Adding FITS files to Screen Ruler


Unstacked FITS files that contain a set of required FITS keywords can be dragged and dropped from Windows Explorer to the Control window, see FITS files area. This adds the exposure times and file names to the FITS files area and by default all the files are selected in that list.


Normally if a stacked image is being examined using Screen Ruler, all the individual FITS files available for stacking would be added to the FITS files area. Then, one or more stacks of those images would be used with Screen Ruler to determine whether any of the individual FITS files should be discarded because the target moving object was too close to field stars or galaxies during those exposures, see the Tutorials for further details.


The exposure times and exposure lengths are used to mark alternating coloured lines on the Screen Ruler at the exact start and end points corresponding to each exposure start and end time, i.e. here 48 FITS files have been dropped on the Control window, causing the exposure borders to appear on the ruler:



Selecting and deselecting FITS files


The exposure boundary associated with a FITS file can be selected or deselected. Selected exposure boundaries alternate in colour, in the example above red and aqua are used. There is a single colour used for deselected files. The selected and deselected exposure boundary colours are chosen using the Settings window Exposure Markings settings. The width of selected and deselected boundaries can also be set independently from there.


All FITS files are initially selected when first dropped on the Control window. Files can be deselected and reselected from either the Control window FITS files area, or directly from the Screen Ruler, both methods require the use of the mouse:


  • From the Control window FITS files area: Files can be deselected or reselected from the list of files. The file list follows standard Windows conventions on selection (e.g. click on a line to select that line and deselect all others, press Ctrl+A to select all lines, hold Ctrl while clicking on a line to change the selected status of just that line, etc.).


  • From the Screen Ruler window: To deselect multiple files, hold the Ctrl key while dragging the mouse on the Screen Ruler window. Deselected files can be reselected by holding the Shift+Ctrl keys while dragging the mouse on the Screen Ruler window. Toggle the selection for an individual file by pointing the mouse to the exposure boundary and pressing the F7 function key.


When either method is used, the list of files is positioned so that the most recent change in selection can be viewed in the Control window.


Copying FITS files


Having selected and deselected FITS files, depending on whether background stars and galaxies interfere with them, as a convenience to make stacking of just the selected files easier, the Copy selected files button can be used to copy just the selected FITS files from the previously configured FITS Source files folder to the FITS Files stacking folder. See Copy selected files for more details.

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