SkySurveyor provides context-sensitive help. A useful help can be obtained from any points of the user interface. Context-sensitive help, as opposed to online help or online manuals, does not need to be accessible for reading as a whole. Each topic is supposed to describe extensively one state, situation, or feature of the software.


SkySurveyor features two graphic user interfaces (GUI).

The standard GUI, which starts by default, provides all the basic functionalities. It is designed around a head up display (HUD) showing the current image for guiding, a target and key information.

The advanced GUI provides more detailed information and access to advanced features and settings.

One can switch from one to the other live,a t any time, using the two tabs located at the upper left side of any GUI.

It may take one guider frame before the GUI is fully refreshed.



The standard user interface is organized in a way that all relevant information about guiding and focusing are displayed as an overlay of the guider frame. The aim of this interface, is to offer an intuitive and easy to use interface that allows the user to control auto guiding and auto focusing in an easy way.


1. The status of the guiding is displayed at left on the top row, the following statuses are available:


Status

Description

Idle

Guider camera is not connected, not exposing or guiding loop is not running

Calibrating

Guider calibration process is running

Guiding

Guiding loop is running and correcting the mount tracking errors

Paused

Guiding loop is paused

Looping

Guiding loop is running but no corrections are sent to the mount

Failed

Failure has occurred in guiding loop (check SkyGuard.log to get more information about the failure)


2. The status of the focusing is displayed at right on the top row, the following statuses are available:


Status

Description

Idle

Guider camera is not connected, not exposing or focusing loop is not running

Calibrating

Focuser calibration process is running

Focusing

Focusing loop is running and correcting the focuser shifts

Paused

Focusing loop is paused

Looping

Focusing loop is running but no corrections are sent to the focuser

Failed

Failure has occurred in focusing loop (check SkyGuard.log to get more information about the failure)


3. On the left column, there are all acquisition, guiding, guider command buttons, and focusing

4. In the current image (middle-top), the current guider frame is displayed with all relevant information shown as head up display.

5. On the middle-bottom, there are the plots for both guiding and focusing

6. On the right column, there are all acquisition, guiding and focusing settings (such as exposure time, guider aggressiveness, ...) and focuser relay control and command buttons.

7. On the bottom row, there are the working folder location and the command buttons that allows to manage the workspace.


Click on the button to configure your instruments.