Affiliation
British Astronomical Association, Variable Star Section (BAA-VSS)
Tue, 09/01/2020 - 22:10

Hi complete newbie to VPHOT - trying to get some images uploaded to do some testing.

I have the following error which I dont understand - any help appreciated.

STEP 1: TELESCOPE
STEP 2: TEST IMAGE
STEP 3: REVIEW HEADER
STEP 4: UPLOAD IMAGES
STEP 5: SUMMARY

 

UPLOAD:
The image was successfully uploaded

PROCESSING:
The image was successfully un-zipped, and FITS header read

FITS HEADER:
 

 

Invalid or missing exposure time (EXPTIME or EXPOSURE). Can not continue.

Please return to the previous step and upload another file

 

 

The loaded header shows EXPTIME in loaded!?

FITS HEADER FOR YOUR REVIEW
 

Key
Value
Comment

SIMPLE
T
Created by ImageJ FITS_Writer

BITPIX
16
number of bits per data pixel

NAXIS
2
number of data axes

NAXIS1
5440
length of data axis 1

NAXIS2
3648
length of data axis 2

BZERO
32768.0
data range offset

BSCALE
1.0
scaling factor

OBJECT
SS CYG
 

GAIN
1600
 

OBJCTDEC
+43 39 22.000
 

OBJCTRA
21 42 50.000
 

DEC
43.6562440885302
 

RA
325.709246393518
 

DATE-OBS
2020-08-06T21:12:47.1845684
System Clock:Est. Frame Start

SWCREATE
SharpCap
v3.3.6741.0, 32 bit

BAYOFFY
0
 

COLORTYP
RGGB
Try GBRG if image upside down or R/B swapped.

BAYERPAT
RGGB
Try GBRG if image upside down or R/B swapped.

BLKLEVEL
0
 

CCD-TEMP
26.3
 

YPIXSZ
2.40000009536743
 

XPIXSZ
2.40000009536743
 

EXPTIME
8
 

ROWORDER
TOP-DOWN
 

EXTEND
T
Extensions are permitted

BAYOFFX
0
 

INSTRUME
AA183CPRO
 

HISTORY
WCS created by AIJ link to Astronomy.net website
WCS created by AIJ link to Astronomy.net website

HISTORY
WCS created on 2020-08-07T12:50:32.678
WCS created on 2020-08-07T12:50:32.678

WCSAXES
2
no comment

CTYPE1
RA---TAN-SIP
TAN (gnomic) projection + SIP distortions

CTYPE2
DEC--TAN-SIP
TAN (gnomic) projection + SIP distortions

CUNIT1
deg
X pixel scale units

CUNIT2
deg
Y pixel scale units

EQUINOX
2000.0
Equatorial coordinates definition (yr)

LONPOLE
180.0
no comment

LATPOLE
0.0
no comment

CRVAL1
325.542423693
RA of reference point

CRVAL2
43.5529164831
DEC of reference point

CRPIX1
2720.5
X reference pixel

CRPIX2
1824.5
Y reference pixel

CD1_1
0.000143323329848
Transformation matrix

CD1_2
4.18248669788E-05
no comment

CD2_1
4.18265841181E-05
no comment

CD2_2
-0.000143346696135
no comment

IMAGEW
5440
Image width, in pixels.

IMAGEH
3648
Image height, in pixels.

A_ORDER
2
Polynomial order, axis 1

A_0_2
-9.65314165978E-08
no comment

A_1_1
2.59433113614E-07
no comment

A_2_0
-8.60031864783E-08
no comment

B_ORDER
2
Polynomial order, axis 2

B_0_2
-3.96144878242E-07
no comment

B_1_1
-4.43919789694E-08
no comment

B_2_0
-1.51008818114E-07
no comment

AP_ORDER
2
Inv polynomial order, axis 1

AP_0_1
-2.03650523399E-08
no comment

AP_0_2
9.6531334057E-08
no comment

AP_1_0
-1.27735061223E-07
no comment

AP_1_1
-2.5943307931E-07
no comment

AP_2_0
8.60032053712E-08
no comment

BP_ORDER
2
Inv polynomial order, axis 2

BP_0_1
8.01976080605E-07
no comment

BP_0_2
3.96144015248E-07
no comment

BP_1_0
2.38283702698E-07
no comment

BP_1_1
4.439179561E-08
no comment

BP_2_0
1.51008751006E-07
no comment

TELESCOP
CelEvo
 

 Version 4.0.7b Copyright © 2020 - AAVSO. All rights reserved

 

thanks in anticipation.

Affiliation
American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO)
Fits Headers

Hi Keith:

Edit: What kind of camera/image was this "DSLR? Was TG filter debayered and TG saved as fits file?

VPhot "requires" certain fits headers to work properly. AIJ does not provide them all.  ;-(

So, you need to add them:

1. By hand edit (bad)

2. By using something like maxim ($) or "F2W2HDU (header software- look it up)

3. Use upload wizard (not quick upload) in VPhot and fill in needed info.

Despite what it says, were all the required headers present?

Since you stated that "exptime" was there, send me one of the images attached to an email to kenmenstar@gmail.com. I'll take a look too.

Ken 

Affiliation
American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO)
Invalid or missing exposure time

I get the same 'Invalid or missing exposure time (EXPTIME or EXPOSURE). Can not continue' error with a perfectly valid EXPOSURE card in the FITs header.

