######## Processing parameters ########
AAVSO_COMMENT_STRING= NMW-TexasTech Camera-2 135mm f/2.2 telephoto lens + QHY600M CMOS
ASTCHECK_ASTEROID_SEARCH_RADIUS_ARCSEC= 
BAD_REGION_FILE= /var/www/nmw_calibration/TTUQ2b1x1/TTUQ2_bad_region.lst
CAMERA_SETTINGS= TTUQ2b1x1
CHECK_POINTING_ACCURACY= yes
DARK_FRAMES_DIR= /var/www/nmw_calibration/TTUQ2b1x1/darks
EXCLUSION_LIST= ../exclusion_list_TTUQ2.txt
FILTER_BAD_IMG__MAX_APERTURE_STAR_SIZE_PIX= 12.5
FILTER_BAD_IMG__MAX_ELONGATION_AminusB_PIX= 0.55
FILTER_BAD_IMG__MIN_APERTURE_STAR_SIZE_PIX= 2.0
FILTER_BRIGHT_MAG_CUTOFF_TRANSIENT_SEARCH= -5
FILTER_FAINT_MAG_CUTOFF_TRANSIENT_SEARCH= 15.0
FLAT_FIELD_FILE= /var/www/nmw_calibration/TTUQ2b1x1/flats/mff_TTUQ2b1x1_2026-05-11.fit
FRAME_EDGE_OFFSET_PIX= 600
GAIA_BAND_FOR_CATALOGED_SOURCE_CHECK= 
MAX_NEW_TO_REF_MEAN_IMG_VALUE_RATIO= 100
MAX_NEW_IMG_MEAN_VALUE= 25000
MAX_SD_RATIO_OF_SECOND_EPOCH_IMGS= 0.18
MAX_SD_RATIO_OF_SECOND_EPOCH_IMGS_SOFT_LIMIT= 0.12
MPC_CODE= V36
NMW_CALIBRATION= /var/www/nmw_calibration
NUMBER_OF_DETECTED_TRANSIENTS_BEFORE_FILTERING_HARD_LIMIT= 8000
NUMBER_OF_DETECTED_TRANSIENTS_BEFORE_FILTERING_SOFT_LIMIT= 4000
OMP_NUM_THREADS= 
ONLINE_MPCHECKER_BUTTON_ASTEROID_SEARCH_RADIUS_ARCMIN= 
PHOTOMETRIC_CALIBRATION= 
REQUIRE_PIX_SHIFT_BETWEEN_IMAGES_FOR_TRANSIENT_CANDIDATES= yes
SEXTRACTOR_CONFIG_BRIGHTSTARPASS= default.sex.telephoto_lens_onlybrightstars_v1
SEXTRACTOR_CONFIG_FILES= default.sex.telephoto_lens_onlybrightstars_v1 default.sex.telephoto_lens_vSTL
STARMATCH_RADIUS_PIX= 4
SYSREM_ITERATIONS= 0
TELESCOP= 
TELESCOP_NAME_KNOWN_TO_VaST_FOR_FOV_DETERMINATION= 
UCAC5_PLATESOLVE_ITERATIONS= 2
FPACK_FULLY_CALIBRATED_IMAGE= no
#######################################
HOSTNAME= tau
USER= 
HOME= 
#######################################
SExtractor catalog cache: enabled, directory /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/vast_sextractor_cache
Reference image directory is set to /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/reference_imgs
VIZIER_SITE=vizier.cds.unistra.fr
GAIA_DR2_CLIENT=vizquery (lib/vizquery -> VizieR vizier.cds.unistra.fr)
INFO: MAKE_PNG_PLOTS is set to yes
FITS_FILE_EXT=fits
CALIBRATION_STATUS_PREFIX=
Fields in the data directory: 
Cas-04-Q2b1x1
#######################################
########### Starting Cas-04-Q2b1x1 ###########
Processing Cas-04-Q2b1x1
server tau has sufficient free disk space available: 256791 MB at /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir
server tau has sufficient free disk space available: 256791 MB at .
Checking input images (2 new)
REFERENCE_EPOCH__FIRST_IMAGE= /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/reference_imgs/Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2025-12-26_19-59-31_20.00sec_-15.00C_LIGHT_0057.fits
REFERENCE_EPOCH__SECOND_IMAGE= /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/reference_imgs/Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-02-10_20-20-38_20.00sec_-14.90C_LIGHT_0006.fits
Small preview (one of the new images): 

Large previews of the second-epoch (new) images:

MAKE_PNG_PLOTS=yes


renamed 'Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-17-33_20.00sec_4.90C_LIGHT_1684.png' -> 'transient_report/Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-17-33_20.00sec_4.90C_LIGHT_1684.fits_preview.png'

Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-17-33_20.00sec_4.90C_LIGHT_1684.fits


renamed 'Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-18-20_20.00sec_5.00C_LIGHT_1685.png' -> 'transient_report/Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-18-20_20.00sec_5.00C_LIGHT_1685.fits_preview.png'

Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-18-20_20.00sec_5.00C_LIGHT_1685.fits




