Imaging Goals¶

Imaging Goals define exactly what exposures you want for each target. This page covers everything about creating and managing imaging goals.

What is an Imaging Goal?¶

An Imaging Goal specifies:

• Which filter to use
• How long each exposure should be
• How many frames you want to capture
• Optional settings like binning and gain

Each scheduled target can have multiple imaging goals, typically one per filter in your imaging plan.

Creating Imaging Goals¶

Add a Goal¶

1. Open your scheduled target
2. Navigate to Imaging Goals section
3. Click "Add Goal"
4. Configure the goal settings
5. Click Save

Goal Properties¶

Goal Configuration¶

Filter Selection¶

Choose from filters defined in your equipment profile:

Common Broadband Filters: - L (Luminance) - R (Red) - G (Green) - B (Blue)

Common Narrowband Filters: - Ha (Hydrogen-alpha) - OIII (Oxygen III) - SII (Sulfur II) - Hb (Hydrogen-beta)

Exposure Time Guidelines¶

Frame Count Planning¶

Calculate your total integration time:

Total Time = Exposure × Count

Examples:
- 300s × 40 = 200 minutes (3.3 hours)
- 600s × 30 = 300 minutes (5 hours)

Multiple Goals¶

Typical Configurations¶

LRGB Imaging:

Narrowband (SHO Palette):

HOO Bicolor:

Goal Priority¶

Goals are processed based on:

1. Filter priority (configurable)
2. Moon avoidance rules
3. Completion status

Progress Tracking¶

Captured Count¶

As frames are captured via the N.I.N.A. plugin:

• Captured Count increments automatically
• Progress bar updates in real-time
• Percentage completion calculated

Manual Updates¶

You can manually adjust counts:

1. Edit the imaging goal
2. Modify Captured Count
3. Save changes

This is useful for: - Adding frames captured before AstroManager - Correcting sync issues - Resetting progress

Moon Avoidance¶

Per-Goal Settings¶

Each goal can have moon avoidance overrides:

Filter-Based Defaults¶

Typically: - Narrowband (Ha, OIII, SII): Less affected by moon - Broadband (L, R, G, B): More affected by moon - Luminance: Most affected by moon

Advanced Settings¶

Dithering¶

Configure dithering for this goal:

• Enable/Disable: Override default dithering
• Dither Every: Frames between dithers

Autofocus¶

Configure autofocus triggers:

• Focus per Filter: Refocus when filter changes
• Focus Interval: Time-based focus runs

Repeat Strategy¶

How to handle incomplete goals across sessions:

Goal Templates¶

Saving Templates¶

Save common goal configurations:

1. Configure a goal
2. Click "Save as Template"
3. Name the template
4. Template saved for reuse

Using Templates¶

Apply saved templates:

1. Click "Add from Template"
2. Select a template
3. Goals are created automatically

Template Examples¶

Quick Broadband: - L: 180s × 30 - R: 180s × 15 - G: 180s × 15 - B: 180s × 15

Deep Narrowband: - Ha: 900s × 50 - OIII: 900s × 50 - SII: 900s × 50

Mosaic Goals¶

For mosaic targets, goals can be:

Shared (Default)¶

Same goals for all panels:

• Set goals on the main target
• Automatically applied to each panel
• Progress tracked per panel

Per-Panel¶

Custom goals per panel:

• Configure individually for each panel
• Different exposure plans possible
• Useful for varying conditions

Tips¶