Plate Solver
Commercial-grade plate solve without astrometry.net: fast FITS/TIFF/PNG loading, robust detection, WCS solution, overlays (grid, RA/Dec, N/E), object labels (Gaia/APASS/NGC/IC/PGC), and exports: annotated PNG, WCS FITS, CSV, HTML report.
Quick Start
- Open an image (FITS/TIFF/PNG).
- (Optional) provide Scale/FOV and Center (RA/Dec) hints.
- Click Solve.
- Adjust label density, toggles (grid, RA/Dec, N/E), and export.
All Controls
| Control | Default / Range | What it does | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scale hint | - | Pixel scale ("/px) or FOV | Speeds and stabilizes solve |
| Center hint | - | Approximate RA/Dec | Legacy images w/o headers |
| Catalogs | Gaia/APASS/NGC/IC/PGC | Objects and stars source | Depth vs clutter |
| Magnitude limit | - | Hide faint labels | Clean posters/prints |
| Label density | Low-High | Reduce clutter | Presentation vs exploration |
| Overlays | Grid / RA-Dec / N-E | Orientation/context | Docs and education |
| Batch mode | On/Off | Apply to many files | Mosaics/series |
| Exports | PNG, FITS (WCS), CSV, HTML | Annotated images + tables | Share/archive |
Scenarios
- Field verification: enter scale + center -> fast, reliable solve in the field.
- Annotated poster: fine-tune density/limits -> export high-res PNG + HTML report.
- Legacy plates: no headers Use scale + RA/Dec hints.
Troubleshooting
- Fail -> add scale/center hints; check focus/FWHM; reduce noise; try binning.
- Clutter -> lower label density or raise magnitude cutoff; zoom and re-export.
- N/E orientation confusion -> PA is WCS-based; not your camera rotation.
Updated 2026-05-17