Read-check the input FITS images... read-check OK
Blank image check the input FITS images... blank-image-check OK
Read date check the input FITS images... read-date-check OK
Mean value check the input FITS images... OK, at least two new images have mean values below the threshold.
----------------------------------------------
INFO: REFERENCE_EPOCH__FIRST_IMAGE_MEAN_VALUE= 800.6355
INFO:         REFERENCE_EPOCH__FIRST_IMAGE_SD= 874.5193
INFO:    SECOND_EPOCH__FIRST_IMAGE_MEAN_VALUE= 964.0681
INFO:            SECOND_EPOCH__FIRST_IMAGE_SD= 169.6943
INFO:   SECOND_EPOCH__SECOND_IMAGE_MEAN_VALUE= 958.8054
INFO:           SECOND_EPOCH__SECOND_IMAGE_SD= 146.2192
----------------------------------------------
INFO:      ref_to_second_epoch_img_mean_ratio= 1.20413
INFO:                  SECOND_EPOCH__SD_ratio= 0.161
ERROR: passing clouds (SD ratio=0.161 soft threshold=0.12)
----------------------------------------------
Calibration settings: DARK_FRAMES_DIR=/var/www/nmw_calibration/TTUQ2b1x1/darks FLAT_FIELD_FILE=/var/www/nmw_calibration/TTUQ2b1x1/flats/mff_TTUQ2b1x1_2026-05-11.fit
EXPTIME =                 20.0 / [s] Exposure duration
SET-TEMP=                  5.0 / [degC] CCD temperature setpoint
CCD-TEMP=                  4.9 / [degC] CCD temperature
FOCTEMP =     23.2099990844727 / [degC] Focuser temperature
AMBTEMP =                 23.4 / [degC] Ambient air temperature
Exploring image header: /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-17-33_20.00sec_4.90C_LIGHT_1684.fits 
CCD-TEMP= 4.900000 for /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-17-33_20.00sec_4.90C_LIGHT_1684.fits
SET-TEMP= 5.000000 for /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-17-33_20.00sec_4.90C_LIGHT_1684.fits
Header: 74 keys total, 33 keys left
Record 0: "" status=0
Record 1: "SIMPLE  =                    T / C# FITS" status=0
Record 2: "BITPIX  =                   16" status=0
Record 3: "NAXIS   =                    2 / Dimensionality" status=0
Record 4: "NAXIS1  =                 9576" status=0
Record 5: "NAXIS2  =                 6388" status=0
Record 6: "BZERO   =                32768" status=0
Record 7: "EXTEND  =                    T / Extensions are permitted" status=0
Record 8: "IMAGETYP= 'LIGHT'              / Type of exposure" status=0
Record 9: "EXPOSURE=                 20.0 / [s] Exposure duration" status=0
Record 10: "EXPTIME =                 20.0 / [s] Exposure duration" status=0
Record 11: "DATE-LOC= '2026-05-18T04:17:33.3456525' / Time of observation (local)" status=0
Record 12: "DATE-OBS= '2026-05-18T09:17:33.3456525' / Time of observation (UTC)" status=0
Record 13: "MJD-OBS =     61178.3871914931 / Modified Julian Date of observation" status=0
Record 14: "DATE-AVG= '2026-05-18T09:17:43.2475480' / Averaged midpoint time (UTC)" status=0
Record 15: "MJD-AVG =     61178.3873060998 / Modified Julian Date of averaged midpoint" status=0
Record 16: "XBINNING=                    1 / X axis binning factor" status=0
Record 17: "YBINNING=                    1 / Y axis binning factor" status=0
Record 18: "GAIN    =                   30 / Sensor gain" status=0
Record 19: "OFFSET  =                   30 / Sensor gain offset" status=0
Record 20: "XPIXSZ  =                 3.76 / [um] Pixel X axis size" status=0
Record 21: "YPIXSZ  =                 3.76 / [um] Pixel Y axis size" status=0
Record 22: "INSTRUME= 'QHY600M'            / Imaging instrument name" status=0
Record 23: "CAMERAID= 'QHY600M-84137c4dbbbd119a9' / Imaging instrument identifier" status=0
Record 24: "SET-TEMP=                  5.0 / [degC] CCD temperature setpoint" status=0
Record 25: "CCD-TEMP=                  4.9 / [degC] CCD temperature" status=0
Record 26: "READOUTM= '2CMS-0'             / Sensor readout mode" status=0
Record 27: "USBLIMIT=                   50 / Camera-specific USB setting" status=0
Record 28: "TELESCOP= 'QHY600M-TTU2'       / Name of telescope" status=0
Record 29: "FOCALLEN=                135.0 / [mm] Focal length" status=0
Record 30: "FOCRATIO=                  2.2 / Focal ratio" status=0
Record 31: "RA      =     359.997013883837 / [deg] RA of telescope" status=0
Record 32: "DEC     =     53.9995203969157 / [deg] Declination of telescope" status=0
Record 33: "CENTALT =     28.5536111111111 / [deg] Altitude of telescope" status=0
Record 34: "CENTAZ  =     41.7438888888889 / [deg] Azimuth of telescope" status=0
Record 35: "AIRMASS =     2.08536012472083 / Airmass at frame center (Gueymard 1993)" status=0
Record 36: "PIERSIDE= 'West'               / Telescope pointing state" status=0
Record 37: "SITEELEV=               1009.5 / [m] Observation site elevation" status=0
Record 38: "SITELAT =           33.7482925 / [deg] Observation site latitude" status=0
Record 39: "SITELONG=          -101.958319 / [deg] Observation site longitude" status=0
Record 40: "OBSERVER= 'Sokolovsky'         / Observer name" status=0
Record 41: "OBSERVAT= 'TTU Skyview'        / Observatory name" status=0
Record 42: "SITENAME= ''                   / Observatory site name" status=0
Record 43: "FWHEEL  = 'Simulator'          / Filter Wheel name" status=0
Record 44: "FILTER  = 'CV'                 / Active filter name" status=0
Record 45: "OBJECT  = 'Cas-04'             / Name of the object of interest" status=0
Record 46: "OBJCTRA = '00 00 00'           / [H M S] RA of imaged object" status=0
Record 47: "OBJCTDEC= '+54 00 00'          / [D M S] Declination of imaged object" status=0
Record 48: "OBJCTROT=                  0.0 / [deg] planned rotation of imaged object" status=0
Record 49: "FOCNAME = 'ZWO Focuser'        / Focusing equipment name" status=0
Record 50: "FOCPOS  =                20403 / [step] Focuser position" status=0
Record 51: "FOCUSPOS=                20403 / [step] Focuser position" status=0
Record 52: "FOCUSSZ =                  0.0 / [um] Focuser step size" status=0
Record 53: "FOCTEMP =     23.2099990844727 / [degC] Focuser temperature" status=0
Record 54: "FOCUSTEM=     23.2099990844727 / [degC] Focuser temperature" status=0
Record 55: "DEWPOINT=                 18.7 / [degC] Dew point" status=0
Record 56: "HUMIDITY=                 75.0 / [percent] Relative humidity" status=0
Record 57: "PRESSURE=                891.4 / [hPa] Air pressure" status=0
Record 58: "AMBTEMP =                 23.4 / [degC] Ambient air temperature" status=0
Record 59: "WINDDIR =                 36.0 / [deg] Wind direction: 0=N, 180=S, 90=E, 270=W" status=0
Record 60: "WINDGUST=            34.902792 / [kph] Wind gust" status=0
Record 61: "WINDSPD =            20.201616 / [kph] Wind speed" status=0
Record 62: "ROWORDER= 'TOP-DOWN'           / FITS Image Orientation" status=0
Record 63: "EQUINOX =               2000.0 / Equinox of celestial coordinate system" status=0
Record 64: "SWCREATE= 'N.I.N.A. 3.2.0.9001 (x64)' / Software that created this file" status=0
Record 65: "QHY_EXP =            20.000096 / [s] Actual exposure time" status=0
Record 66: "QHY_PP  =              13888.0 / [ps] pixelPeriod" status=0
Record 67: "QHY_LP  =              85000.0 / [ns] linePeriod" status=0
Record 68: "GPS_LP  =              85000.0 / [ns] linePeriod" status=0
Record 69: "QHY_FP  =           20000160.0 / [us] framePeriod" status=0
Record 70: "QHY_CPL =               6120.0 / clocksPerLine" status=0
Record 71: "QHY_LPF =             235295.0 / linesPerFrame" status=0
Record 72: "QHY_AET =           20000096.0 / [us] actualExposureTime" status=0
Record 73: "QHY_LEM =                    T / isLongExposureMode" status=0
Record 74: "QHY_OFF0=             3767.777 / [us] RollingShutterEndOffset row 0" status=0
Allocating memory for image, dark and result arrays...
Reading image /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-17-33_20.00sec_4.90C_LIGHT_1684.fits 9576 6388  16 bitpix
SET-TEMP= 5.000000 for /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-17-33_20.00sec_4.90C_LIGHT_1684.fits
SET-TEMP= 5.000000 for /var/www/nmw_calibration/TTUQ2b1x1/darks/mdark_TTUQ2b1x1_5C_20s_2026-05-13.fit
CCD-TEMP= 4.900000 for /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-17-33_20.00sec_4.90C_LIGHT_1684.fits
CCD-TEMP= 4.900000 for /var/www/nmw_calibration/TTUQ2b1x1/darks/mdark_TTUQ2b1x1_5C_20s_2026-05-13.fit
Reading dark frame /var/www/nmw_calibration/TTUQ2b1x1/darks/mdark_TTUQ2b1x1_5C_20s_2026-05-13.fit 9576 6388  16 bitpix
Dark frame is subtracted, output is written to /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/d_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-17-33_20.00sec_4.90C_LIGHT_1684.fits :)

Spent 0.515787 seconds 
renamed 'mdark_TTUQ2b1x1_5C_20s_2026-05-13.png' -> 'transient_report/dark.png'
MegaDivider v7
Reading image /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/d_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-17-33_20.00sec_4.90C_LIGHT_1684.fits 9576 6388  16 bitpix
Reading flat /var/www/nmw_calibration/TTUQ2b1x1/flats/mff_TTUQ2b1x1_2026-05-11.fit 9576 6388  16 bitpix
Avarage count on flat field image: 27778.751589
Minimal real count (from overscan): 5
Output is written to /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/fd_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-17-33_20.00sec_4.90C_LIGHT_1684.fits :)