Here's my FITs header,

 SIMPLE   = T                          / file does conform to FITS standard
 BITPIX   = 16                         / number of bits per data pixel
 NAXIS    = 2                          / number of data axes
 NAXIS1   = 4788                       / length of data axis 1
 NAXIS2   = 3194                       / length of data axis 2
 BZERO    = 32768                      / offset and data range to that of unsigned short
 BSCALE   = 1                          / default scaling factor
 CRPIX1   = 2394.13151249028           / pixel i-coordinate at field center
 CRPIX2   = 1596.44571385959           / pixel j-coordinate at field center
 CTYPE1   = 'RA---TAN'                 / gnomonic projection
 CTYPE2   = 'DEC--TAN'                 / gnomonic projection
 OBJECT   = 'RR_Lyr_East'              / Object name
 DATE-LOC = '2021-07-20T22:53:54.0000000' / Local observation date
 DATE-OBS = '2021-07-20T21:53:54.0000000' / UTC observation date
 IMAGETYP = 'LIGHT   '                 / Type of frame
 CREATOR  = 'Sequence Generator Pro v3.2.0.660' / Capture software
 INSTRUME = 'QHYCCD-Cameras-Capture'   / Instrument name
 OBSERVER = 'Stephen C Percy'          / Observer name
 SITENAME = 'The Studios Observatory (Z52)' / Observatory name
 SITEELEV = 83                         / Elevation of the imaging site in meters
 SITELAT  = '52 54 54.410'             / Latitude of the imaging site in degrees
 SITELONG = '-0 39 39.640'             / Longitude of the imaging site in degrees
 FOCUSER  = 'Moonlite DRO Focuser Driver' / Focuser name
 FOCPOS   = 5751                       / Absolute focuser position
 FOCTEMP  = 24.136                     / Focuser temperature
 FWHEEL   = 'QHYCCD FilterWheel'       / Filter Wheel name
 FILTER   = 'V       '                 / Filter name
 EXPOSURE = 5                          / Exposure time in seconds
 CCD-TEMP = -7.9                       / Camera cooler temperature
 SET-TEMP = -8                         / Camera cooler target temperature
 XBINNING = 2                          / Camera X Bin
 CCDXBIN  = 2                          / Camera X Bin
 YBINNING = 2                          / Camera Y Bin
 CCDYBIN  = 2                          / Camera Y Bin
 XPIXSZ   = 7.52                       / Pixel Width in microns (with binning)
 YPIXSZ   = 7.52                       / Pixel Height in microns (with binning)
 TELESCOP = 'ASCOM Telescope Driver for TheSky.' / Telescope name
 RA       = 291.370336849309           / Object Right Ascension in degrees
 DEC      = 42.7384687609551           / Object Declination in degrees
 CRVAL1   = 291.369166666667           / RA at field center
 CRVAL2   = 42.7833333333333           / Dec at field center
 OBJCTRA  = '19 25 28.881'             / Object Right Ascension in hms
 OBJCTDEC = '+42 44 18.488'            / Object Declination in degrees
 AIRMASS  = 1.05999950449873           / Average airmass
 OBJCTALT = 70.6411080773653           / Altitude of the object
 CENTALT  = 70.6411080773653           / Altitude of the object
 FOCALLEN = 3560                       / The focal length of the telescope in mm

 FLIPPED  = F                          / Is image flipped
 ANGLE    = 180.13                     / Image angle
 SCALE    = 0.44965                    / Image scale (arcsec / pixel)
 PIXSCALE = 0.44965                    / Image scale (arcsec / pixel)
 GAIN     = 0                          / Camera gain
 EGAIN    = 1                          / Electrons Per ADU
 CALSTAT  = 'BDF     '                 / Image calibration history
 CD1_1    = 0.000124902250004169       / xi rotation-skew-scale matrix element
 CD1_2    = 2.66441138053121E-07       / xj rotation-skew-scale matrix element
 CD2_1    = -2.80943277571394E-07      / yi rotation-skew-scale matrix element
 CD2_2    = 0.000124927929012762       / yj rotation-skew-scale matrix element
 RADECSYS = 'FK5     '                 / type of RA-Dec
 EQUINOX  = 2000.                      / epoch of mean equator & equinox
 MJD-OBS  = 0.                         / epoch of observation (TAI MJD)
 WCSVER   = 1.                         / A WCS version number
 

Regards

Stephen

Affiliation
American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO)
VPhot exposure time error

Hi George,

Thanks that will help as I have a large number of images in the time series which need to be uploaded and stacked in groups before processing. I’ll probably opt to edit the header in each file for this batch and look forward to the updated VPhot.

Best regards and stay safe.

Stephen

Affiliation
American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO)
VPhot exposure time error

I can confirm changing the header from 'EXPOSURE= 5' to 'EXPOSURE= 5.0' does allow the FITs file to be accepted.

Unfortunately I have about 300 images that have the 5 as opposed to 5.0 in the header. So I'll wait for the software update before uploading.

Stephen

Affiliation
American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO)
bulk edit the FITS header

There are free programs that will allow you bulk edit the header.  Here's one that looks like it would work for what you need to do.

https://www.theastrogazer.com/home/fits-header-tool

Phil