---
title: The NINA Simulator Panel
description: "The plugin includes the same nightly simulator you use on the desktop, right inside NINA – useful for confirming what tonight looks like from the observatory machine itself. ### Running It Open the Astro PM simulator panel in NINA, pick…"
url: "https://astro-pm.com/docs/nina-simulator-panel/"
updated: "2026-07-12"
category: Astro PM NINA Guide
---

# The NINA Simulator Panel

The plugin includes the same nightly simulator you use on the desktop, right inside NINA – useful for confirming what tonight looks like from the observatory machine itself.

### Running It

Open the Astro PM simulator panel in NINA, pick a date, and run. You get the same graph, schedule log, and per-target allocations the desktop shows – built from the same engine, cloud targets, and settings.

[![](https://astro-pm.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-12-133321.png)](https://astro-pm.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-12-133321.png)

### Settings Mirror

   [![](https://astro-pm.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-12-133345-1024x212.png)](https://astro-pm.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-12-133345.png)

The panel shows the rig’s scheduler settings – strategy, sort chain, dither, filter switching, flats. Because the desktop app governs these through the cloud, treat the desktop as the place to change them; values applied from the cloud will overwrite local edits at the next sync/build.

### One Important Difference

The plugin computes visibility from the **NINA profile’s observatory location**, not from the site stored in Astro PM. Keep them matching (the plugin warns when they diverge) or the two simulators can legitimately disagree. See [Connecting NINA to Astro PM](/docs/connecting-nina-astro-pm/).