No overscan detected - all values seem high! (left_median=18343.5, right_median=21629.5)
renamed 'mff_TTUQ2b1x1_2026-05-11.png' -> 'transient_report/flat.png'
Using calibrated image CALIBRATED_SECOND_EPOCH__FIRST_IMAGE=/data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/fd_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-17-33_20.00sec_4.90C_LIGHT_1684.fits
EXPTIME =                 20.0 / [s] Exposure duration
SET-TEMP=                  5.0 / [degC] CCD temperature setpoint
CCD-TEMP=                  5.0 / [degC] CCD temperature
FOCTEMP =     23.2099990844727 / [degC] Focuser temperature
AMBTEMP =                 23.4 / [degC] Ambient air temperature
Exploring image header: /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-18-20_20.00sec_5.00C_LIGHT_1685.fits 
CCD-TEMP= 5.000000 for /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-18-20_20.00sec_5.00C_LIGHT_1685.fits
SET-TEMP= 5.000000 for /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-18-20_20.00sec_5.00C_LIGHT_1685.fits
Header: 74 keys total, 33 keys left
Record 0: "" status=0
Record 1: "SIMPLE  =                    T / C# FITS" status=0
Record 2: "BITPIX  =                   16" status=0
Record 3: "NAXIS   =                    2 / Dimensionality" status=0
Record 4: "NAXIS1  =                 9576" status=0
Record 5: "NAXIS2  =                 6388" status=0
Record 6: "BZERO   =                32768" status=0
Record 7: "EXTEND  =                    T / Extensions are permitted" status=0
Record 8: "IMAGETYP= 'LIGHT'              / Type of exposure" status=0
Record 9: "EXPOSURE=                 20.0 / [s] Exposure duration" status=0
Record 10: "EXPTIME =                 20.0 / [s] Exposure duration" status=0
Record 11: "DATE-LOC= '2026-05-18T04:18:20.3941160' / Time of observation (local)" status=0
Record 12: "DATE-OBS= '2026-05-18T09:18:20.3941160' / Time of observation (UTC)" status=0
Record 13: "MJD-OBS =     61178.3877360416 / Modified Julian Date of observation" status=0
Record 14: "DATE-AVG= '2026-05-18T09:18:30.2973884' / Averaged midpoint time (UTC)" status=0
Record 15: "MJD-AVG =     61178.3878506599 / Modified Julian Date of averaged midpoint" status=0
Record 16: "XBINNING=                    1 / X axis binning factor" status=0
Record 17: "YBINNING=                    1 / Y axis binning factor" status=0
Record 18: "GAIN    =                   30 / Sensor gain" status=0
Record 19: "OFFSET  =                   30 / Sensor gain offset" status=0
Record 20: "XPIXSZ  =                 3.76 / [um] Pixel X axis size" status=0
Record 21: "YPIXSZ  =                 3.76 / [um] Pixel Y axis size" status=0
Record 22: "INSTRUME= 'QHY600M'            / Imaging instrument name" status=0
Record 23: "CAMERAID= 'QHY600M-84137c4dbbbd119a9' / Imaging instrument identifier" status=0
Record 24: "SET-TEMP=                  5.0 / [degC] CCD temperature setpoint" status=0
Record 25: "CCD-TEMP=                  5.0 / [degC] CCD temperature" status=0
Record 26: "READOUTM= '2CMS-0'             / Sensor readout mode" status=0
Record 27: "USBLIMIT=                   50 / Camera-specific USB setting" status=0
Record 28: "TELESCOP= 'QHY600M-TTU2'       / Name of telescope" status=0
Record 29: "FOCALLEN=                135.0 / [mm] Focal length" status=0
Record 30: "FOCRATIO=                  2.2 / Focal ratio" status=0
Record 31: "RA      =     359.997013762454 / [deg] RA of telescope" status=0
Record 32: "DEC     =     53.9995203894751 / [deg] Declination of telescope" status=0
Record 33: "CENTALT =                28.66 / [deg] Altitude of telescope" status=0
Record 34: "CENTAZ  =     41.7855555555556 / [deg] Azimuth of telescope" status=0
Record 35: "AIRMASS =     2.07833281244474 / Airmass at frame center (Gueymard 1993)" status=0
Record 36: "PIERSIDE= 'West'               / Telescope pointing state" status=0
Record 37: "SITEELEV=               1009.5 / [m] Observation site elevation" status=0
Record 38: "SITELAT =           33.7482925 / [deg] Observation site latitude" status=0
Record 39: "SITELONG=          -101.958319 / [deg] Observation site longitude" status=0
Record 40: "OBSERVER= 'Sokolovsky'         / Observer name" status=0
Record 41: "OBSERVAT= 'TTU Skyview'        / Observatory name" status=0
Record 42: "SITENAME= ''                   / Observatory site name" status=0
Record 43: "FWHEEL  = 'Simulator'          / Filter Wheel name" status=0
Record 44: "FILTER  = 'CV'                 / Active filter name" status=0
Record 45: "OBJECT  = 'Cas-04'             / Name of the object of interest" status=0
Record 46: "OBJCTRA = '00 00 00'           / [H M S] RA of imaged object" status=0
Record 47: "OBJCTDEC= '+54 00 00'          / [D M S] Declination of imaged object" status=0
Record 48: "OBJCTROT=                  0.0 / [deg] planned rotation of imaged object" status=0
Record 49: "FOCNAME = 'ZWO Focuser'        / Focusing equipment name" status=0
Record 50: "FOCPOS  =                20403 / [step] Focuser position" status=0
Record 51: "FOCUSPOS=                20403 / [step] Focuser position" status=0
Record 52: "FOCUSSZ =                  0.0 / [um] Focuser step size" status=0
Record 53: "FOCTEMP =     23.2099990844727 / [degC] Focuser temperature" status=0
Record 54: "FOCUSTEM=     23.2099990844727 / [degC] Focuser temperature" status=0
Record 55: "DEWPOINT=                 18.7 / [degC] Dew point" status=0
Record 56: "HUMIDITY=                 75.0 / [percent] Relative humidity" status=0
Record 57: "PRESSURE=                891.4 / [hPa] Air pressure" status=0
Record 58: "AMBTEMP =                 23.4 / [degC] Ambient air temperature" status=0
Record 59: "WINDDIR =                 36.0 / [deg] Wind direction: 0=N, 180=S, 90=E, 270=W" status=0
Record 60: "WINDGUST=            34.902792 / [kph] Wind gust" status=0
Record 61: "WINDSPD =            20.201616 / [kph] Wind speed" status=0
Record 62: "ROWORDER= 'TOP-DOWN'           / FITS Image Orientation" status=0
Record 63: "EQUINOX =               2000.0 / Equinox of celestial coordinate system" status=0
Record 64: "SWCREATE= 'N.I.N.A. 3.2.0.9001 (x64)' / Software that created this file" status=0
Record 65: "QHY_EXP =            20.000096 / [s] Actual exposure time" status=0
Record 66: "QHY_PP  =              13888.0 / [ps] pixelPeriod" status=0
Record 67: "QHY_LP  =              85000.0 / [ns] linePeriod" status=0
Record 68: "GPS_LP  =              85000.0 / [ns] linePeriod" status=0
Record 69: "QHY_FP  =           20000160.0 / [us] framePeriod" status=0
Record 70: "QHY_CPL =               6120.0 / clocksPerLine" status=0
Record 71: "QHY_LPF =             235295.0 / linesPerFrame" status=0
Record 72: "QHY_AET =           20000096.0 / [us] actualExposureTime" status=0
Record 73: "QHY_LEM =                    T / isLongExposureMode" status=0
Record 74: "QHY_OFF0=             3767.777 / [us] RollingShutterEndOffset row 0" status=0
Allocating memory for image, dark and result arrays...
Reading image /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-18-20_20.00sec_5.00C_LIGHT_1685.fits 9576 6388  16 bitpix
SET-TEMP= 5.000000 for /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-18-20_20.00sec_5.00C_LIGHT_1685.fits
SET-TEMP= 5.000000 for /var/www/nmw_calibration/TTUQ2b1x1/darks/mdark_TTUQ2b1x1_5C_20s_2026-05-13.fit
CCD-TEMP= 5.000000 for /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-18-20_20.00sec_5.00C_LIGHT_1685.fits
CCD-TEMP= 4.900000 for /var/www/nmw_calibration/TTUQ2b1x1/darks/mdark_TTUQ2b1x1_5C_20s_2026-05-13.fit
Reading dark frame /var/www/nmw_calibration/TTUQ2b1x1/darks/mdark_TTUQ2b1x1_5C_20s_2026-05-13.fit 9576 6388  16 bitpix
Dark frame is subtracted, output is written to /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/d_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-18-20_20.00sec_5.00C_LIGHT_1685.fits :)

Spent 0.515391 seconds 
renamed 'mdark_TTUQ2b1x1_5C_20s_2026-05-13.png' -> 'transient_report/dark.png'
MegaDivider v7
Reading image /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/d_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-18-20_20.00sec_5.00C_LIGHT_1685.fits 9576 6388  16 bitpix
Reading flat /var/www/nmw_calibration/TTUQ2b1x1/flats/mff_TTUQ2b1x1_2026-05-11.fit 9576 6388  16 bitpix
Avarage count on flat field image: 27778.751589
Minimal real count (from overscan): 5
Output is written to /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/fd_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-18-20_20.00sec_5.00C_LIGHT_1685.fits :)


No overscan detected - all values seem high! (left_median=18343.5, right_median=21629.5)
renamed 'mff_TTUQ2b1x1_2026-05-11.png' -> 'transient_report/flat.png'
Using calibrated image CALIBRATED_SECOND_EPOCH__SECOND_IMAGE=/data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/fd_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-18-20_20.00sec_5.00C_LIGHT_1685.fits
Dark frame used to calibrate the second-epoch images:



Flat field used to calibrate the second-epoch images:



after the calibration attempt:
SECOND_EPOCH__FIRST_IMAGE=/data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/fd_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-17-33_20.00sec_4.90C_LIGHT_1684.fits
SECOND_EPOCH__SECOND_IMAGE=/data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/fd_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-18-20_20.00sec_5.00C_LIGHT_1685.fits
Previews of the CALIBRATED second-epoch images:


fd_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-17-33_20.00sec_4.90C_LIGHT_1684.fits



fd_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-18-20_20.00sec_5.00C_LIGHT_1685.fits




Updating neverexclude_list.txt
'/var/www/nmw_calibration/neverexclude_list.txt' -> './neverexclude_list.txt'
Choosing bad regions list
'/var/www/nmw_calibration/TTUQ2b1x1/TTUQ2_bad_region.lst' -> 'bad_region.lst'
wait
*------ default.sex.telephoto_lens_onlybrightstars_v1 ------*
'default.sex.telephoto_lens_onlybrightstars_v1' -> 'default.sex'
Starting VaST with default.sex.telephoto_lens_onlybrightstars_v1

  ./vast --norotation --noflagimage --starmatchraius 4 --matchstarnumber 500 --selectbestaperture --sysrem 0 --type 4 --maxsextractorflag 99 --UTC --nofind --nojdkeyword /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/reference_imgs/Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2025-12-26_19-59-31_20.00sec_-15.00C_LIGHT_0057.fits /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/reference_imgs/Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-02-10_20-20-38_20.00sec_-14.90C_LIGHT_0006.fits /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/fd_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-17-33_20.00sec_4.90C_LIGHT_1684.fits /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/fd_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-18-20_20.00sec_5.00C_LIGHT_1685.fits
  
Last  image: 2461178.88730723 18.05.2026 09:17:33.345 UTC
ERROR running VaST on the field Cas-04-Q2b1x1 (wrong field? clouds? very bad focus? -- transient_factory_test31.txt)
____ VaST output ____

--==VaST 1.0rc90==--

Parsing command line arguments...
opt 'r': assuming no rotation larger than 15.0 degrees!
opt 'F': Will NOT create flag images for SExtractor
opt '5': 4.000000 pix is the new fixed star matching radius!
opt 'b': Using 500 reference stars for image matching!
opt '3': Will try to select best aperture for each source!
opt 'y': 0 SysRem iterations will be conducted!
opt 't 4': robust linear magnitude calibration (vary zero-point and slope)
opt 'x': 99 is the maximum acceptable SExtractor flag!
WARNING: disabling the mag-size filter in order not to reject blended stars.
opt 'u': Stick with UTC time system, no conversion to TT will be done!
opt 'f': Run ./find_candidates manually!
opt 'k': "JD" keyword in FITS image header will be ignored!
INFO from vast_remove_directory(): Could not open directory: symlinks_to_images
INFO from vast_remove_directory(): Could not open directory: converted_images
INFO from vast_remove_directory(): Could not open directory: unpacked_images

Checking the list of input images specified on the command line ...
WARNING from replace_file_with_symlink_if_filename_contains_white_spaces() the input file /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/reference_imgs/Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2025-12-26_19-59-31_20.00sec_-15.00C_LIGHT_0057.fits is already a symlink and we do not allow symlinks on symlinks
WARNING from replace_file_with_symlink_if_filename_contains_white_spaces() the input file /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/reference_imgs/Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-02-10_20-20-38_20.00sec_-14.90C_LIGHT_0006.fits is already a symlink and we do not allow symlinks on symlinks

Looking for the list of input images with time corrections in vast_list_of_input_images_with_time_corrections.txt ... list not found.
This is OK if you specify the input images on the command line, not through this text file.
Checking write permissions for the current directory (/data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir/vast_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp)...  OK
Found a system-wide installation of SExtractor
Cleaning old outNNNNN.dat files.
Done with cleaning!

