A project is one target being imaged by one rig: M31 on the backyard refractor is a different project from M31 at the dark-sky site. The project tracks everything – coordinates, rotation, the exposure plan, progress per filter, and the constraints the scheduler must respect.
Creating a Project #
- Choose the imaging system (rig) that will shoot it.
- Pick the target – search by catalog name or enter coordinates directly, then fine-tune framing and rotation in Sky View.
- Attach an exposure plan and set planned sub counts per filter.
Priority #
Each project has an optional Priority (1 = highest). Under the Manual Priority strategy the scheduler works strictly down this list; under Proportional Time priority is not used for allocation. Projects without a priority sort last. See Scheduling Strategies.
Status Lifecycle #
Projects move through Planning → Active → Complete (with On Hold available any time). Only Active projects are scheduled and pushed to NINA. Use Planning while you are still deciding on framing, and On Hold to park a target without losing its progress.
Constraints #
Per-project constraints tell the scheduler when imaging is acceptable:
- Minimum target altitude – below this, the target is not scheduled.
- Sun altitude threshold – how dark the sky must be.
- Moon avoidance profile – per-filter moon rules; see Moon Avoidance Profiles.
Per-Filter Enable/Disable #
Each exposure line has an On/Off toggle. Turned off, the filter keeps its progress but is skipped by the scheduler – handy when you have enough Ha and want the remaining time to go to OIII, or when a filter is temporarily out of the wheel.