Mosaic Panels¶

AstroManager supports multi-panel mosaic projects, allowing you to image objects larger than your camera's field of view.

What is a Mosaic?¶

A mosaic is a composite image created by combining multiple overlapping frames (panels) to cover a larger area of sky than a single exposure can capture.

When to use mosaics: - Object larger than your FOV - Want more resolution than cropping allows - Creative framing with surrounding context

Creating a Mosaic Target¶

Enable Mosaic Mode¶

1. Create or edit a scheduled target
2. Enable "Mosaic Mode"
3. Configure panel settings

Panel Configuration¶

Automatic Panel Generation¶

AstroManager calculates panel positions:

1. Based on your equipment FOV
2. Centered on target coordinates
3. With specified overlap

Panel Layout¶

Panel Naming¶

Panels are named systematically:

Panel 1  Panel 2  Panel 3
Panel 4  Panel 5  Panel 6
Panel 7  Panel 8  Panel 9

Or by row/column:

R1C1  R1C2  R1C3
R2C1  R2C2  R2C3
R3C1  R3C2  R3C3

Panel Coordinates¶

Each panel has unique:

• Center RA/Dec: Pointing coordinates
• Rotation: Position angle
• Neighbors: Adjacent panel references

Overlap Strategy¶

Imaging Goals for Mosaics¶

Shared Goals (Default)¶

By default, imaging goals are shared:

• Set goals on the parent target
• Same plan for all panels
• Progress tracked per panel

Custom Panel Goals¶

Override goals for specific panels:

1. Select a panel
2. Click "Custom Goals"
3. Configure panel-specific goals
4. Save

Use cases: - Different exposure for edge panels - Extra frames on key features - Varying conditions per region

Panel Scheduling¶

Shooting Strategy¶

Panel Order¶

Configure imaging order:

• Sequential: 1, 2, 3, 4...
• Serpentine: 1, 2, 3, 6, 5, 4, 7, 8, 9
• Center Out: Start from center, expand
• Custom: Define your own order

Batch Size¶

How many frames per panel before switching:

Progress Tracking¶

Per-Panel Progress¶

Each panel shows:

• Completion percentage
• Frames per filter
• Remaining time estimate

Overall Progress¶

The mosaic target shows:

• Total panels complete
• Average completion
• Estimated total time remaining

Visual Progress¶

Grid view shows completion colors:

• 🟢 Green: Complete
• 🟡 Yellow: In progress
• 🔴 Red: Not started

Panel Management¶

View Panel Details¶

Click any panel to see:

• Center coordinates
• Current progress
• Captured images
• Status

Enable/Disable Panels¶

Skip specific panels:

1. Select panel
2. Click "Disable Panel"
3. Panel excluded from scheduling

Re-center Panel¶

Adjust panel position:

1. Select panel
2. Click "Edit Coordinates"
3. Adjust RA/Dec
4. Save

Mosaic Visualization¶

Preview¶

The mosaic preview shows:

• All panels overlaid on sky survey
• Your equipment FOV per panel
• Overlap regions
• Panel boundaries

Interactive Adjustments¶

In preview mode:

• Drag to adjust overall position
• Rotate the entire mosaic
• See real-time panel updates

Processing Considerations¶

Overlap Importance¶

More overlap means:

• ✅ Easier gradient correction
• ✅ Better blending
• ✅ Redundancy for bad frames
• ❌ More total imaging time
• ❌ More data to process

Calibration¶

For best results:

• Use same flats for all panels
• Consistent settings across sessions
• Track conditions per panel

Example Mosaics¶

2x2 Wide Field¶

Object: North America + Pelican Nebulae Equipment: 200mm lens, full-frame camera

Panel 1 (NGC 7000 N)  |  Panel 2 (NGC 7000 S)
Panel 3 (IC 5070 N)   |  Panel 4 (IC 5070 S)

3x3 Large Galaxy¶

Object: M31 - Andromeda Galaxy Equipment: 600mm, APS-C camera

P1  P2  P3
P4  P5  P6  (center on core)
P7  P8  P9

Tips¶