 VaST was started with the following command line: 
./vast --norotation --noflagimage --starmatchraius 4 --matchstarnumber 500 --selectbestaperture --sysrem 0 --type 4 --maxsextractorflag 99 --UTC --nofind --nojdkeyword /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/reference_imgs/Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2025-12-26_19-59-31_20.00sec_-15.00C_LIGHT_0057.fits /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/reference_imgs/Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-02-10_20-20-38_20.00sec_-14.90C_LIGHT_0006.fits /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/fd_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-17-33_20.00sec_4.90C_LIGHT_1684.fits /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/fd_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-18-20_20.00sec_5.00C_LIGHT_1685.fits 


Preparing to process 4 input FITS images...


######## Forcing special settings for the transient detection ########
transient search mode: disabling the mag-size filter as it should be switched off when running a transient search!
transient search mode: disabling the bad image filter as it will not help during the transient search!
transient search mode: will not try to gues image saturation limit
transient search mode: no UTC-to-TT time system conversion will be performed!!!
transient search mode: setting the maximum acceptable SExtractor flag to 3
transient search mode: disabling rejectin of images with elliptical stars
transient search mode: not discarding large sources
################
Excluding image region:    -1.0    -1.0     1.0     1.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding image region:  7500.0     0.0  9576.0  6388.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding image region:  1122.0  1550.0  1124.0  1552.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding image region:  1637.0  2824.0  1639.0  2826.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding image region:  1831.0  2839.0  1833.0  2841.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding image region:  1905.0  4570.0  1907.0  4572.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding image region:  2012.0  4693.0  2014.0  4695.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding image region:  2397.0  4241.0  2399.0  4243.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding image region:  3279.0  5428.0  3281.0  5430.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding more image regions!.. (will not print them all)
Excluded a total of 24 image regions  (defined in bad_region.lst).
Setting the fixed star match radius of 4.00 pix
We have 4 images to process.
SExtractor catalog cache: restored Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2025-12-26_19-59-31_20.00sec_-15.00C_LIGHT_0057.fits catalog from cache
SExtractor catalog cache: restored Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-02-10_20-20-38_20.00sec_-14.90C_LIGHT_0006.fits catalog from cache
The number of processor cores determined from /proc/cpuinfo is 24.
Running SExtractor in 4 parallel threads...
Using the catalog image00001.cat SExtracted earlier from the image /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/reference_imgs/Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2025-12-26_19-59-31_20.00sec_-15.00C_LIGHT_0057.fits
Using the catalog image00002.cat SExtracted earlier from the image /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/reference_imgs/Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-02-10_20-20-38_20.00sec_-14.90C_LIGHT_0006.fits
The gain value (GAIN=0.370) from default.sex will be used for image /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/fd_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-17-33_20.00sec_4.90C_LIGHT_1684.fits
The above guess is based on the non-default gain value specified in default.sex by user
autodetect_aperture() is running SExtractor on /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/fd_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-17-33_20.00sec_4.90C_LIGHT_1684.fits
Excluding image region:    -1.0    -1.0     1.0     1.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding image region:  7500.0     0.0  9576.0  6388.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding image region:  1122.0  1550.0  1124.0  1552.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding image region:  1637.0  2824.0  1639.0  2826.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding image region:  1831.0  2839.0  1833.0  2841.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding image region:  1905.0  4570.0  1907.0  4572.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding image region:  2012.0  4693.0  2014.0  4695.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding image region:  2397.0  4241.0  2399.0  4243.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding image region:  3279.0  5428.0  3281.0  5430.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding more image regions!.. (will not print them all)
Excluded a total of 24 image regions  (defined in bad_region.lst).
autodetect_aperture() is doing a preliminary SExtractor run to determine an appropriate aperture size
sex -c default.sex  -PARAMETERS_NAME autodetect_aper.param -CATALOG_NAME autodetect_aper_image00003.cat  /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/fd_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-17-33_20.00sec_4.90C_LIGHT_1684.fits > image00003.cat.sex_log 2>&1
Parent process says: we are done fork()ing.
Waiting for thread 3 to finish...
The gain value (GAIN=0.370) from default.sex will be used for image /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/fd_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-18-20_20.00sec_5.00C_LIGHT_1685.fits
The above guess is based on the non-default gain value specified in default.sex by user
autodetect_aperture() is running SExtractor on /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/fd_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-18-20_20.00sec_5.00C_LIGHT_1685.fits
Excluding image region:    -1.0    -1.0     1.0     1.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding image region:  7500.0     0.0  9576.0  6388.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding image region:  1122.0  1550.0  1124.0  1552.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding image region:  1637.0  2824.0  1639.0  2826.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding image region:  1831.0  2839.0  1833.0  2841.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding image region:  1905.0  4570.0  1907.0  4572.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding image region:  2012.0  4693.0  2014.0  4695.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding image region:  2397.0  4241.0  2399.0  4243.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding image region:  3279.0  5428.0  3281.0  5430.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding more image regions!.. (will not print them all)
Excluded a total of 24 image regions  (defined in bad_region.lst).
autodetect_aperture() is doing a preliminary SExtractor run to determine an appropriate aperture size
sex -c default.sex  -PARAMETERS_NAME autodetect_aper.param -CATALOG_NAME autodetect_aper_image00004.cat  /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/fd_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-18-20_20.00sec_5.00C_LIGHT_1685.fits > image00004.cat.sex_log 2>&1
autodetect_aperture() is doing the main SExtractor run
sex  -PARAMETERS_NAME default.param -PHOT_APERTURES 7.2,7.2,6.4,7.9,8.6,9.3 -VERBOSE_TYPE NORMAL -CATALOG_NAME image00004.cat /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/fd_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-18-20_20.00sec_5.00C_LIGHT_1685.fits > image00004.cat.sex_log 2>&1
autodetect_aperture() is doing the main SExtractor run
sex  -PARAMETERS_NAME default.param -PHOT_APERTURES 6.0,6.0,5.4,6.6,7.2,7.8 -VERBOSE_TYPE NORMAL -CATALOG_NAME image00003.cat /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/fd_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-17-33_20.00sec_4.90C_LIGHT_1684.fits > image00003.cat.sex_log 2>&1
autodetect_aperture() is done with image /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/fd_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-17-33_20.00sec_4.90C_LIGHT_1684.fits
Waiting for thread 2 to finish...
Waiting for thread 1 to finish...
autodetect_aperture() is done with image /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/fd_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-18-20_20.00sec_5.00C_LIGHT_1685.fits


Done with SExtractor!

TIMING SExtractor: 1 seconds


Matching stars between images!

No manually selected comparison stars file manually_selected_comparison_stars.lst which is fine.
Processing  /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/reference_imgs/Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2025-12-26_19-59-31_20.00sec_-15.00C_LIGHT_0057.fits
9576x6388 FITS image /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/reference_imgs/Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2025-12-26_19-59-31_20.00sec_-15.00C_LIGHT_0057.fits
Trying to guess the time system by parsing the comment string 'Time of observation (UTC)'
Time system set from the comment to DATE-OBS keyword: 'Time of observation (UTC)'
The input time system is identified as: UTC (blank if unknown)
Setting observation date using DATE-OBS keyword: 2025-12-27T01:59:31.7027628
Setting observation time using DATE-OBS keyword: 2025-12-27T01:59:31.7027628

Observing time converted to the "standard" FITS header format:
DATE-OBS= 2025-12-27T01:59:31.702
EXPTIME = 20.000

Using the catalog image00001.cat SExtracted earlier from the image /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/reference_imgs/Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2025-12-26_19-59-31_20.00sec_-15.00C_LIGHT_0057.fits
Exposure 20 sec, 27.12.2025 01:59:31.702 UTC = JD(UTC) 2461036.58312155 mid. exp.
The reference image star  8651.523    21.563 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The reference image star  9077.393    16.530 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The reference image star  7846.563    13.940 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The reference image star  7615.176    12.461 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The reference image star  8600.841    14.129 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The reference image star  9240.751    12.918 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The reference image star  8371.289     9.852 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The reference image star  7827.747    13.234 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The reference image star  8795.665     9.925 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The reference image star  8425.652    10.567 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
Excluding more reference image stars falling at bad regions!.. (will not print them all)
SExtractor output filtering results:
 * passed selection: 22157, (22157 good for image matching)
 * rejected as having no flux measurement: 0
 * rejected as having SNR<3.0: 0
 * rejected inside rectangles defined in bad_region.lst: 7731
 * rejected close to frame edge: 101
 * rejected as being too small (<1.7 pix): 0
 * rejected as being too large (>6.7 pix): 0
 * rejected as outliers in mag-size plot: 0
 * rejected as having SExtractor flags > 99 and <= 7: 0
 * rejected as having hopelessly bad SExtractor flags (>7): 13
 * rejected due to an external image flag: 0
 * rejected as having bad PSF fit: 0
---
You may change some of the filtering parameters by editing src/vast_limits.h and re-running 'make'.

