David's Astronomy Pages Notes - Session 1412 (2026-03-28)

Notes (S1411)

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Notes (S1413)

	Session Aims & Highlights
	- Observing Result  - Night Summary Plot  - Session Event Log
	Operational Issues
	- Critical Issues (0),  Major Issues (1),  Minor Issues (5),  Small Defects (2),  Continuous Improvement (1)
	- Figures (1)
	Images from 2026-03-28  >>

Session Aims & Highlights (2026-03-28)

Main aims

1. Targets.  Acquire images of a selection of variable stars, nearby stars, comets & deep sky targets as allowed by sky conditions.
2. CCDSoft.  Check that CCDSoft is stable and running without issue following the major issue at the start of the previous session and the necessary re-installation of CCDSoft
3. ShCap Imaging/Processing.  Continue testing of AstroMain/AstroShCap routines and workflow including Siril scripts

 Equipment & Software

• 12" LX200 and ST-10XME
• 80mm APO and ZWO ASI 178MC
• TheSky6 6.0.0.65, CCDSoft 5.00.201 (Reinstall), 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 1.4.1, deCONZ 1.18.2, ASCOM 7.1.0.4707
   
• AstroMain 3.80.32,  AstroPlan 1.46.2, AstroShCap 1.3.23, AstroGuard 1.13.2  (any new items or versions in bold)
  AstroMag 1.5.12, AstroVOE 1.16,  AstroSN 1.16,  AstroProtect 1.10.6,  AstroMove 1.18.1
  AstroAllSky 3.27.7, AstroWeather 1.30.2,   AstroObsCam 1.13.1, AstroNorthCam 1.8.1, AstroLaunch 1.14.9

Highlights

• Targets. 15/26 planned targets were completed with 1 target partially completely. Other targets failed due to cloud/session suspension. One target (M51, ShCap), injected into the job queue as a ToO target was partially completed.
•  CCDSoft. No issues with CCDSoft following major issue at start of the previous session that required reinstallation of the program before the session could resume.
• ShCap Imaging/Processing.   ShCap imaging of M51 had to be aborted after 27/30 frames due to cloud/session suspension, and as a consequence there was no run-time stacking and picture generation. Of the 27 frames 20 of them were useable and were subsequentially processed post-session (see M51 pictures)
•  Dome. No issues open/closing shutter. Dome was successfully parked at the end of the session.

Notes

• .

