services started
20:39:05	Camera1 Connected	SBIG Camera connected (Set point -25°C)
20:39:22	Session Monitoring	AutoStart monitoring for Live Session opportunity between 20:39 & 06:40
20:39:24	Observatory (AutoStart)	Observatory placed in Auto-Start Mode
20:40:26	Session AutoStarting	Session autostarting (20:40)
20:41:15	Services Started	Observatory Services started
20:41:27	Observatory (Auto)	Observatory placed in Fully-Automated Mode
20:41:31	Session Pending	Session pending (2025-12-15)
20:41:33	Session Initiating	Session initiating (2025-12-15)
20:41:43	Camera1 Connected	SBIG Camera connected (Set point -25°C)
20:41:54	Plan Loaded	Observing Plan loaded to queue (Plan ID: 1175)
20:42:06	Telescope Connected	Telescope connected (TheSky6)
20:42:27	Session Running	Session running
20:42:30	Queue Started	Observing Queue started (31 targets selected)
20:42:34	Target Started (NrZen)	Target started (Focus Field 2, HIP 9508)
20:45:06	Focusing Started-Foc1	Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S)
20:47:47	Focusing Completed	Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 3, wide)
20:50:15	Focusing Completed	Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 3)
20:50:17	Target Completed (NrZen)	Target completed (Focus Field 2, HIP 9508)
20:50:20	Target Started (9/39)	Target started (9/39, C/2025 R2 (SWAN))
20:54:43	Focusing Started-Foc1	Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S)
20:57:16	Focusing Completed	Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 4)
21:04:28	Target Completed	Target partially completed (9/39, C/2025 R2 (SWAN))
21:04:32	Target Started (10/39)	Target started (10/39, C/2025 K1 (ATLAS))
21:22:09	Target Completed	Target completed (10/39, C/2025 K1 (ATLAS))
21:22:14	Target Started (11/40)	Target started (11/40, M31 w/AT2025agwf, ToO)
21:25:36	Focusing Skipped	Foc1 focusing skipped - star is too dim (TCF-LSI)
21:41:46	Target Completed	Target completed (11/40, M31 w/AT2025agwf, ToO)
21:41:48	Target Missed (12/40)	Target's time slot was missed (12/40, GCVS RX And)
21:41:50	Target Missed (13/40)	Target's time slot was missed (13/40, AT2022vdr (CV))
21:41:52	Target Started (14/40)	Target started (14/40, NGC 1300)
21:47:27	Focusing Skipped	Foc1 focusing skipped - unable to find a star (TCF-LSI)
22:11:06	Target Completed	Target completed (14/40, NGC 1300)
22:11:10	Target Started (15/40)	Target started (15/40, NGC 1345)
22:33:18	Target Completed	Target completed (15/40, NGC 1345)
22:33:22	Target Started (16/40)	Target started (16/40, NGC 3106 w/SN2025aauj)
22:36:50	Observatory Door	Observatory Door has opened
22:36:55	Observatory Door	Observatory Door has closed (open time 5s)
22:47:44	Observatory Door	Observatory Door has opened
22:47:49	Observatory Door	Observatory Door has closed (open time 5s)
22:55:37	Target Completed	Target completed (16/40, NGC 3106 w/SN2025aauj)
22:55:41	Target Started (17/40)	Target started (17/40, GCVS BL Lac)
22:59:49	Focusing Started-Foc1	Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S)
23:02:32	Focusing Completed	Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 5)
23:06:25	Target Completed	Target completed (17/40, GCVS BL Lac)
23:06:29	Target Started (18/40)	Target started (18/40, UGCA 75)
23:19:43	Target Aborted (18/40)	Target aborted (18/40, UGCA 75) due to Priority 1 ToO Target