Please note: the CCD position-dependent magnitude correction will be applied.
get_detection_limit_sn(): Detection limit: -7.96
Detection limit from the magnitude-SNR relation= -8.0  (5.0 sigma detection)
The simple faintest star detection limit= -10.0
80 percent brightest stars detection limit= -10.8
Selected detection limit= -10.8
Final detection limit= -10.8 (after subtracting MAG_TRANSIENT_ABOVE_THE_REFERENCE_FRAME_LIMIT=0.0)

Parameter box for transient search:    10.06.0 pix): 0
 * rejected as outliers in mag-size plot: 0
 * rejected as having SExtractor flags > 99 and <= 7: 0
 * rejected as having hopelessly bad SExtractor flags (>7): 10
 * rejected due to an external image flag: 0
 * rejected as having bad PSF fit: 0
---
You may change some of the filtering parameters by editing src/vast_limits.h and re-running 'make'.
    21606 * detected, using  487/ 500 * for reference/current image matching, fraction_of_ambiguous_matches= 0.002482, number_of_ambiguous_matches=55 
refining the coordinate transformation... fraction_of_ambiguous_matches= 0.002527, number_of_ambiguous_matches=56 
20287 * matched, fraction_of_ambiguous_matches= 0.002527, number_of_ambiguous_matches=56 
20287 * matched (2nd iteration). fraction_of_ambiguous_matches= 0.002527, number_of_ambiguous_matches=56 
20287 * matched (3rd iteration). Success!
  rotation [degrees] =  -0.221
    21606 stars detected, 20287 stars matched
Performing magnitude calibration using automatically selected comparison stars
Expecting to find at least 40 * for magnitude calibration
We have N_good_stars = 17538, N_manually_selected_comparison_stars = 0
Using 17538 stars for magnitude calibration (before filtering).
Iteratively removing outliers from the linear mag-mag relation (unweighted fit)...
After removing outliers in (X,Y,dm) plane, we are left with 17535 stars for magnitude calibration.
Using the linear CCD position-dependent magnitude correction:
 delta_m = 0.00001*X_pix +0.00001*Y_pix -0.03922
Iteratively removing outliers from the mag-mag relation (weighted linear/polynomial fit)...
Computing robust linear magnitude calibration.
Used 17508 stars for magnitude calibration (after filtering).
get_detection_limit_sn(): Detection limit: -7.78
    23476 objects stored in memory (400000 max.)
Magnitude calibration is performed successfully!
Saving observations to the cache... OK
memory:  114968 kB used, 127040 kB peak, 65263856 kB available RAM
processed 2 of 4 images ( 50.0%)



Processing  /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/fd_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-17-33_20.00sec_4.90C_LIGHT_1684.fits
9576x6388 FITS image /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/fd_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-17-33_20.00sec_4.90C_LIGHT_1684.fits
Trying to guess the time system by parsing the comment string 'Time of observation (UTC)'
Time system set from the comment to DATE-OBS keyword: 'Time of observation (UTC)'
The input time system is identified as: UTC (blank if unknown)
Setting observation date using DATE-OBS keyword: 2026-05-18T09:17:33.3456525
Setting observation time using DATE-OBS keyword: 2026-05-18T09:17:33.3456525

Observing time converted to the "standard" FITS header format:
DATE-OBS= 2026-05-18T09:17:33.345
EXPTIME = 20.000

Using the catalog image00003.cat SExtracted earlier from the image /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/fd_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-17-33_20.00sec_4.90C_LIGHT_1684.fits
READING SEXTRACTOR CAT: 259  2533.306 1900.416  (0.986000)  s=0 v=     0
The star  7653.675  2599.269 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The star  7684.506  2701.643 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The star  7971.888  3025.171 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The star  7646.801  3192.966 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The star  8070.695  3284.646 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The star  7684.190  3382.020 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The star  7978.998  3440.983 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The star  7918.924  3456.129 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The star  7572.159  3617.047 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
SExtractor output filtering results:
 * passed selection: 1362
 * rejected as having no flux measurement: 0
 * rejected as having SNR<3.0: 0
 * rejected inside rectangles defined in bad_region.lst: 9
 * rejected close to frame edge: 5
 * rejected as being too small (<1.5 pix): 0
 * rejected as being too large (>6.0 pix): 0
 * rejected as outliers in mag-size plot: 0
 * rejected as having SExtractor flags > 99 and <= 7: 0
 * rejected as having hopelessly bad SExtractor flags (>7): 0
 * rejected due to an external image flag: 0
 * rejected as having bad PSF fit: 0
---
You may change some of the filtering parameters by editing src/vast_limits.h and re-running 'make'.
     1362 * detected, using  100/ 500 * for reference/current image matching, fraction_of_ambiguous_matches= 0.000000, number_of_ambiguous_matches=0 
Too few * matched: 39 < 272 ! Retrying...
  rotation [degrees] = -175.845
     1362 stars detected,    39 stars matched
ERROR! Too few stars matched (39 < 272) . Wrong match? Skipping file...



Processing  /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/fd_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-18-20_20.00sec_5.00C_LIGHT_1685.fits
9576x6388 FITS image /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/fd_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-18-20_20.00sec_5.00C_LIGHT_1685.fits
Trying to guess the time system by parsing the comment string 'Time of observation (UTC)'
Time system set from the comment to DATE-OBS keyword: 'Time of observation (UTC)'
The input time system is identified as: UTC (blank if unknown)
Setting observation date using DATE-OBS keyword: 2026-05-18T09:18:20.3941160
Setting observation time using DATE-OBS keyword: 2026-05-18T09:18:20.3941160

Observing time converted to the "standard" FITS header format:
DATE-OBS= 2026-05-18T09:18:20.394
EXPTIME = 20.000

Using the catalog image00004.cat SExtracted earlier from the image /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/fd_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-18-20_20.00sec_5.00C_LIGHT_1685.fits
The star  8353.756    28.213 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The star  8547.221    10.693 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The star  8699.450     5.743 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The star  9360.315     6.441 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The star  9514.512     4.416 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The star  8909.608    26.246 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The star  8047.447    37.591 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The star  7904.740    52.563 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The star  8528.464    47.678 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The star  7520.845    54.748 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
Excluding more stars falling at bad regions!.. (will not print them all)
SExtractor output filtering results:
 * passed selection: 191
 * rejected as having no flux measurement: 0
 * rejected as having SNR<3.0: 0
 * rejected inside rectangles defined in bad_region.lst: 326
 * rejected close to frame edge: 0
 * rejected as being too small (<1.8 pix): 0
 * rejected as being too large (>7.2 pix): 0
 * rejected as outliers in mag-size plot: 0
 * rejected as having SExtractor flags > 99 and <= 7: 0
 * rejected as having hopelessly bad SExtractor flags (>7): 3
 * rejected due to an external image flag: 0
 * rejected as having bad PSF fit: 0
---
You may change some of the filtering parameters by editing src/vast_limits.h and re-running 'make'.
      191 * detected, using  100/ 191 * for reference/current image matching, fraction_of_ambiguous_matches= 0.000000, number_of_ambiguous_matches=0 
refining the coordinate transformation... fraction_of_ambiguous_matches= 0.000000, number_of_ambiguous_matches=0 
159 * matched, fraction_of_ambiguous_matches= 0.000000, number_of_ambiguous_matches=0 
159 * matched (2nd iteration). fraction_of_ambiguous_matches= 0.000000, number_of_ambiguous_matches=0 
159 * matched (3rd iteration). Success!
  rotation [degrees] = -174.673
      191 stars detected,   159 stars matched
Performing magnitude calibration using automatically selected comparison stars
Expecting to find at least 40 * for magnitude calibration
We have N_good_stars = 64, N_manually_selected_comparison_stars = 0
Using 64 stars for magnitude calibration (before filtering).
Iteratively removing outliers from the linear mag-mag relation (unweighted fit)...
After removing outliers in (X,Y,dm) plane, we are left with 57 stars for magnitude calibration.
Using the linear CCD position-dependent magnitude correction:
 delta_m = -0.00048*X_pix +0.00027*Y_pix +3.22461
ERROR in magnitude calibration: fabs(lin_mag_C) > MAX_LIN_CORR_MAG
ERROR in magnitude calibration: fabs(lin_mag_A * X_im_size + lin_mag_C) > MAX_LIN_CORR_MAG
ERROR in magnitude calibration: fabs(lin_mag_B * Y_im_size + lin_mag_C) > MAX_LIN_CORR_MAG
Used 57 stars for magnitude calibration (after filtering).
get_detection_limit_sn(): Detection limit: -7.61
[01;31m ERROR!!! Magnitude calibration failure. Dropping image. [33;00m
    23476 objects stored in memory (400000 max.)
memory:  111132 kB used, 127040 kB peak, 65263856 kB available RAM
processed 4 of 4 images (100.0%)
TIMING matching_and_photometry: 1 seconds
Done with measurements! =)

Total number of measurements 43763 (43763 measurements stored in RAM)
Freeing up some memory...  Sorting the measurements cached in memory...
Writing lightcurve (outNNNNN.dat) files...
TIMING lightcurve_write: 1 seconds
The lightcurve files have been written, freeing up more memory...
Creating vast_image_details.log ... 

Writing summary file: vast_summary.log ...  OK
Selecting the best aperture for each source
Aperture with index 0 (REFERENCE_APERTURE_DIAMETER +0.00*REFERENCE_APERTURE_DIAMETER) seems best for  2823 stars
Aperture with index 1 (REFERENCE_APERTURE_DIAMETER +0.00*REFERENCE_APERTURE_DIAMETER) seems best for     0 stars
Aperture with index 2 (REFERENCE_APERTURE_DIAMETER -0.10*REFERENCE_APERTURE_DIAMETER) seems best for  7520 stars
Aperture with index 3 (REFERENCE_APERTURE_DIAMETER +0.10*REFERENCE_APERTURE_DIAMETER) seems best for  2005 stars
Aperture with index 4 (REFERENCE_APERTURE_DIAMETER +0.20*REFERENCE_APERTURE_DIAMETER) seems best for  2104 stars
Aperture with index 5 (REFERENCE_APERTURE_DIAMETER +0.30*REFERENCE_APERTURE_DIAMETER) seems best for  5835 stars

done!  =)
TIMING select_aperture: 1 seconds
WARNING: Can't open candidates-transients.lst for reading! -- No candidates found?
Non-zero exit code of lib/transient_list
ERROR running  lib/create_list_of_candidate_transients.sh
Computing lightcurve statistics...  Will not compute variability indexes for objects having <1 points in lightcurve
You may disable this by commenting out the line '#define DROP_LIGHTCURVES_WITH_SMALL_NUMBER_OF_POINTS_FROM_ALL_PLOTS' in src/vast_limits.h an re-compiling VaST with 'make'

Computing, please wait a bit
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................
vast_lightcurve_statistics.log: 20157 objects, the longest string is 386 bytes.
Allocating memory for resorting the file.
Variability index idx00_STD  is enabled
Variability index idx01_wSTD is enabled
Variability index idx08_Npts is enabled
Variability index idx09_MAD  is enabled
Variability index idx11_RoMS is enabled
Variability index idx12_rCh2 is enabled
Variability index idx17_Jtim is enabled
Variability index idx18_Ltim is enabled
Variability index idx21_eta  is enabled
Variability index idx23_S_B  is enabled
Variability index idx25_IQR  is enabled
Computing the expected values of variability indexes and their scatter as a function of magnitude
..........
..........
..........
..........
Wriring the list of candidate variables to vast_autocandidates.log ...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................



