Hello Lawrence,

> Do we already have - or could we have a second CCD camera frame available and
> offset? I want to set up a guide camera frame near to the main CCD frame to
> anticipate an guide star finding difficulties - of which I have a lot!

do you mean a guider chip with a fixed separation and orientation (as many of
the SBIG cameras have) or a second independant camera? For the first case
your problem is solved. The CCD guider chip frames are included in Guide.

For the second case it is more complicated but doable. Look at the file
CCDS.NAM in the guide directory. There you can see how a second ccd chip
is handled.

The details how to add a second guider chip are explained here:
http://www.projectpluto.com/update7.htm#guider_chips
and here are "Guider rings" explained:
http://www.projectpluto.com/update8.htm#ccd_range

But all this only applies, if the offset of the guider chip is constant and not
movable as in a seperate guider scope with adjustable ring brackets.

Hope this helps and clear skies
Bernd


Bernd Brinkmann

Sternwarte Herne, MPC code A18
Herne, Germany

e-mail: info@...
http://www.sternwarte-herne.de