23:19:48	Target Started (19/41)	Target started (19/41, Jupiter, ToO)
23:31:36	Target Completed	Target completed (19/41, Jupiter, ToO)
23:31:41	Target Started (20/41)	Target started (20/41, GCVS GW Ori)
23:48:12	Target Completed	Target completed (20/41, GCVS GW Ori)
23:48:16	Target Started (21/41)	Target started (21/41, 240P/NEAT)
23:51:57	Focusing Started-Foc1	Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S)
23:54:57	Focusing Completed	Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 6)
00:05:32	Target Completed	Target completed (21/41, 240P/NEAT)
00:05:36	Target Started (22/41)	Target started (22/41, UGCA 113)
00:10:12	Focusing Skipped	Foc1 focusing skipped - star is too dim (TCF-LSI)
00:26:36	Target Completed	Target completed (22/41, UGCA 113)
00:26:40	Target Started (23/41)	Target started (23/41, AT2025aevo)
00:30:57	Focusing Started-Foc1	Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S)
00:33:17	Focusing Completed	Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 7)
00:49:36	Target Completed	Target completed (23/41, AT2025aevo)
00:49:40	Target Started (24/42)	Target started (24/42, 198P/ODAS, ToO)
00:52:26	Focusing Started-Foc1	Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S)
00:55:06	Focusing Completed	Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 8)
01:03:24	Target Completed	Target completed (24/42, 198P/ODAS, ToO)
01:03:28	Target Started (25/42)	Target started (25/42, AT2025agev)
01:12:44	Target Completed	Target partially completed (25/42, AT2025agev)
01:12:49	Target Started (26/42)	Target started (26/42, AT2025agqu)
01:16:10	Focusing Started-Foc1	Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S)
01:18:37	Focusing Completed	Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 9)
01:34:42	Target Completed	Target completed (26/42, AT2025agqu)
01:34:47	Target Started (27/42)	Target started (27/42, AT2025agqo)
01:54:55	Target Completed	Target completed (27/42, AT2025agqo)
01:54:59	Target Started (28/42)	Target started (28/42, AT2025aefi (CV))
01:58:38	Focusing Started-Foc1	Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S)
02:01:51	Focusing Completed	Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 10)
02:17:54	Target Completed	Target completed (28/42, AT2025aefi (CV))
02:17:58	Target Started (29/42)	Target started (29/42, GCVS YZ Cnc)
02:21:12	Focusing Started-Foc1	Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S)
02:23:58	Focusing Completed	Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 11)
02:30:48	Target Completed	Target completed (29/42, GCVS YZ Cnc)
02:30:53	Target Started (30/42)	Target started (30/42, 24P/Schaumasse)
02:34:51	Focusing Skipped	Foc1 focusing skipped - star is too dim (TCF-LSI)
02:44:55	Target Completed	Target completed (30/42, 24P/Schaumasse)
02:44:59	Target Started (31/42)	Target started (31/42, AT2024fxd)
02:50:28	Focusing Skipped	Foc1 focusing skipped - unable to find a star (TCF-LSI)
03:07:33	Target Completed	Target completed (31/42, AT2024fxd)
03:07:37	Target Started (32/42)	Target started (32/42, NGC 2983)
03:13:04	Focusing Skipped	Foc1 focusing skipped - unable to find a star (TCF-LSI)
03:29:21	Target Completed	Target completed (32/42, NGC 2983)
03:29:26	Target Started (33/42)	Target started (33/42, NGC 2835)
03:33:09	Focusing Skipped	Foc1 focusing skipped - star is too dim (TCF-LSI)