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 20:49:42 Session Monitoring AutoStart monitoring for Live Session opportunity between 20:49 & 03:56 20:49:46 Session AutoStarting Session autostarting (20:49) 20:49:53 Session Created Session Created (Live, 2026-03-28 S01412) 20:49:55   CCDSoft Restarting CCDSoft being restarted (to set AutoSave No.) 20:50:14   Scope Switched On Telescope Power has been switched on via UPB Switch 20:52:00   Services Started Observatory Services started 20:52:11 Observatory (Auto) Observatory placed in Fully-Automated Mode 20:52:12 Session Pending Session pending (2026-03-28) 20:52:14 Session Initiating Session initiating (2026-03-28) 20:52:35   Camera1 Connected SBIG Camera connected (Set point -20°C) 20:52:39   Plan Requested Observing Plan requested from AstroPlan (1.46.2) 20:53:15   Plan Loaded Observing Plan loaded to queue (PlanID: 1210) 20:53:56   Telescope Connected Telescope connected (TheSky6) 20:54:20 Session Equilibration Session ready to Open Dome 20:55:05   Dome Opened Dome opened (Opening time 45s, Zigbee 41s) 20:55:41 Session Running Session running 20:55:44   Queue Started Observing Queue started (26 targets selected) 20:55:50     Target Started (NrZen) Target started (Focus Field 10, HIP 49253) 20:56:00       Dome Unparked Dome unparked 21:00:05       Focusing Started-Foc1 Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S) 21:02:10       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 1, wide) 21:04:09       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 1) 21:04:17       Focusing Started-Foc2 Foc2 Focusing Started (Secondary Scope, using ShCap) 21:06:12       Focusing Completed Foc2 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 2, wide) 21:07:57       Focusing Completed Foc2 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 2) 21:08:18     Target Completed (NrZen) Target completed (Focus Field 10, HIP 49253) 21:09:07     Target Started (1/26) Target started (1/26, GCVS DX Cnc) 21:13:49       Focusing Started-Foc1 Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S) 21:16:12       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 3) 21:21:21     Target Completed Target completed (1/26, GCVS DX Cnc) 21:21:25     Target Started (2/26) Target started (2/26, AT2026gze (CV)) 21:25:15       Focusing Started-Foc1 Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S) 21:27:58       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 4) 21:33:56     Target Completed Target completed (2/26, AT2026gze (CV)) 21:34:00     Target Started (3/26) Target started (3/26, 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann) 21:37:54       Focusing Skipped Foc1 focusing skipped - star is too dim (TCF-LSI) 21:49:43     Target Completed Target completed (3/26, 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann) 21:50:21     Target Started (4/26) Target started (4/26, Z 160-45 w/SN2025abwt) 21:55:22       Focusing Skipped Foc1 focusing skipped - unable to find a star (TCF-LSI) 22:11:57     Target Completed Target completed (4/26, Z 160-45 w/SN2025abwt) 22:12:21     Target Started (5/26) Target started (5/26, GCVS RZ LMi) 22:16:09       Focusing Started-Foc1 Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S) 22:18:16       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 5) 22:23:30     Target Completed Target completed (5/26, GCVS RZ LMi) 22:23:59     Target Started (6/26) Target started (6/26, GCVS RR Leo) 22:27:33       Focusing Started-Foc1 Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S) 22:29:36       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 6) 22:35:19     Target Completed Target completed (6/26, GCVS RR Leo) 22:36:10     Target Started (7/26) Target started (7/26, NGC 4205 w/SN2026fvx) 22:40:57       Focusing Started-Foc1 Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S) 22:43:37       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 7) 22:59:52     Target Completed Target completed (7/26, NGC 4205 w/SN2026fvx) 22:59:56     Target Started (8/26) Target started (8/26, IC 4556 w/SN2026fuz) 23:04:48       Focusing Started-Foc1 Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S) 23:07:08       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 8) 23:23:21     Target Completed Target completed (8/26, IC 4556 w/SN2026fuz) 23:23:25     Target Started (9/26) Target started (9/26, GCVS R CrB) 23:27:01       Focusing Started-Foc1 Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S) 23:28:51       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 9) 23:31:41     Target Completed Target completed (9/26, GCVS R CrB) 23:31:46     Target Started (10/26) Target started (10/26, GCVS ER UMa) 23:36:10       Focusing Skipped Foc1 focusing skipped - star is too dim (TCF-LSI) 23:40:02     Target Completed Target completed (10/26, GCVS ER UMa) 23:40:49     Target Started (11/26) Target started (11/26, GCVS AM CVn) 23:45:03       Focusing Started-Foc1 Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S) 23:47:01       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 10) 23:50:01     Target Completed Target completed (11/26, GCVS AM CVn) 23:50:22     Target Started (12/26) Target started (12/26, UGC 3028 w/SN2026gm) 23:55:02       Focusing Skipped Foc1 focusing skipped - star is too dim (TCF-LSI) 00:11:09     Target Completed Target completed (12/26, UGC 3028 w/SN2026gm) 00:12:42     Target Started (13/26) Target started (13/26, 240P/NEAT) 00:17:19       Focusing Skipped Foc1 focusing skipped - star is lost (TCF-LSI) 00:28:32     Target Completed Target completed (13/26, 240P/NEAT) 00:29:26     