Overview¶

This section explains how AstroManager turns planning into real imaging work.

The Scheduler & Targets are tightly connected to other areas of AstroManager:

Exposure Templates define the capture settings and per-goal scheduling details.
Scheduler Configuration defines the general selection and runtime behavior.
Target Templates can overwrite scheduler behavior for specific targets.
Image Grading defines which captures should still count toward target progress.

Core Concepts¶

Target¶

A target is an active imaging project in AstroManager.

It contains:

the object and framing
the assigned client
the status and priority
one or more imaging goals
optional mosaic configuration

Imaging Goals¶

Imaging goals define what should actually be captured for a target.

Typical examples are:

L 300s x 40
Ha 600s x 30
OIII 600s x 30

Imaging goals are based on Exposure Templates.

Client Scope¶

Targets are always assigned to one client.

That means the scheduler always works in the context of one specific imaging PC and therefore one specific observatory and equipment combination. This keeps framing, observability, and runtime decisions consistent.

Target Status¶

The target status controls whether a target is considered for scheduling:

Active The target is available to the scheduler.
Paused The target stays in AstroManager, but is ignored until you reactivate it.
Completed The target is considered finished.
Archived The target is kept for history and review, but not used for scheduling anymore.

How Scheduling Works¶

AstroManager does not simply sort targets by one number.

Instead, it first checks which targets are currently valid for the assigned client. That includes things like:

target status
current observability
altitude and horizon limits
moon avoidance
imaging-goal rules
scheduler configuration

After that, AstroManager ranks the valid targets.

That decision is based on the general rules from Scheduler Configuration and can be refined for specific targets with Target Templates.

Once the scheduler selects a target, the active imaging goal tells N.I.N.A. what should be captured next.

If conditions or configurations change during the night, AstroManager will select a different target or a different imaging goal automatically.