03:49:18	Target Completed	Target completed (33/42, NGC 2835)
03:50:18	Target Started (34/42)	Target started (34/42, 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann)
03:53:51	Focusing Skipped	Foc1 focusing skipped - star is lost (TCF-LSI)
04:09:03	Target Completed	Target completed (34/42, 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann)
04:11:32	Target Started (35/42)	Target started (35/42, M59)
04:15:09	Focusing Skipped	Foc1 focusing skipped - star is lost (TCF-LSI)
04:31:18	Target Completed	Target completed (35/42, M59)
04:31:21	SoftSuspend Called	Soft Suspend called due to Deteriorating Conditions (too few stars)
04:31:24	Queue Paused	Observing Queue pausing for Session Suspension
04:31:27	Session Suspending	Session suspending
04:32:17	Dome Closed	Dome closed (Closing time 50s, Zigbee 44s)
04:32:18	Session Suspended	Session suspended
04:38:52	Session Resuming	Session resuming
04:39:37	Dome Opened	Dome opened (Opening time 45s, Zigbee 41s)
04:39:40	Session Running	Session running
04:39:43	Queue Resumed	Observing Queue resumed
04:39:45	Target Started (36/42)	Target started (36/42, UGC 9911 w/SN2023abq)
04:44:43	SoftSuspend Called	Soft Suspend called due to Deteriorating Conditions (too few stars)
04:50:38	Critical Cloud Alert	Critical Cloud Alert (Obs.Manager will close the Dome)
04:50:40	HardSuspend Called	Hard Suspend called due to Critical Conditions (cloud)
04:50:43	Target Aborted (36/42)	Target aborted (36/42, UGC 9911 w/SN2023abq) due to cloud
04:50:45	Queue Paused	Queue paused for Session Suspension
04:50:47	Session Suspending	Session suspending
04:51:33	Dome Closed	Dome closed (Closing time 50s, Zigbee 44s)
04:51:35	Session Suspended	Session suspended
04:52:48	Target Cancelled	Target cancelled (36/43, UGC 9911 w/SN2023abq) due to cloud
05:00:52	Target Cancelled	Target cancelled (37/43, 3I/ATLAS, ToO) due to too few stars
05:06:14	Target Cancelled	Target cancelled (38/43, T CrB) due to cloud
05:26:04	Target Cancelled	Target cancelled (39/43, UGC 10809 w/SN2025vaw) due to cloud
05:48:24	Target Cancelled	Target cancelled (40/43, NGC 3887) due to cloud
06:10:44	Target Cancelled	Target cancelled (41/43, UGCA 286) due to cloud
06:33:04	Target Cancelled	Target cancelled (42/43, UGCA 266) due to cloud
07:05:05	Target Cancelled	Target cancelled (43/43, Z 160-45 w/SN2025abwt) due to too few stars
07:05:09	Queue Completed	Job Queue completed
07:05:12	Session Closing	Session closing
07:05:17	Dome Closed	Dome already closed (closed at 04:51, closing time 50s, zigbee 44s)
07:05:39	Dome Parked	Dome parked (parking time 10s), Az: 90.1 deg
07:06:25	Telescope Parked	Telescope parked (parking time 42s total)
07:06:55	Telescope State	Handbox reads 'Scope parked Turn scope off.'
07:07:17	Telescope Switched Off	Telescope Power has been switched off via UPB Switch.
07:08:44	Services Stopped	Night Services stopped
07:08:47	Session Finishing	Session Finishing started (Create Fits Summary, Transfer Files)
07:10:10	Dome (Find Park)	Find Park started (Search Az 88.0 to 92.0°, Step 0.2°, Narrow)
07:10:58	Dome	Find Park found (Best Park Az 90.0°)
07:11:04	Dome	Dome has been synced at park position (Az 90.0°, Adjustment: -0.1°)
07:11:06	Dome Parked	Dome parked
07:14:08	Dome Charging	Dome hasn't started re-charging after 3.1 minutes
07:14:10	Session Finished	Session Finished