----***** VaST processing WARNING *****----
You asked VaST to process 4 images, but only 1 were actually matched to the reference one.
Please investigate this!



**************************************************************
This error might be a bug, but it is far more likely that it is caused by 
inappropriate input data. A few simple things to check in the diagnostic
messages printed above (or the vast*.log files):
 * How many of the input images are matched?
 * Does the number of detected stars on each image look reasonable?
 * Do images have a sufficient overlap of at least about 20 percent?

You may run
 ./sextract_single_image /path/to/my/image/file.fit
to see how well VaST detects stars with the current SExtractor settings
(star detection settings can be changed in the default.sex configuration
file, see various examples in the VaST directory).

If you cannot identify the problem, please e-mail Kirill Sokolovsky 
Please try to describe the problem in details and, if possible, attach vast_summary.log
file and a few example images. If the images are too big to be sent by e-mail, please 
upload them through a web-form http://scan.sai.msu.ru/upload/
**************************************************************

Low percentage of matched images - we'll declare this an unsuccessful VaST run (exit code 1)
_____________________
wait
*------ default.sex.telephoto_lens_vSTL ------*
'default.sex.telephoto_lens_vSTL' -> 'default.sex'
Starting VaST with default.sex.telephoto_lens_vSTL

  ./vast --norotation --noflagimage --starmatchraius 4 --matchstarnumber 500 --selectbestaperture --sysrem 0 --type 4 --maxsextractorflag 99 --UTC --nofind --nojdkeyword /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/reference_imgs/Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2025-12-26_19-59-31_20.00sec_-15.00C_LIGHT_0057.fits /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/reference_imgs/Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-02-10_20-20-38_20.00sec_-14.90C_LIGHT_0006.fits /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/fd_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-17-33_20.00sec_4.90C_LIGHT_1684.fits /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/fd_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-18-20_20.00sec_5.00C_LIGHT_1685.fits
  
Last  image: 2461178.88730723 18.05.2026 09:17:33.345 UTC
ERROR running VaST on the field Cas-04-Q2b1x1 (wrong field? clouds? very bad focus? -- transient_factory_test31.txt)
____ VaST output ____

--==VaST 1.0rc90==--

Parsing command line arguments...
opt 'r': assuming no rotation larger than 15.0 degrees!
opt 'F': Will NOT create flag images for SExtractor
opt '5': 4.000000 pix is the new fixed star matching radius!
opt 'b': Using 500 reference stars for image matching!
opt '3': Will try to select best aperture for each source!
opt 'y': 0 SysRem iterations will be conducted!
opt 't 4': robust linear magnitude calibration (vary zero-point and slope)
opt 'x': 99 is the maximum acceptable SExtractor flag!
WARNING: disabling the mag-size filter in order not to reject blended stars.
opt 'u': Stick with UTC time system, no conversion to TT will be done!
opt 'f': Run ./find_candidates manually!
opt 'k': "JD" keyword in FITS image header will be ignored!
INFO from vast_remove_directory(): Could not open directory: symlinks_to_images
INFO from vast_remove_directory(): Could not open directory: converted_images
INFO from vast_remove_directory(): Could not open directory: unpacked_images

Checking the list of input images specified on the command line ...
WARNING from replace_file_with_symlink_if_filename_contains_white_spaces() the input file /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/reference_imgs/Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2025-12-26_19-59-31_20.00sec_-15.00C_LIGHT_0057.fits is already a symlink and we do not allow symlinks on symlinks
WARNING from replace_file_with_symlink_if_filename_contains_white_spaces() the input file /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/reference_imgs/Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-02-10_20-20-38_20.00sec_-14.90C_LIGHT_0006.fits is already a symlink and we do not allow symlinks on symlinks

Looking for the list of input images with time corrections in vast_list_of_input_images_with_time_corrections.txt ... list not found.
This is OK if you specify the input images on the command line, not through this text file.
Checking write permissions for the current directory (/data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir/vast_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp)...  OK
Found a system-wide installation of SExtractor
Cleaning old outNNNNN.dat files.
Done with cleaning!

 VaST was started with the following command line: 
./vast --norotation --noflagimage --starmatchraius 4 --matchstarnumber 500 --selectbestaperture --sysrem 0 --type 4 --maxsextractorflag 99 --UTC --nofind --nojdkeyword /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/reference_imgs/Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2025-12-26_19-59-31_20.00sec_-15.00C_LIGHT_0057.fits /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/reference_imgs/Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-02-10_20-20-38_20.00sec_-14.90C_LIGHT_0006.fits /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/fd_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-17-33_20.00sec_4.90C_LIGHT_1684.fits /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/fd_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-18-20_20.00sec_5.00C_LIGHT_1685.fits 


Preparing to process 4 input FITS images...


######## Forcing special settings for the transient detection ########
transient search mode: disabling the mag-size filter as it should be switched off when running a transient search!
transient search mode: disabling the bad image filter as it will not help during the transient search!
transient search mode: will not try to gues image saturation limit
transient search mode: no UTC-to-TT time system conversion will be performed!!!
transient search mode: setting the maximum acceptable SExtractor flag to 3
transient search mode: disabling rejectin of images with elliptical stars
transient search mode: not discarding large sources
################
Excluding image region:    -1.0    -1.0     1.0     1.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding image region:  7500.0     0.0  9576.0  6388.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding image region:  1122.0  1550.0  1124.0  1552.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding image region:  1637.0  2824.0  1639.0  2826.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding image region:  1831.0  2839.0  1833.0  2841.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding image region:  1905.0  4570.0  1907.0  4572.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding image region:  2012.0  4693.0  2014.0  4695.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding image region:  2397.0  4241.0  2399.0  4243.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding image region:  3279.0  5428.0  3281.0  5430.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding more image regions!.. (will not print them all)
Excluded a total of 24 image regions  (defined in bad_region.lst).
Setting the fixed star match radius of 4.00 pix
We have 4 images to process.
SExtractor catalog cache: restored Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2025-12-26_19-59-31_20.00sec_-15.00C_LIGHT_0057.fits catalog from cache
SExtractor catalog cache: restored Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-02-10_20-20-38_20.00sec_-14.90C_LIGHT_0006.fits catalog from cache
The number of processor cores determined from /proc/cpuinfo is 24.
Running SExtractor in 4 parallel threads...
Using the catalog image00001.cat SExtracted earlier from the image /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/reference_imgs/Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2025-12-26_19-59-31_20.00sec_-15.00C_LIGHT_0057.fits
Using the catalog image00002.cat SExtracted earlier from the image /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/reference_imgs/Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-02-10_20-20-38_20.00sec_-14.90C_LIGHT_0006.fits
The gain value (GAIN=0.830) from default.sex will be used for image /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/fd_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-17-33_20.00sec_4.90C_LIGHT_1684.fits
The above guess is based on the non-default gain value specified in default.sex by user
Parent process says: we are done fork()ing.
Waiting for thread 3 to finish...
autodetect_aperture() is running SExtractor on /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/fd_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-17-33_20.00sec_4.90C_LIGHT_1684.fits
Excluding image region:    -1.0    -1.0     1.0     1.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding image region:  7500.0     0.0  9576.0  6388.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding image region:  1122.0  1550.0  1124.0  1552.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding image region:  1637.0  2824.0  1639.0  2826.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding image region:  1831.0  2839.0  1833.0  2841.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding image region:  1905.0  4570.0  1907.0  4572.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding image region:  2012.0  4693.0  2014.0  4695.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding image region:  2397.0  4241.0  2399.0  4243.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding image region:  3279.0  5428.0  3281.0  5430.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding more image regions!.. (will not print them all)
Excluded a total of 24 image regions  (defined in bad_region.lst).
autodetect_aperture() is doing a preliminary SExtractor run to determine an appropriate aperture size
sex -c default.sex  -PARAMETERS_NAME autodetect_aper.param -CATALOG_NAME autodetect_aper_image00003.cat  /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/fd_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-17-33_20.00sec_4.90C_LIGHT_1684.fits > image00003.cat.sex_log 2>&1
The gain value (GAIN=0.830) from default.sex will be used for image /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/fd_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-18-20_20.00sec_5.00C_LIGHT_1685.fits
The above guess is based on the non-default gain value specified in default.sex by user
autodetect_aperture() is running SExtractor on /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/fd_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-18-20_20.00sec_5.00C_LIGHT_1685.fits
Excluding image region:    -1.0    -1.0     1.0     1.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding image region:  7500.0     0.0  9576.0  6388.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding image region:  1122.0  1550.0  1124.0  1552.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding image region:  1637.0  2824.0  1639.0  2826.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding image region:  1831.0  2839.0  1833.0  2841.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding image region:  1905.0  4570.0  1907.0  4572.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding image region:  2012.0  4693.0  2014.0  4695.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding image region:  2397.0  4241.0  2399.0  4243.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding image region:  3279.0  5428.0  3281.0  5430.0  (defined in bad_region.lst)
Excluding more image regions!.. (will not print them all)
Excluded a total of 24 image regions  (defined in bad_region.lst).
autodetect_aperture() is doing a preliminary SExtractor run to determine an appropriate aperture size
sex -c default.sex  -PARAMETERS_NAME autodetect_aper.param -CATALOG_NAME autodetect_aper_image00004.cat  /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/fd_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-18-20_20.00sec_5.00C_LIGHT_1685.fits > image00004.cat.sex_log 2>&1
autodetect_aperture() is doing the main SExtractor run
sex  -PARAMETERS_NAME default.param -PHOT_APERTURES 5.0,5.0,4.5,5.5,6.0,6.6 -VERBOSE_TYPE NORMAL -CATALOG_NAME image00004.cat /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/fd_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-18-20_20.00sec_5.00C_LIGHT_1685.fits > image00004.cat.sex_log 2>&1
autodetect_aperture() is doing the main SExtractor run
sex  -PARAMETERS_NAME default.param -PHOT_APERTURES 4.3,4.3,3.9,4.8,5.2,5.6 -VERBOSE_TYPE NORMAL -CATALOG_NAME image00003.cat /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/fd_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-17-33_20.00sec_4.90C_LIGHT_1684.fits > image00003.cat.sex_log 2>&1
autodetect_aperture() is done with image /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/fd_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-18-20_20.00sec_5.00C_LIGHT_1685.fits
autodetect_aperture() is done with image /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/fd_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-17-33_20.00sec_4.90C_LIGHT_1684.fits
Waiting for thread 2 to finish...
Waiting for thread 1 to finish...


