------------ Astroart 8.0 Service Pack release notes ------------- Version 8.0 SP6 - April 2, 2024 -------------------------------- * New feature. Automatic meridian flips, with autoguide and centering by plate solving. * New feature. Script commands for selecting files. * New feature. Script commands for persistent data. * New feature. Script commands for optics collimation. * New feature. Individual filters in Apply Macro can be temporarily disabled. * Improved. Bigger icons for 125% and 150% DPI scaling. * Improved. Auto-scrolling in the script window is smarter. * Improved. Selected points are shown in the window for manual alignment. * Improved. Copy and Paste in the convolution window. * Improved. The telescope simulator is capable of meridian flips. * Bug fix. Domes without homing position triggered an exception. * Bug fix. Windows high DPI scaling was not correct in the preprocessing window. * Bug fix. The 64 bit version did not work with the latest WINE versions. * Bug fix. Option "Cut missing borders" sometimes not compatible with RGB demosaic. * Bug fix. The Statistics window did not reset when closing the image. * Bug fix. Inverting a mask did not work sometimes. Version 8.0 SP5 - November 11, 2023 ----------------------------------- * New feature. Coregister with optical distortions. * New feature. Rotator control from the star atlas. * New feature. Script commands for flat boxes. * New feature. Dark theme for the script editor. * New feature. Events and list boxes for the filter SDK. * Improved. Buttons for easily changing the size of an annotation. * Improved. The name of the script is shown on the title of the window. * Improved. The astrometric position angle is shown in the profile window. * Improved. Selecting with the mouse a deepsky object is easier on the atlas. * Improved. Bright stars in the star atlas are drawn bigger when needed. * Improved. Parking and tracking commands for custom telescopes. * Bug fix. Alcor and Mizar names were flipped in the star atlas. * Bug fix. Some minor planet names were not shown correctly. * Bug fix. Asteroid numbers higher than 500000 could not be searched. * Bug fix. Active optics autoguide is no longer affected by meridian flips. Version 8.0 SP4 - May 14, 2023 ------------------------------ * New feature. Optical distortions with user defined polynomial order. * New feature. Align RGB planes with optical distortions. * New feature. Command to remove distortions from an image. * New feature. Dialog windows can be created easily with the SDK. * New feature. Images can be renamed without saving. * New feature. Script commands for sequences. * New feature. Date and time can be saved in sequences. * New feature. Exposure time for autofocus can be set in the sequencer. * Improved. Up to 100 stars can be used for auto alignment. * Improved. The full screen mode has an option to remember the last zoom. * Improved. F11 shortcut for full screen mode. * Improved. "Equalize visualization" can be canceled. * Improved. The folder for user files can be changed. * Improved. The error line is highlighted in scripts. * Improved. Position of windows for camera and telescope control can be saved. * Bug fix. "Follow minor planet" with WCS did not work with rotated images. * Bug fix. "Delete calibration" was not saved in Processing History. * Bug fix. Some text was not displayed correctly in WINE. Version 8.0 SP3 - January 3, 2023 --------------------------------- * New feature. Astrometry with optical distortions. * New feature. Reading and writing of FITS SIP distortions. * New feature. Three modes for "follow minor planet". * New feature. Camera control for the 64 bit version. * New feature. Several script commands. * Improved. Plate solving is 5% faster. * Improved. More options for plate solving. * Improved. Remove Gradient filter in real-time when changing points. * Improved. Blink full screen with option for fractional alignment. * Improved. Star atlas, the last searched minor planet is highlited. * Improved. Star atlas, constellations can be searched. * Improved. Telescope automatic centering up to 10 degrees. * Improved. Finer zoom-out levels. * Bug fix. Menu "Select coordinates" did not work sometimes. * Bug fix. Minor corrections in the user interface. Version 8.0 SP2 - September 18, 2022 ------------------------------------ * New feature. Tabbed interface when images are maximized. * New feature. Scripts can be manually paused. * New feature. Sequences can be manually paused. * New feature. Software temperature compensation for focusers. * New feature. Window for dome monitoring and control. * New feature. User defined pause for telescope settling. * New feature. Full-frame autoguide can save its images. * New feature. Non-linear distortions for image stacking. * New feature. Several script commands. * Improved. The size of the N-E marker can be set in the Options. * Improved. All annotations may have multiple lines of text. * Improved. More FITS files from space telescopes are supported. * Improved. The direction of autofocus steps can be chosen. * Improved. Virtual keypad works with more ASCOM telescopes. * Improved. The ASCOM Chooser can be skipped for all equipment. * Bug fix. Option for image flipping was ignored in the autocenter window. * Bug fix. Telescope syncing to last image did not use the JNow setting. Version 8.0 SP1 - March 14, 2022 -------------------------------- * New feature. Telescope centering with dedicated window and plate solving. * New feature. Cut and Copy Borders for rotated images in Preprocessing. * New feature. Drizzle for rotated images and option for filtering. * New feature. Points can be selected on the full-frame blink window. * New feature. Gain and offset can be saved in the FITS header. * New feature. Script commands for gain and offset. * Improved. Cut Borders in Preprocessing is faster. * Improved. Histogram for color images is drawn with three curves. * Improved. Sequences without autosave are notified also in the status bar. * Improved. The camera frame in the atlas shows the field size in arcminutes. * Improved. The image frame in the atlas can show the orientation. * Improved. More FITS files from the Hubble space telescope are supported. * Improved. Astrometry and photometry for images with 0.0 .. 1.0 range. * Improved. Several keyboard shortcuts. * Bug fix. Multiscale lowpass created artifacts when negative pixels. * Bug fix. Canceling the filter Remove Gradient did not work sometimes. * Bug fix. Some "Help" buttons did not work.