Target Started (14/26) Target started (14/26, GCVS S Cyg) 00:33:43       Focusing Started-Foc1 Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S) 00:35:49       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 11) 00:45:11     Target Completed Target completed (14/26, GCVS S Cyg) 00:45:55     Target Started (15/26) Target started (15/26, GCVS CI Cyg) 00:49:36       Focusing Started-Foc1 Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S) 00:51:52       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 12) 00:55:20     Target Completed Target completed (15/26, GCVS CI Cyg) 00:58:53     Target Aborted (16/26) Target aborted (16/26, AT2026gzl) due to Priority 1 ToO Target 02:01:19 Program Opened Program Opened (AstroMain 3.80.32) 02:01:23   Obs.Overseer Started Obs.Overseer started 02:03:05   Obs.Manager Started Obs.Manager started 02:03:07   Services Started Observatory Services started 02:04:53 Session Monitoring AutoStart monitoring for Live Session opportunity between 02:04 & 03:56 02:04:55 Observatory (AutoStart) Observatory placed in Auto-Start Mode 02:04:58 Session AutoStarting Session autostarting (02:04) 02:05:02 Session Resumed Session Resumed (Live, 2026-03-28 S01412) 02:05:11   Services Started Observatory Services started 02:05:19 Observatory (Auto) Observatory placed in Fully-Automated Mode 02:05:21 Session Pending Session pending (2026-03-28) 02:05:23 Session Initiating Session initiating (2026-03-28) 02:05:46   Camera1 Connected SBIG Camera connected (Set point -25°C) 02:05:53   Plan Loaded Observing Plan loaded to queue (PlanID: 1210) 02:06:34   Telescope Connected Telescope connected (TheSky6) 02:06:59 Session Equilibration Session ready to Open Dome 02:07:44   Dome Opened Dome opened (Opening time 45s, Zigbee 41s) 02:07:47 Session Running Session running 02:07:49   Queue Started Observing Queue started (11 targets selected) 02:07:58     Target Started (16/26) Target started (16/26, AT2026gzl) 02:21:21     Target Completed Target partially completed (16/26, AT2026gzl) 02:21:25     Target Started (17/27) Target started (17/27, M51, ToO). Using SharpCap 02:26:09       Focusing Skipped Foc1 focusing skipped - star is lost (TCF-LSI) 02:32:32       SoftSuspend Called Soft Suspend called due to Deteriorating Conditions (too few stars) 02:33:11       SoftSuspend Cancelled Soft Suspend is cancelled due to improved conditions 02:33:52       SoftSuspend Called Soft Suspend called due to Deteriorating Conditions (too few stars) 02:34:17       SoftSuspend Cancelled Soft Suspend is cancelled due to improved conditions 02:34:37       SoftSuspend Called Soft Suspend called due to Deteriorating Conditions (too few stars) 02:35:16       SoftSuspend Cancelled Soft Suspend is cancelled due to improved conditions 02:36:42       SoftSuspend Called Soft Suspend called due to Deteriorating Conditions (too few stars) 02:56:08   Critical Cloud Alert Critical Cloud Alert (Obs.Manager will close the Dome) 02:56:10   HardSuspend Called Hard Suspend called due to Critical Conditions (cloud) 02:57:01       Camera1 Connected SBIG Camera connected (Set point -25°C) 02:57:03     Target Aborted (17/27) Target aborted (17/27, M51, ToO) due to cloud 02:57:05   Queue Paused Queue paused for Session Suspension 02:57:07 Session Suspending Session suspending 02:57:54   Dome Closed Dome closed (Closing time 50s, Zigbee 44s) 02:57:56 Session Suspended Session suspended 02:58:34     Target Missed (18/27) Target's time slot was missed (18/27, GCVS CY Lyr) 03:01:15 Session Resumed Session Resumed (Live, 2026-03-28 S01412) 03:29:52     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (19/27, AT2026cpv) due to cloud 03:38:37     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (20/27, 61 Cyg) due to cloud 03:49:05     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (21/27, T CrB) due to cloud 03:57:55     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (22/27, HIP 87937) due to cloud 04:07:15     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (23/27, GCVS BL Lac) due to cloud 04:16:27     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (24/27, GCVS HH And) due to cloud 04:35:32     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (25/27, NGC 7292 w/SN2026fov) due to cloud 04:46:55     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (26/27, WDS GRB 34) due to cloud 05:16:00     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (27/27, UGC 622 w/AT2026epv) due to cloud 05:16:04   Queue Completed Job Queue completed 05:16:06 Session Closing Session closing 05:16:08   Dome Closed Dome already closed (closed at 02:57, closing time 50s, zigbee 44s) 05:17:21   Dome Parked Dome parked (parking time 63s), Az: 90.0 deg 05:18:06   Telescope Parked Telescope parked (parking time 42s total) 05:18:30   Telescope State Handbox reads 'Scope parked Turn scope off.' 05:19:27   Telescope Switched Off Telescope Power has been switched off via UPB Switch. 05:20:53   Services Stopped Night Services stopped 05:20:56 Session Finishing Session Finishing started (Create Fits Summary, Transfer Files) 05:21:23     Dome (Find Park) Find Park started (Search Az 80.0 to 100.0°, Step 1.0°, Wide) 05:22:22     Dome Find Park found (Best Park Az 91.0°) 05:22:29     Dome (Find Park) Find Park started (Search Az 89.0 to 93.0°, Step 0.2°, Narrow) 05:23:15     Dome Find Park found (Best Park Az 91.2°) 05:23:21     Dome Dome has been synced at park position (Az 90.0°, Adjustment: -1.2°) 05:23:23   Dome Parked Dome parked 05:24:12   Dome Charging Dome is parked and re-charging Ok (16mA) 05:24:14 Session Finished Session Finished