Done with SExtractor!

TIMING SExtractor: 5 seconds


Matching stars between images!

No manually selected comparison stars file manually_selected_comparison_stars.lst which is fine.
Processing  /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/reference_imgs/Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2025-12-26_19-59-31_20.00sec_-15.00C_LIGHT_0057.fits
9576x6388 FITS image /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/reference_imgs/Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2025-12-26_19-59-31_20.00sec_-15.00C_LIGHT_0057.fits
Trying to guess the time system by parsing the comment string 'Time of observation (UTC)'
Time system set from the comment to DATE-OBS keyword: 'Time of observation (UTC)'
The input time system is identified as: UTC (blank if unknown)
Setting observation date using DATE-OBS keyword: 2025-12-27T01:59:31.7027628
Setting observation time using DATE-OBS keyword: 2025-12-27T01:59:31.7027628

Observing time converted to the "standard" FITS header format:
DATE-OBS= 2025-12-27T01:59:31.702
EXPTIME = 20.000

Using the catalog image00001.cat SExtracted earlier from the image /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/reference_imgs/Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2025-12-26_19-59-31_20.00sec_-15.00C_LIGHT_0057.fits
Exposure 20 sec, 27.12.2025 01:59:31.702 UTC = JD(UTC) 2461036.58312155 mid. exp.
The reference image star  8481.447     1.109 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The reference image star  8765.409     1.046 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The reference image star  9242.663     1.469 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The reference image star  9561.979     2.054 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The reference image star  9470.424     1.969 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The reference image star  7774.513     1.250 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The reference image star  7918.898     1.813 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The reference image star  8018.100     1.444 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The reference image star  8350.831     1.372 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The reference image star  9160.508     1.528 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
Excluding more reference image stars falling at bad regions!.. (will not print them all)
SExtractor output filtering results:
 * passed selection: 158381, (158381 good for image matching)
 * rejected as having no flux measurement: 0
 * rejected as having SNR<3.0: 77
 * rejected inside rectangles defined in bad_region.lst: 46075
 * rejected close to frame edge: 638
 * rejected as being too small (<1.2 pix): 0
 * rejected as being too large (>5.0 pix): 0
 * rejected as outliers in mag-size plot: 0
 * rejected as having SExtractor flags > 99 and <= 7: 0
 * rejected as having hopelessly bad SExtractor flags (>7): 13
 * rejected due to an external image flag: 0
 * rejected as having bad PSF fit: 0
---
You may change some of the filtering parameters by editing src/vast_limits.h and re-running 'make'.

Please note: the CCD position-dependent magnitude correction will be applied.
get_detection_limit_sn(): Detection limit: -7.59
Detection limit from the magnitude-SNR relation= -7.6  (5.0 sigma detection)
The simple faintest star detection limit= -6.9
80 percent brightest stars detection limit= -8.1
Selected detection limit= -8.1
Final detection limit= -8.1 (after subtracting MAG_TRANSIENT_ABOVE_THE_REFERENCE_FRAME_LIMIT=0.0)

Parameter box for transient search:    10.04.4 pix): 0
 * rejected as outliers in mag-size plot: 0
 * rejected as having SExtractor flags > 99 and <= 7: 0
 * rejected as having hopelessly bad SExtractor flags (>7): 20
 * rejected due to an external image flag: 0
 * rejected as having bad PSF fit: 0
---
You may change some of the filtering parameters by editing src/vast_limits.h and re-running 'make'.
    174430 * detected, using  550/ 500 * for reference/current image matching, fraction_of_ambiguous_matches= 0.015238, number_of_ambiguous_matches=2658 
refining the coordinate transformation... fraction_of_ambiguous_matches= 0.015227, number_of_ambiguous_matches=2656 
148123 * matched, fraction_of_ambiguous_matches= 0.015232, number_of_ambiguous_matches=2657 
148123 * matched (2nd iteration). fraction_of_ambiguous_matches= 0.015232, number_of_ambiguous_matches=2657 
148123 * matched (3rd iteration). Success!
  rotation [degrees] =  -0.222
    174430 stars detected, 148123 stars matched
Performing magnitude calibration using automatically selected comparison stars
Expecting to find at least 40 * for magnitude calibration
We have N_good_stars = 118672, N_manually_selected_comparison_stars = 0
Using 118672 stars for magnitude calibration (before filtering).
Iteratively removing outliers from the linear mag-mag relation (unweighted fit)...
After removing outliers in (X,Y,dm) plane, we are left with 118662 stars for magnitude calibration.
Using the linear CCD position-dependent magnitude correction:
 delta_m = 0.00001*X_pix +0.00001*Y_pix -0.05404
Iteratively removing outliers from the mag-mag relation (weighted linear/polynomial fit)...
Computing robust linear magnitude calibration.
Used 97123 stars for magnitude calibration (after filtering).
get_detection_limit_sn(): Detection limit: -7.39
    184688 objects stored in memory (400000 max.)
Magnitude calibration is performed successfully!
Saving observations to the cache... OK
memory:  228820 kB used, 255424 kB peak, 65263856 kB available RAM
Total number of measurements 332811 (332811 measurements stored in RAM)
sorting the measurements cached in memory,
writing lightcurve (outNNNNN.dat) files...
processed 2 of 4 images ( 50.0%)



Processing  /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/fd_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-17-33_20.00sec_4.90C_LIGHT_1684.fits
9576x6388 FITS image /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/fd_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-17-33_20.00sec_4.90C_LIGHT_1684.fits
Trying to guess the time system by parsing the comment string 'Time of observation (UTC)'
Time system set from the comment to DATE-OBS keyword: 'Time of observation (UTC)'
The input time system is identified as: UTC (blank if unknown)
Setting observation date using DATE-OBS keyword: 2026-05-18T09:17:33.3456525
Setting observation time using DATE-OBS keyword: 2026-05-18T09:17:33.3456525

Observing time converted to the "standard" FITS header format:
DATE-OBS= 2026-05-18T09:17:33.345
EXPTIME = 20.000

Using the catalog image00003.cat SExtracted earlier from the image /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/fd_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-17-33_20.00sec_4.90C_LIGHT_1684.fits
The star  8900.002   510.001 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The star  8843.001  1332.000 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The star  1122.999  1550.998 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The star  8173.979  1885.005 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
READING SEXTRACTOR CAT: 2727  2533.309 1900.417  (1.271000)  s=0 v=     0
The star  7740.010  1904.005 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The star  7534.270  2392.146 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The star  7602.560  2425.411 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The star  7850.795  2509.833 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The star  7792.312  2522.204 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The star  7925.051  2528.003 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
Excluding more stars falling at bad regions!.. (will not print them all)
SExtractor output filtering results:
 * passed selection: 17066
 * rejected as having no flux measurement: 0
 * rejected as having SNR<3.0: 3
 * rejected inside rectangles defined in bad_region.lst: 65
 * rejected close to frame edge: 42
 * rejected as being too small (<1.1 pix): 0
 * rejected as being too large (>4.3 pix): 0
 * rejected as outliers in mag-size plot: 0
 * rejected as having SExtractor flags > 99 and <= 7: 0
 * rejected as having hopelessly bad SExtractor flags (>7): 35
 * rejected due to an external image flag: 0
 * rejected as having bad PSF fit: 0
---
You may change some of the filtering parameters by editing src/vast_limits.h and re-running 'make'.
    17066 * detected, using  100/ 500 * for reference/current image matching, fraction_of_ambiguous_matches= 0.000060, number_of_ambiguous_matches=11 
Too few * matched: 3080 < 3413 ! Retrying...
  rotation [degrees] =   5.408
    17066 stars detected,  3080 stars matched
ERROR! Too few stars matched (3080 < 3413) . Wrong match? Skipping file...