Session Alerts & Alarms

Time	Type		Name	Detail
18:31:50	Yellow	Alert	Disk Space	Free Space on C:\ Drive (48.34 GB) is less than 50 GB
18:33:05	Red	Alert	CcdCamera	CcdCamera appears to be frozen (last cycle at 18:32:31) in section 'GetProperty / CoolerPower'
18:36:38	Red	Alert	CcdCamera	CcdCamera appears to be frozen (last cycle at 18:36:38) in section 'Waiting'
18:36:40	Red	Alert	CCDSoft	Image file [0000] hasn't been saved to disk, possible CCDSoft issue
18:37:00	Red	Alert	CcdCamera	CcdCamera appears to be frozen (last cycle at 18:37:00) in section 'Waiting'
18:37:24	Red	Alert	CcdCamera	CcdCamera appears to be frozen (last cycle at 18:37:24) in section 'Waiting'
18:37:26	Red	Alert	CCDSoft	Image file [0000] hasn't been saved to disk, possible CCDSoft issue

	Red	Alert	CcdCamera	Multiple red alerts raised between 18:38 and 20:27
	Red	Alert	CCDSoft	(but are not shown here)

20:28:32	Red	Alert	CcdCamera	CcdCamera appears to be frozen (last cycle at 20:28:32) in section 'Waiting'
20:28:34	Red	Alert	CCDSoft	Image file [0000] hasn't been saved to disk, possible CCDSoft issue
20:28:55	Red	Alert	CcdCamera	CcdCamera appears to be frozen (last cycle at 20:28:55) in section 'Waiting'
20:28:57	Red	Alert	CCDSoft	Image file [0000] hasn't been saved to disk, possible CCDSoft issue
20:29:18	Red	Alert	CcdCamera	CcdCamera appears to be frozen (last cycle at 20:29:18) in section 'SetProperty / Delay'
20:29:20	Red	Alert	CCDSoft	Image file [0000] hasn't been saved to disk, possible CCDSoft issue
20:41:31	Yellow	Alert	Disk Space	Free Space on C:\ Drive (47.98 GB) is less than 50 GB
07:10:04	Yellow	Alert	Disk Space	Free Space on C:\ Drive (45.18 GB) is less than 50 GB
07:14:08	Red	Alert	Dome Charging	Dome hasn't started re-charging after 3.1 minutes

Operational Issues (2025-12-15 S1385)

Critical Issues (0)
Major Issues (1)
Minor Issues (2)
Small Defects (0)
Continuous Improvement (4)
Figures (0)

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Critical Issues

None

Major Issues

Unable to connect to / use SBIG Camera, automated fixes didn't work. After starting the session by autostart and leaving it to run, there were a huge number for red CCDCamera / CCDMonitor alerts. These were eventually noticed, and AstroMain and CCDSoft program were both stopped and restarted. There were further problems, but over an hour of observing time were lost die to the problem. Camera checks were ok at 18:29 during Autostart initiation (SBIG Camera Power is already on, Camera appears Ok in DeviceManager, Camera is operational). Camera seemed to connect ok during 'Session Starting' at 18:33.However at 18:33:05 there was a red 'CCDCamera alert with the message "CcdCamera appears to be frozen (last cycle at 18:32:31) in section 'GetProperty / CoolerPower' ". During 'Focus Scope Near Zenith' there was a warning at 18:36 with the message "CcdCooling isn't currently being monitored", followed by a red alerts are 18:36:38 with messages "CcdCamera appears to be frozen (last cycle at 18:36:38) in section 'Waiting'" and "Image file [0000] hasn't been saved to disk, possible CCDSoft issue". A atttempted automated operation to Restart USB Port / CCDSoft, Sbig Camera at 18:36:40 to 18:37 failed. The issue with CCDCamera and failed attempts to automatically resolve continued until the user restarted CCDSoft and AstroMain at 20:37. The issue wasted around 2 hours of observing time.
Resolved after delay 2025-12-15 (Session, CCDSoft, AstroMain)

