A Comprehensive Guide to Using 'Plan My Night'

06 Jun. 2023

A Comprehensive Guide to Using ‘Plan My Night’. As we stand on the precipice of a new era in astronomy, the power to explore the cosmos is no longer confined to the realm of professional observatories. With the advent of advanced technology, the universe is now at the fingertips of anyone with a Vespera or Stellina and a thirst for discovery.

This article will guide you through the process of using ‘Plan My Night’, a unique feature available in our Singularity app, to schedule and automatically run observation sessions.

‘Plan My Night’ is a revolutionary feature that allows you to program observation sessions without needing to be physically connected to your Vespera or Stellina.

To begin, navigate to the ‘Plan My Night’ screen and select ‘create a plan’. You’ll then be prompted to choose your observatory, or the observation site where the program will run. After validating your choice, select the date for your observation program. The software will automatically specify available observation times based on sunrise and sunset.

Once you’ve named your program, it’s time to choose the objects you wish to observe. These will appear in a zone located in the top section of the screen. A list of observable objects, each with a blue bar indicating the interval of time during which the object is observable, is provided in the bottom section of the screen.

‘Plan My Night’ offers a customizable experience, allowing you to filter proposed objects and specify custom criteria. You can choose from all objects in the catalog, just from favorites, or only from those you defined in manual targets. You can filter by category of object, such as galaxies only, and even filter objects according to their height above the horizon. You can also specify a minimum period of time during which the objects must be observable.

Adding an object to the observation program is as simple as touching its name or its observation bar. The object will be added to the schedule in the top portion of the screen, with the duration of visibility set based on the maximum available block of time. The blue curve shows the height variations of the object above the horizon. You can set the observation start and end times for this object and, when you’re satisfied, touch ‘add’.

You can modify or delete the observation times for an object by touching the zone that corresponds to that object. Once you’re satisfied with your observation schedule, press save.

Your observation programs can be viewed from the ‘Plan My Night’ start screen.

To launch an observation program, you must be connected to your observation station. However, the station doesn’t need to have already been initialized. Initialization is automatic when you start your schedule. Your telescope will now automatically capture the objects you defined in the program without your active involvement. When the observation program is finished, your telescope’s arm will automatically return to its closed position.

You can manage how your observation program runs and view the capture directly, as if it was a traditional observation. When your observation station has finished observing the object, it will automatically move on to the next object in the sequence, as defined in the program.

Finally, to view and recover observation program results once complete, go to the ‘Plan My Night’ screen, then choose ‘plan finished’. You can view the image captured for each of the objects and use the usual Singularity commands to save and share the image. Observation program results remain available until another program is launched.