"Seamlessly connect with the award-winning SkySafari mobile application to access additional features and delve into a wealth of knowledge about the universe."
So... anybody else curious about this new electronic eyepiece?
https://pegasusastro.com/products/smarteye/
An interview with Pegasus at NEAF. The first few minutes are about the SmartEye.
If Sky Safari is an integral part of this, perhaps now might be a good time to suggest use cases in order to let the developers know what is desired for functionality.
Hi Bentley, we always welcome feedback from the community as we continue our collaboration with Pegasus Astro to develop SmartEye!
Regarding the features we'll be implementing in SkySafari to support SmartEye, we're excited about the possibilities but are unable to share specific details at this stage to protect ongoing development efforts. Rest assured, any pertinent information will be promptly added to the SmartEye FAQ page for easy reference: SmartEye FAQ Page.
Our vision for SmartEye is to create an exceptional EAA device that complements your existing telescope setup for enhanced visual observation. Additionally, it can serve as a robust astro camera, allowing users to process raw images with their preferred third-party tools.
We appreciate your interest and look forward to sharing more details as development progresses.
Hello Pedro,
Thanks for responding. I observe with a large dob (20" New Moon F/3.3) driven by a Sky Safari/Nexus DSC/ServoCat system. Although I like the idea of an EAA all-in-one astrophotography and viewing system, my real interest in this would be as an on-the-fly plate-solving alignment and tracking adjustment system. Thanks for the link to the SmartEye FAQ. I notice that it is mentioned that the SmartEye will possibly address this:
"We have plans to integrate support for autoguiding mounts through SmartEye, enabling it to connect and send small corrections to your telescope mount to ensure precise tracking and keep objects centered during observations."
Has there been thought as to how this will be implemented? I've worked a bit with Keith Venables' DIY eFinder system (https://astrokeith.com/equipment/efinder/) and there are some good ideas there. Keith has implemented a function he calls GOTO++, which executes a GOTO to the selected object, plate solves, syncs to the real position to which the scope slewed and executes another GOTO to precisely center the object. This is done with one command. I could see this being an option in Sky Safari:
a setting which allows the SmartEye plate-solving to be used with every GOTO.
Here is a screen-shot of the GUI version of eFinder:
I like the object-indentifying overlay. Are you planning something similar with SmartEye?
My use-case for SmartEye might not be for the 20" but for the 72mm refractor I use as a finder for the main scope. The SmartEye in the 72mm would correct alignment and tracking, show a larger field with the in-field objects annotated and display at a brightness level which would allow them to be easily seen at around the same brightness as the 20". This would be a boon for visual observers.
Thanks for listening.
Hi Bentley, thank you for sharing your feedback and ideas. The plan is to continue to develop SmartEye for years to come - we have so many exciting ideas. Let me answer some of your questions directly - but keep in mind that our primary focus for the initial release will be EAA and ensuring we can deliver an amazing experience.
Auto Guiding: Has there been thought as to how this will be implemented?
There are two ways this can be done. One is to add an ST4 port to SmartEye. We haven't decided to do this just yet - we have the room but it adds some complexity to the device and takes away a bit from the simple/clean look we are aiming for. The other way is to support auto guiding through ALPACA - no port would be required. The plan is for SmartEye to run an ALPACA Server.
Annotation: I like the object-identifying overlay. Are you planning something similar with SmartEye?
Yes, we are planning on doing this. Ideally it would be done in both the SmartEye display and in SkySafari.
Thanks for taking time to respond. I'm curious about how the SmartEye will be able to connect simultaneously to Sky Safari and a mount. Currently with my setup, using a Nexus DSC / ServoCat and Sky Safari system, the Nexus DSC is the wifi access point and can simutaneously communicate with Sky Safari and another wifi device (in my case a Raspberry Pi.) Would SmartEye(Alpaca) accomodate both the Nexus DSC and Sky Safari simultaneously through WIFI? An alternative to this would be to allow both the SmartEye and Sky Safari to use the Nexus DSC WIFI access point.
One of the ways is for SmartEye (which has a built in computer) to act as a LAN (Local Area Network) access point. Wifi devices that support ALPACA (mount etc) can seamlessly connect to each other. I'm told there are a few other ways, but I admit this is the limit of my knowledge in this area. More details will be shared at smarteyepiece.com as development continues.
So ... Smarteye has been released now and some early adopters have started doing demos on YouTube. Will the current version do plate-solving/position correction with a Nexus DSC/ServoCat-driven large dob using Sky Safari? and are there current users who are using the system as such? Thanks.
So… over a week and message still not approved …
Hi Bentley, apologies for the delay - we have been travelling to Bryce Canyon and Grand Canyon star parties and just returned.
SmartEye does do plate solving when requested via SkySafari. From other users - you can configure SkySafari to communicate with the Nexus using the LX200 Classic protocol, and then connect to the Nexus's Wi-Fi network. SkySafari will then display the telescope's position, and you can use it to slew the telescope to selected objects. With a SmartEye - you can request a plate solve in SkySafari which will pass the plate solved coordinates to your mount.
https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/866566-skysafari-pro-7-connection-to-nexus/
Hello Pedro, Thanks for responding. I really appreciate you taking time to answer my questions.
Is there an option to change the orientation of the image in the display (like the Flip option in Sky Safari?) I ask this because I'm considering using the Smarteye in the 72mm refractor I use as a finder on my 20" dob and having the orientation consistent between the refractor and Dob would be ideal.
Did the freature for an object-indentifying overlay (such as eFinder implemented (we discussed earlier ... see picture above)) make it into the Smarteye software?
When a plate solve is done in Sky Safari, is it done like the GOTO++ in eFinder, that is: 1) the plate solve determines the actual current position 2) mount is synced to the actual current position 3) a GOTO is executed to the intended position.
Thanks so much!
Hi Bentley,
Thank you of the suggestion. There is currently no option to flip the image in the SmartEye display. However, it is one of the possible features in our list - rotation and flip. It may be quicker to include the option in the dashboard and/or in SkySafari in the near future. Github reference #192.
We also have not yet implemented object information overlay - but it is a high priority for me personally.
The plate solve works and is as you describe - but SmartEye does the actual plate solve at the request of SkySafari - SkySafari then receives the plate solve data and passes it to the mount. You can do an Align and GoTo in SkySafari.
Hope this helps. Big plans for SmartEye but we have to focus on the basics for the first couple of months before introducing new features.
Pedro
Thanks for the response. Just to clarify: when a plate solve is requested in Sky Safari, the actual current position is determined in Smarteye and Sky Safari syncs to that position, a GOTO is then required to move the scope to the intended target position. Is that correct? I would like to request that Sky Safari have an option similar to the GOTO++ in eFinder which centers the target object via plate solve. Is the protocol for requesting plate solves in Sky Safari going to be made public such that third party (or DIY) plate solving devices are able to use it?
Next SkySafari update will include an option to ‘Align and GoTo’. We may allow third party use of plate solving via the API - but no concrete plans right now.