Guider

A Guider runs PHD2 for one Telescope, as a client of the telescope’s INDI server, and guides with the camera of one OpticalTrain. A guide scope is a train with its own small tube, and an off-axis guider is a train on the imaging train’s tube. While a Reservation holds the telescope, the operator runs PHD2, connects it to the guide camera and the mount, and leaves it idle. The holder calibrates and guides through PHD2’s event server at status.endpoint.

spec

What the guider guides, and how.

Field Type Required Description
telescope string yes The name of the Telescope that the guider corrects. Pattern: ^[a-z0-9]([-a-z0-9.]*[a-z0-9])?$.
opticalTrain string yes The name of the OpticalTrain whose camera guides. Pattern: ^[a-z0-9]([-a-z0-9.]*[a-z0-9])?$.
pulses string yes Where PHD2 sends its corrections: Mount sends them to the mount’s driver, and Camera sends them through the guide camera’s ST-4 port. One of: Mount, Camera.

status

What the operator observes. The operator writes it, and a person reads it.

Field Type Required Description
observedGeneration integer no The metadata.generation of the spec that the operator last acted on.
endpoint object no PHD2’s event server, while the guider’s pod exists. KStars and astrophotography-operator drive PHD2 at its host and port.
pod string no The name of the guider’s pod.
node string no The node that runs the guider’s pod.
state string no PHD2’s state, as its event server names it, while the operator’s connection to that server is open. Stopped: no exposures run. Selected: a star is selected, and no exposures run. Looping: PHD2 takes exposures and does not guide. Calibrating, Guiding, and Paused name what PHD2 does. LostLock: PHD2 guides and lost its star. One of: Stopped, Selected, Calibrating, Guiding, LostLock, Paused, Looping.
calibrated boolean no true while PHD2 holds a calibration of the mount.
pixelScale number no The guide camera’s scale in arc-seconds per pixel, from the camera’s pixel size and the guide tube’s focal length. It is absent while PHD2 does not know one of them.
rms object no The root mean square of the star’s distance from the lock position over the last guide steps, in arc-seconds, along the mount’s axes and in total. It covers at most the last 100 steps that the operator received since guiding started, and since gives the time of the first of them. PHD2 sends a new connection no earlier steps, so the window also starts again when the operator restarts. It is absent while PHD2’s pixel scale is not known.
star object no The guide star, as PHD2 measured it in the last guide step.
lastStepTime string no When PHD2 sent the last guide step.
alert object no The last alert that PHD2 showed, or the last calibration that failed.
display object no What the printer columns show.
phase string no The state in one word. Idle: no reservation needs it, and nothing runs. Activating: a reservation’s activation steps run. Ready: everything it needs runs and is connected. Deactivating: a reservation’s deactivation steps run. Error: a step failed, and the Ready condition gives the reason. One of: Idle, Activating, Ready, Deactivating, Error.
conditions []object no Ready is True while PHD2 runs and its camera and mount are connected. ParentFound is False when the Telescope or the OpticalTrain does not exist.

status.endpoint

PHD2’s event server, while the guider’s pod exists. KStars and astrophotography-operator drive PHD2 at its host and port.

Field Type Required Description
service string yes The name of the guider’s Service.
host string yes The Service’s DNS name in the cluster.
port integer yes The port of PHD2’s event server, 4400.

status.rms

The root mean square of the star’s distance from the lock position over the last guide steps, in arc-seconds, along the mount’s axes and in total. It covers at most the last 100 steps that the operator received since guiding started, and since gives the time of the first of them. PHD2 sends a new connection no earlier steps, so the window also starts again when the operator restarts. It is absent while PHD2’s pixel scale is not known.

Field Type Required Description
ra number yes The RMS in right ascension, in arc-seconds.
dec number yes The RMS in declination, in arc-seconds.
total number yes The RMS of both axes, in arc-seconds.
steps integer yes The number of guide steps that the RMS covers.
since string yes When PHD2 sent the first guide step that the RMS covers, as an RFC 3339 time to the second.

status.star

The guide star, as PHD2 measured it in the last guide step.

Field Type Required Description
snr number yes The star’s signal-to-noise ratio.
hfd number yes The star’s half-flux diameter, in pixels.

status.alert

The last alert that PHD2 showed, or the last calibration that failed.

Field Type Required Description
message string yes PHD2’s text.
type string yes info, question, warning, or error.
time string yes When PHD2 sent the alert.

status.display

What the printer columns show.

Field Type Required Description
rms string no rms.total with its unit, such as 0.84 arcsec.

status.conditions[]

One condition, in the shape of metav1.Condition.

Field Type Required Description
type string yes The condition’s name, such as Ready.
status string yes Whether the condition holds: True, False, or Unknown. One of: True, False, Unknown.
observedGeneration integer no The metadata.generation of the spec that the condition reflects.
reason string yes One word in CamelCase for the cause.
message string yes The cause, for a person to read. It can be empty.
lastTransitionTime string yes When status last changed. A write with the same status keeps this time.