Minor Issues

Weather Station data was not available for the session (17:30 & 22:00) . Outside Temperature/Humidity and Wind data dropped out at around 17:30. An attempt to resolves this by turn off/turned the USB Port to the Ekowitt Gateway Hub didn't resolve issue nor did stopping/starting Cumulus MX , or closing the program folder from CumulusMX9 to CumulusMX10. It was subsequently noted that GatewayHub own temperature/humidity and pressure continued working until the point that attempts were made to resolve the loss in outdoor data. It is suspected that the battery inthe Outdoor Station has been very low due to high usuage, due to long nights & limited daytime solar power. The outdoor data had been offline for at the end of the previous night from 07:15 to 09:30. The S1385 session was able to continue operations despite the lack of Weather Data, but Dew Heater control was likely sub-optimal. Battery to be checked/replaced tomorrow (2025-12-16). Attempted to re-connect to station the folowing day at 13:26, when there was plently of sunlight illuminating the Weather Station's solar panel, but again there was no connection. CumulusMX appears to be connected to Ekowit Gateway Hub ok and is reading Pressure (and probably the Indoor Observatory Temperature & Humidity) as the CumulusMX dashboard shows a valid Pressure and the Last Station Update time indicates that Gateway is connected and CumulusMX is being updated with fresh data ok. CumulusMX log in '..\More Programs\Cumulus MX10\MXdiags' folder show the messages:
2025-12-16 13:26:04.141 Normal running 2025-12-16 13:26:04.148 Reading sensor ids 2025-12-16 13:26:34.153 Realtime[1]: Not all data is ready, aborting process 2025-12-16 13:26:49.145 Realtime[2]: Not all data is ready, aborting process 2025-12-16 13:27:00.152 Minimum data set of pressure, temperature, and wind is not available and NoSensorCheck is not enabled. Skip processing
This shows that the Gateway isn't receiving data from the Outdoor Sensor Head, which supports the hypothesis that the battery is drained. Fixed on 2025-12-16 14:00 with the replacement of 2 x AA batteries in the Sensor Head. The old batteries where confirmed to be drained. Total outage time was 20.5 hours. A separate Continuous ticket has been raised to help make diagnosis of this issue more straightforward.
Fixed 2025-12-16 (Ekowitt Weather Station)
AstroWeather UI froze whilst trying to connect to the USB Control Hub. In an attempt to resolve the issue with the Weather Station, a plan to reset the power to the Ekowitt Gatehub hub was thwarted when attempting to Connect to USB Control Hub in order to reset USB Port 6 (Ekowitt Stn). AstroWeather UI froze. The first time this happened AstroWeather program was killed and restarted, but it happened again. This time Pegasus Unity UI program was started and this seem to release AstroWeather program., indicating some issue with the Unity server. There were issues with the Unity Server a couple of days ago after restarting the AllSky/Weather Computer for a Windows Update.
To fix 2025-12-16 (Pegasus Unity Server)

Small Defects

None

Continuous Improvement

Add further features to AstroMain's new PageBuilder tool. PageBuilder is a new tool in AstroMain, that is intergrated into ImageSet Analysis for used for building a web page for the session being analysed. Proposed new features - Add a Target Name and Object Type text box - Set to Image Tab when Transferring Target Image (via ImageBuilder's Save JPG) - Add a Top Link Name & address - Need to clear picture box when moving to new image block
Done 2025-12-18 (AstroMain 3.79.8
Add a backdoor facility so that Dew Heater control can be switched over to use UPB Temperature & Dew Point. Outside Temperature/Humidity dropped out and wasn't available during the S1385 session for Dew Heater Contol.
To do 2025-12-16 (AstroMain)
Add a tool to make diagnosis of Weather Station data issues more straightforward. During the S1385 session weather data wasn't available and time was wasted trying to resolve it. It turned out that the batteries in the Weather Station's outdoor weather sensor head had drained and had stopped communication with the station's Gateway Hub. The Gateway Hub was reachable from CumulusMX program but it had stopped updating the output file with latest reading, as shown by error messages in the latest MX log file (in '..\More Programs\Cumulus MX10\MXdiags' folder)
2025-12-16 13:26:04.141 Normal running 2025-12-16 13:26:04.148 Reading sensor ids 2025-12-16 13:26:34.153 Realtime[1]: Not all data is ready, aborting process 2025-12-16 13:26:49.145 Realtime[2]: Not all data is ready, aborting process 2025-12-16 13:27:00.152 Minimum data set of pressure, temperature, and wind is not available and NoSensorCheck is not enabled. Skip processing
It is proposed to add a tool to AstroWeather to continuously monitor or otherwise be available to diagnose issues with CumulusMX & Ekowitt Weather Station.
To 2025-12-17+ (AstroWeather )
Modify ImageSet/Image tab to make 'Build' routines to Bring ImageBuilder form to the front. Currently in AstroMain 3.79.7 and earlier versions 'Build' image routines would show the chosen image on ImageBuilder form with the requested scale, size & crop style, but would frequently leave the ImageBuilder form in the background, and the user then needs to click on the form in order bring it to the front, before working the image. It is proposed that each of the 4 build button routines ends with the form being automatically brought to the front. Implemented in AstroMain 3.79.8.
To fix 2025-12-16 (AstroMain 3.79.8)

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This Web Page:	Notes - Session 1385 (2025-12-15)
Last Updated :	2026-01-24
Site Owner :	David Richards
Home Page :	David's Astronomy Web Site

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Notes - Session 1385 (2025-12-15)