Session Alerts & Alarms

Time     Type       Name Detail 05:24:12 Green Clear Dome Charging Dome is parked and re-charging Ok (16mA)

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Operational Issues (2026-03-28 S1412)

• Critical Issues (0)
• Major Issues (1)
• Minor Issues (5)
• Small Defects (2)
• Continuous Improvement (0)
• Figures (1)
  

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Critical Issues

• None

Major Issues

• AstroMain program crashed shortly after Inserting a ToO Target at around the clocks went forward (01:00).  Noticing that Target 16/20 (AT2026gzl) was reported to be waiting to start with message "Wait till 01:56 (60.9 mins)", but not immediatel y connecting this with DST change with clocks going forwad by 1 hour at 00:59:59/01:00:00 it was decided to submit M51 (ShCap) Target for immediate exexcution as a ToO target, from AstroPlan as the observation was expected to take 43 mins and fill most of the percieved gap.  AstroMain reported that it had received M51 as a priority 1 target, and inserted it in to the job queue, aborting the waiting AT2026fzl target in the process.  The M51 target was started at 00:58:53, and it was reported to have a Planned Start at 01:01 and as Planned End at 01:44.  Immediately after this AstroMain crashed. Since 01:01 is an illegal time when the Clock skipped forward by 1 hour (jumping from 00:59 /01:00  to 02:00n) it is likely that AstroMain crashed with an unhandled "The supplied DateTime represents an invalid time" exception. Although user was on hand to spot the crash and restart the AstroMain program/restart the session this is ranked as a Major Issue since the requirement if for the program to handle all exceptions and never crash during a live session.  Issue is not ranked as 'Critical' as AstroGuard was operating at the time and would have closed the Dome if cloud/rain developed. Due to DST related issues in previous years a number of guards and design changes have been made to resolve most issues, for example the AT2026fzl was purposedly held back from starting across the DST clock change ,  but there is gap was evidentlly left due to the unforeseen situation that the user requested a priority 1 target at this time which 'should' have been known to the user as a potential issue.  Fixed in AstroMain 3.81 - AstroMain's plan/target scheduling (T class etc)  overhauled to use DateKind UTC throughout. This makes it consistent with the handling in AstroPlan and Targets Database.    T.StartTime, T.EndTimeSlot are only converted to LocalTime for Reporting/Logging.
  Fixed 2026-03-31 (Session, AstroMain 3.81 )

Minor Issues

• A .Net Framework Error dialog appeared recording a "Requested Clipboard operation did not succeed" exception (before 22:15) . An exception dialig appeared recording an unhandled exception with message "Requested Clipboard operation did not succeed" (see Fig 1). Exception details indicated that it was associated with AstroPlan.exe. AstroPlan deemed to be carrying on with its activities ok.  The exception was noticed at 22:15, but likely occurred sometime before that (see Fig 1) Continue button was clicked which dismissed the dialog after AstroPlan operated without issue for remainder of session.  Unclear the point of failure so not much more be done.There haven't been any recent changes to AstroPlan to explain the issue.  It is proposed to monitor for future occurrences of this exception/dialog, but in the meantime it is proposed to close the issue. 
  Closed after review 2026-03-28 (Session, AstroPlan, .Net Framework)
   
• A couple of  'The supplied DateTime represents an invalid time' exceptions were logged around the time of DST change (02:00).  Two exceptions with the messages "The supplied DateTime represents an invalid time. For example, when the clock is adjusted forward, any time in the period that is skipped is invalid." were recorded at 02:01:24. The first one occurred in  ObsWorker.ExecuteWorker() / Write LatestSessionLog Files, whilst the second occurred in 'ParseDomeLogRecord() whilst parsing a Dome Log record.  Both exceptions were caught and handled without affecting operations.   Examining the Pulsar Log show that the timestamps are local times, and that records jumped from 00:59:59.493 to 02:00:00.452 when the clock went forward by one hour. The MeadeGeneric log similarly shows timestamps in local time and records jumped from 00:59:59.633  to 02:00:00.000 when the clocks changed.   Fix attempted in AstroMain 3.80.34.  '.DateX = Now()' replaced by '.DateX = DateTime.UtcNow()'.
  Fix attempted 2026-03-30  (Session, AstroMain 3.80.34) 
   
