AstroImager





AstroImager is a front end for imaging and auxiliary devices INDIGO agents. Its purpose is to control main imaging camera, filter wheel and focuser, to allow proper framing, focusing and capturing from a single batch of images to quite complicated series of images with different parameters and settings.

It can control many devices supported by built-in INDIGO drivers or it can use any 3rd party remote INDIGO or INDI driver. Out-of-the-box it contains INDIGO drivers for the following cameras, filter wheels and focusers:

  • CCD, focuser and wheel simulator drivers,
  • Atik CCD and wheel drivers (Intel only),
  • ZWO ASI CCD, wheel and focuser drivers (doesn't work with non-S ASI120MM/MC, Intel only),
  • IIDC CCD driver (both USB and FireWire cameras),
  • QHY CCD and filter wheel drivers (Intel only),
  • SBIG CCD and filter wheel driver (vendor SDK must be installed, Intel only),
  • Meade DSI CCD driver,
  • Orion SSAG/QHY5 CCD driver,
  • StarlightXpress CCD and wheel drivers,
  • QSI CCD and wheel driver (Intel only),
  • FLI CCD and wheel driver,
  • Apogee CCD driver,
  • Moravian Instruments CCD and wheel driver,
  • ToupTek CCD driver (Intel only),
  • AltairAstro CCD driver (Intel only),
  • SVBONY CCD driver (Intel only),
  • UVC (USB Video Class, e.g. SVBONY SV205) CCD driver,
  • Trutek (TruTech) wheel driver (untested),
  • Brightstar Quantum wheel driver (untested),
  • Xagyl wheel driver (untested),
  • Optec wheel driver (untested),
  • QHY CFW wheel driver,
  • Manual filter wheel driver,
  • Shoestring FCUSB driver,
  • Focuser USB v3 driver,
  • PrimaluceLab focuser driver,
  • WeMacro Rail USB driver,
  • MJKZZ macro rail USB driver,
  • PegasusAstro Prodigy, Falcon, Indigo, DMFC, UPB, PPB and FlatMaster drivers,
  • RigelSys nSTEP and nFOCUS drives,
  • MoonLite focuser driver,
  • Optec focuser driver (untested),
  • LakesideAstro focuser driver (untested),
  • Deep Sky Dad AF1, AF2 and AF3 focuser driver,
  • Baader Planetarium SteelDrive II focuser driver,
  • AstroGadget FocusDreamPro focuser driver,
  • RoboFocus focuser driver,
  • MyPro2 focuser driver,
  • ASTROMECHANICS ASCOM Canon EF Lens Controller focuser driver,
  • Lunatico Limpet/Armadillo/Platypus Focuser/Rotator/Powerbox drivers,
  • Optec Pyxis Rotator driver,
  • PlaneWave/Celestron focuser driver,
  • Unihedron SQM sky quality meter driver,
  • ASTROMECHANICS PLM aux driver,
  • Artesky flatbox driver,
  • Lacerta Flat Box Controller driver,
  • Optec Flip-Flat driver,
  • Geoptik flat driver,
  • USB_Dewpoint V1 and V2 driver,
  • Lunatico AAG CloudWatcher driver,
  • Astromi.ch MGBox v1/v2, MBox, MGPBox and PBox driver,
  • Interactive Astronomy SkyAlert driver.

AstroImager is developed and tested with many of the cameras, wheels and focusers mentioned above. Nevertheless, even with the best effort we can’t test all models in all situations, so please download a trial version and test it with your hardware before you buy it! If it will not work, let us know, maybe we can still help you and fix it.

AstroImager also controls the set point cooling and the mechanical shutter of the attached camera (if available). It can preview or capture and save images to selected folder with any file name prefix, count, duration and time lapse, browse captured images and show them in Finder, zoom and stretch them automatically or manually. It can measure FWHM, HFD and the drift of a selected star to help easier and faster focus and align your equatorial telescope mount. Captured images can be plate-solved using public or local astrometry.net service.

Images are stored in FITS or XISF format with user defined keywords and can be debayered during preview. Sequences of images can be saved in AVI or SER video formats as well.

Even if it can be used separately, it is meant to be used together with AstroTelescope and AstroGuider. Application communicates over INDIGO protocol and it can be used to integrate with any INDIGO 3rd party application as well.

If you want to use AstroImager, AstroGuider and AstroTelescope, you can consider All-in-One INDIGO A1 instead.

To run AstroImager you need Apple Mac running macOS Sierra or later.

You can read Getting Started or watch video tutorial to learn more and if you will have any problem with some of our products do not hesitate to contact us on info@cloudmakers.eu or users group forum.