==== Astroimaging procedure in outline ====

<a2s>
.-----------------------.
| Equipment Assembly    | 
'-----------------------'
</a2s>
  - Place and level the mount (typically 10 - 25kg)
  - Polar align the mount
    * Polar telescope built into the mount (2 minutes, accurate enough)
    * Optimizing star drift in the eyepiece (15 minutes)
    * Software assisted (15 minutes, most accurate)
  - Place the telescope
  - Attach the filter wheel and camera
  - Connect electronic cables

<a2s>
.-----------------------.
| Startup               |
'-----------------------'
</a2s>
  - Open the scripting application (more later)
  - Connect to the mount, focuser, filer wheel and camera drivers
  - Take a test image
  - "plate solve" to confirm celestial coordinates
  - Synchronize the mount to the coordinates

<a2s>
.-----------------------.
| Imaging               |
'-----------------------'
</a2s>
  - Slew to target
  - Select a filter (L, R, G, B)
  - Autofocus
  - Take a set of long exposure images (typically 5 - 15 minutes each)
  - Periodically plate solve and re-slew to target (tracking errors)
  - Periodically refocus (changes in temperature, equipment flex)

<a2s>
.-----------------------.
| Calibration Run       |
'-----------------------'
</a2s>
  - Dark frames with the shutter closed (subtract out CCD "dark current")
  - Flat frames against a uniform sky (divide out vignetting in illumination)

<a2s>
.-----------------------.
| Image Processing      |
'-----------------------'
</a2s>
  - Specialized astronomical image processing software

----
-> [[software | Software components]]

<- [[astroimaging| A brief introduction to astroimaging]]