• The 'Create Dome Log' routine incorrectly recorded "Shutter data hasn't changed in the last 10 mins/20 mins" warnings (02:00).  The recently created 'CreateDomeLog'  goes through one or more Pulsar Dome Logs and condenses the prinicpal information form sessions into a summary log file '(dome).log'. At 02:00:00 the routine reported "WARNING: Shutter data hasn't changed in last 10 mins (last change at 00:58:09" and "ANOMALY: Shutter data hasn't changed in last 20 mins (last change at 00:58:09" At 2:00:24 , a following message line reported "Shutter Data is refreshing again (62.3 mins)". These messages are purely associated with the clock moving forward by 1 hour at start of DST, and the calculating time span in 'local time'.  Time should be converted to UT time before calculating time span.  Fixed in AstroMain 3.80.34.
  Fixed 2026-03-30 (Session, AstroMain 3.80.34) 
   
• Report Lines from 'Restart SharpCap' were interlaced (02:03). After AstroMain crashed at 02:00 (due to DST related issue) and the program was restarted, the post -launch services code recognised that SharpCap server couldn't be connected to and began a 'Restart SharpCap' operation producing some interlaced report lines.    Logs show that ShCap Listening loop was started at 02:02:57 but start services were briefly held up until 02:03:05 when it was reported "No communication from ShCap".  A ShCap.Request ("notify_session") failed at 02:03:08 and 'ShCap is not connected' log message was recorded. The SharpCap service was automatically stopped and a process begun to restart it. Interlacing occurred with its own 'Notify ShCap Session'  reporting and the following UPS Monitor reporting.   Fix attempted in AstroMain 3.80.34.   In the routine 'FollowUpSharpCapService()the call ActionManager.RestartShCapService() in the event of a raised bShCapServiceFailed flag has been changed to  'ActionManager.RestartShCapServiceAndWait().  This should force the RestartShCapService to finish before following code is executed and in doing so stop the interlaced report messages.
  Fix attempted 2026-03-30 (Session, AstroMain 3.80.34)
   
• A 'SharpCap Listening Loop has unexpectedly stopped' alerts were reported at end of Closing Stage (05:20).  During the Session Closing Stage alerts were reported/logged with the twin messages "SharpCap Listening Loop has unexpectedly stopped" and "Object reference not set to an instance of an object.".  The messages at (05:20:53.98) seemed to correspond with the momment SharpCap Client being stopped (05:20:53.96). It is unclear if the message were related in anyway to the earlier restart of the ShCap service at 02:04 (after prior crash in AstroMain at 02:00) or because ShCap Imaging of M51 was aborted at around the time that Session was suspended due to cloud (02:56).  To investigate  After extensive investigation is was determined that the probable cause of the issue was that two processes/threads happened to be running the Listening Loop of which only one of them exited.  The issue was that when the ShCap Service was restarted at 02:03 it didn't force the existing ListeningLoop to stop, as the ShCap server/client was determined as being 'not connected'  Fixed in .AstroMain 3.80.34 - the ShCap.StopService routine now forces ListeningLoop to stop in all circumstances.
  Fixed 2026-03-30 (Session, AstroMain 3.80.34)

Small Defects

• AstroMain's message box indicating that Analysis Of Reduced Files routine has finished, is hidden below the CCDSoft window (post-session).  During "Analyse Reduced Folder2 operation CCDSoft will typically (but not always) come to the front of AstroMain application windows.  It is proposed to make a small modification to make AstroMain come to the front when the Analysis of Reduced Folder is completed, before showing the Message Box.  Fix attempted in AstroMain 3.80.33 by adding the following code line to AnalyseFolder() routine.
    objConsole.Invoke(Sub() objConsole.BringToFront())
  Fix attempted  2026-03-29 (AstroMain 3.80.33)
   
• ShCap Frames Completions are not being logged (02:29 to 02:56).  Currently ShCap Frames are reported but are not logged (02:29 to 02:56). It is proposed to extend the logging to include relevant ShCap Frame Completions. To be implemented/fixed in AstroMain 3.80.33.
  Fixed 2026-03-29 (AstroMain 3.80.33)

Continuous Improvement

• Move all local variables of type Date to use UTC Dates for internal/programmatic use. In the process of moving Schedule/Target Start Time/End Times etc over to using UTC data in order to resolve a crashed program during recent DST change, there are multiple date variable across the AstroMain program that could potentially have issue during DST changes that either remove in hour of local time or add in an extra hour of local time.   These variables are typically set to Now()  upon entry to a loop and are then tested for conditions such as timeouts or other purposes.  These could fail or give rise to unwanted sideeffects/issues around the time of a DST change.  This will be a big task to do,  Not only do variable need to be initialised to DateTime,.UtcNow(),  they need a .ToLocalTime.ToString(...) when reporting / logging.
  To do 2026-04-02 (Excel/ FitsSummary)

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