Processing  /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/fd_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-18-20_20.00sec_5.00C_LIGHT_1685.fits
9576x6388 FITS image /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/fd_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-18-20_20.00sec_5.00C_LIGHT_1685.fits
Trying to guess the time system by parsing the comment string 'Time of observation (UTC)'
Time system set from the comment to DATE-OBS keyword: 'Time of observation (UTC)'
The input time system is identified as: UTC (blank if unknown)
Setting observation date using DATE-OBS keyword: 2026-05-18T09:18:20.3941160
Setting observation time using DATE-OBS keyword: 2026-05-18T09:18:20.3941160

Observing time converted to the "standard" FITS header format:
DATE-OBS= 2026-05-18T09:18:20.394
EXPTIME = 20.000

Using the catalog image00004.cat SExtracted earlier from the image /data_ssd/NMW-TexasTech/workdir//img_2026-05-18_CI_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_041857_TTUQ2b1x1_3671313_iYXyZglp/fd_Cas-04-Q2b1x1_2026-05-18_04-18-20_20.00sec_5.00C_LIGHT_1685.fits
The star  8047.450    37.591 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The star  8353.750    28.214 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The star  8909.608    26.247 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The star  8356.801    13.173 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The star  8547.225    10.700 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The star  8699.451     5.743 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The star  9358.589     6.947 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The star  9361.296     6.229 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The star  9514.517     4.412 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
The star  7862.730     6.292 is rejected, see bad_region.lst
Excluding more stars falling at bad regions!.. (will not print them all)
SExtractor output filtering results:
 * passed selection: 1775
 * rejected as having no flux measurement: 0
 * rejected as having SNR<3.0: 1
 * rejected inside rectangles defined in bad_region.lst: 1673
 * rejected close to frame edge: 15
 * rejected as being too small (<1.2 pix): 0
 * rejected as being too large (>5.0 pix): 0
 * rejected as outliers in mag-size plot: 0
 * rejected as having SExtractor flags > 99 and <= 7: 0
 * rejected as having hopelessly bad SExtractor flags (>7): 22
 * rejected due to an external image flag: 0
 * rejected as having bad PSF fit: 0
---
You may change some of the filtering parameters by editing src/vast_limits.h and re-running 'make'.
     1775 * detected, using  100/ 500 * for reference/current image matching, fraction_of_ambiguous_matches= 0.000016, number_of_ambiguous_matches=3 
refining the coordinate transformation... fraction_of_ambiguous_matches= 0.000000, number_of_ambiguous_matches=0 
1417 * matched, fraction_of_ambiguous_matches= 0.000000, number_of_ambiguous_matches=0 
1417 * matched (2nd iteration). fraction_of_ambiguous_matches= 0.000000, number_of_ambiguous_matches=0 
1417 * matched (3rd iteration). Success!
  rotation [degrees] = -174.605
     1775 stars detected,  1417 stars matched
Performing magnitude calibration using automatically selected comparison stars
Expecting to find at least 40 * for magnitude calibration
We have N_good_stars = 863, N_manually_selected_comparison_stars = 0
Using 863 stars for magnitude calibration (before filtering).
Iteratively removing outliers from the linear mag-mag relation (unweighted fit)...
After removing outliers in (X,Y,dm) plane, we are left with 519 stars for magnitude calibration.
Using the linear CCD position-dependent magnitude correction:
 delta_m = -0.00038*X_pix +0.00027*Y_pix +2.27491
ERROR in magnitude calibration: fabs(lin_mag_C) > MAX_LIN_CORR_MAG
ERROR in magnitude calibration: fabs(lin_mag_A * X_im_size + lin_mag_C) > MAX_LIN_CORR_MAG
ERROR in magnitude calibration: fabs(lin_mag_B * Y_im_size + lin_mag_C) > MAX_LIN_CORR_MAG
Used 519 stars for magnitude calibration (after filtering).
get_detection_limit_sn(): Detection limit: -7.25
[01;31m ERROR!!! Magnitude calibration failure. Dropping image. [33;00m
    184688 objects stored in memory (400000 max.)
memory:  1888832 kB used, 1990192 kB peak, 65263856 kB available RAM
processed 4 of 4 images (100.0%)
TIMING matching_and_photometry: 4 seconds
Done with measurements! =)

Total number of measurements 332811 (0 measurements stored in RAM)
Freeing up some memory...  Sorting the measurements cached in memory...
Writing lightcurve (outNNNNN.dat) files...
TIMING lightcurve_write: 0 seconds
The lightcurve files have been written, freeing up more memory...
Creating vast_image_details.log ... 

Writing summary file: vast_summary.log ...  OK
Selecting the best aperture for each source
Aperture with index 0 (REFERENCE_APERTURE_DIAMETER +0.00*REFERENCE_APERTURE_DIAMETER) seems best for 31497 stars
Aperture with index 1 (REFERENCE_APERTURE_DIAMETER +0.00*REFERENCE_APERTURE_DIAMETER) seems best for     0 stars
Aperture with index 2 (REFERENCE_APERTURE_DIAMETER -0.10*REFERENCE_APERTURE_DIAMETER) seems best for 46202 stars
Aperture with index 3 (REFERENCE_APERTURE_DIAMETER +0.10*REFERENCE_APERTURE_DIAMETER) seems best for 17803 stars
Aperture with index 4 (REFERENCE_APERTURE_DIAMETER +0.20*REFERENCE_APERTURE_DIAMETER) seems best for 16526 stars
Aperture with index 5 (REFERENCE_APERTURE_DIAMETER +0.30*REFERENCE_APERTURE_DIAMETER) seems best for 36095 stars

done!  =)
TIMING select_aperture: 5 seconds
WARNING: Can't open candidates-transients.lst for reading! -- No candidates found?
Non-zero exit code of lib/transient_list
ERROR running  lib/create_list_of_candidate_transients.sh
Computing lightcurve statistics...  Will not compute variability indexes for objects having <1 points in lightcurve
You may disable this by commenting out the line '#define DROP_LIGHTCURVES_WITH_SMALL_NUMBER_OF_POINTS_FROM_ALL_PLOTS' in src/vast_limits.h an re-compiling VaST with 'make'

Computing, please wait a bit
...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
vast_lightcurve_statistics.log: 147565 objects, the longest string is 386 bytes.
Allocating memory for resorting the file.
Variability index idx00_STD  is enabled
Variability index idx01_wSTD is enabled
Variability index idx08_Npts is enabled
Variability index idx09_MAD  is enabled
Variability index idx11_RoMS is enabled
Variability index idx12_rCh2 is enabled
Variability index idx17_Jtim is enabled
Variability index idx18_Ltim is enabled
Variability index idx21_eta  is enabled
Variability index idx23_S_B  is enabled
Variability index idx25_IQR  is enabled
Computing the expected values of variability indexes and their scatter as a function of magnitude
..........
..........
..........
..........
Wriring the list of candidate variables to vast_autocandidates.log ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................



----***** VaST processing WARNING *****----
You asked VaST to process 4 images, but only 1 were actually matched to the reference one.
Please investigate this!



**************************************************************
This error might be a bug, but it is far more likely that it is caused by 
inappropriate input data. A few simple things to check in the diagnostic
messages printed above (or the vast*.log files):
 * How many of the input images are matched?
 * Does the number of detected stars on each image look reasonable?
 * Do images have a sufficient overlap of at least about 20 percent?

You may run
 ./sextract_single_image /path/to/my/image/file.fit
to see how well VaST detects stars with the current SExtractor settings
(star detection settings can be changed in the default.sex configuration
file, see various examples in the VaST directory).

If you cannot identify the problem, please e-mail Kirill Sokolovsky 
Please try to describe the problem in details and, if possible, attach vast_summary.log
file and a few example images. If the images are too big to be sent by e-mail, please 
upload them through a web-form http://scan.sai.msu.ru/upload/
**************************************************************

Low percentage of matched images - we'll declare this an unsuccessful VaST run (exit code 1)
_____________________
########### Completed Cas-04-Q2b1x1 ###########
The analysis was running at tau
We are allowed to update the exclusion list at tau host
Found ../exclusion_list_TTUQ2.txt
#### The exclusion list before filtering-out asteroids, bad pixels and adding Gaia sources ####
###################################################################################
renamed 'exclusion_list_index_html.txt_noasteroids' -> 'exclusion_list_index_html.txt'
renamed 'exclusion_list_index_html.txt_nohotpixels' -> 'exclusion_list_index_html.txt'
# Count candidates with no identification (that also don't look like hot pix)
Found 0 unidentified candidates (excluding asteroids, hot pixels and known variable stars).
###################################################################################
0 candidates found (excluding asteroids and hot pixels)
This does not look like a test run
###################################################################################
exclusion_list_gaiadr2.txt NOT FOUND
exclusion_list_apass.txt NOT FOUND
IS_THIS_TEST_RUN=NO  ALLOW_EXCLUSION_LIST_UPDATE= YES
#### Nothing to add to the exclusion list ####
The observatory MPC code is V36
############################################################
ls: cannot access 'planets.txt': No such file or directory
############################################################
Positions of selected moons from JPL HORIZONS for JD(UT):
ls: cannot access 'moons.txt': No such file or directory
############################################################
Positions of selected spacecraft from JPL HORIZONS for JD(UT):
ls: cannot access 'spacecraft.txt': No such file or directory
############################################################
ls: cannot access 'comets.txt': No such file or directory
############################################################
List of recent ASAS-SN transients from https://www.astronomy.ohio-state.edu/asassn/transients.html :
ls: cannot access 'asassn_transients_list.txt': No such file or directory
############################################################
Truncated list of TOCP transients from http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/unconf/tocp.html :
ls: cannot access 'tocp_transients_list.txt': No such file or directory
NMW transient search results

Processing complete!

Processing log:

Filtering log:

Profiling:
