Sorry Stanley, I misunderstood what you were looking for. You stated the Linux driver. You definitely don't have to download Linux to install the INDI driver on your Mac, since it is already a unix based system. The Mac Version of the INDI driver is included in the Mac version of KStars, which is a free astrophotography program that works on Linux, Mac, and Windows which you can download here: KStars can server up the camera to other programs like PHD2, Cartes Du Ciel, and others. It should also be in the Mac App INDIServer for OS X, which you can find here: But I don't know if the SBIG INDI driver in the cloud makers INDI Server has been updated to the version that I modified recently to include firmware uploading. Hopefully this was more helpful than my last answer, Rob. Thanks again, Rob.

• Gci-discuss Re Kstars For Mac

I really do appreciate your taking the time to respond to me so quickly and the effort you’re making to understand my unclear messages. Soto be perfectly clear (as Nixon used to say!): 1. I already have kStars up and running on my iMac. Yes, the latest version of kStars/INDI includes native support for the SBIG cameras via the SBIG Universal driver installed on the system, in this case, my iMac. The SBIG camera/kStars connection is not a problem.

My issue is with the Filter Wheel. The most recent version of kStars/INDI library does NOT include support for the SBIG filter wheels, as opposed to the cameras, via the same mechanism.

Instead, I found this page which has instructions for downloading (through Ubuntu) and installing another(?) driver which purportedly includes support for the SBIG filter wheels—unless I’ve misunderstood completely. (sigh) To be honest, I haven’t yet tried to physically connect my camera & filter wheel to kStars yet, for they are in a mountain cabin two hours from here, with my big scope. But in the kStars Device Manager, you can’t choose SBIG for the filter wheel in any case; you can choose many of the other brands (FLI, Atik, etc.) which are supported. You CAN choose the SBIG camera but not an SBIG FW-(which makes zero sense to me given that most people wouldn't use a monochrome CCD camera without a filter wheel). I had understood that perhaps installation of this other driver might solve that problem; but I can’t find the driver w/o installing Ubuntu! Sorry for running on but I want to be as clear as possible.

Any suggestions? Many thanks again, stan. Hi Stan, I'm not sure about this statement: 'does NOT include support for the SBIG filter wheels, as opposed to the cameras, via the same mechanism.' I have an SBIG camera, the ST8300M.

It has an 8 position filter wheel. I can control this filter wheel with both my Mac and with Linux in the Filter Wheel tab of the SBIG driver in the INDI control panel in KStars once the driver starts up.

The page that you linked: is just a description of the driver that is used on both Linux and Mac OS to connect to SBIG cameras. It is not another driver, it is the same driver. In the profile set up in KStars, you select that you want an SBIG camera, you do not need to select a separate filter wheel in the filter wheel selection because the SBIG camera driver handles the filter wheels as well. KStars understands that the SBIG driver can do the filter wheel. Sorry if this is not clear. You do not need to install any other drivers.

Hi Stan, I'm not sure about this statement: 'does NOT include support for the SBIG filter wheels, as opposed to the cameras, via the same mechanism.' I have an SBIG camera, the ST8300M. It has an 8 position filter wheel. I can control this filter wheel with both my Mac and with Linux in the Filter Wheel tab of the SBIG driver in the INDI control panel in KStars once the driver starts up. The page that you linked: is just a description of the driver that is used on both Linux and Mac OS to connect to SBIG cameras.

It is not another driver, it is the same driver. In the profile set up in KStars, you select that you want an SBIG camera, you do not need to select a separate filter wheel in the filter wheel selection because the SBIG camera driver handles the filter wheels as well. KStars understands that the SBIG driver can do the filter wheel. Sorry if this is not clear.

You do not need to install any other drivers. Click to expand.Rob, I believe you are right. I simultaneously asked the same questions on the INDI forums, and received a very similar response: 'Hello Stanley, I just saw your message on INDI forum and sent it to Robert (our Mac guru). There isn't a separate filter wheel driver for SBIG, it's built into the INDI SBIG CCD driver.

There is a tab (in INDI Control Panel, under SBIG CCD) called FIlter (or Filter Wheel). If you go there, you can connect to the wheel and it can then be used from Ekos. But I'm not sure if this works on Mac, so give it a go. Regards, Jasem Mutlaq Ikarus Technologies ' So I will give this a try next week when I am at the site with my telescope. Assuming both you and he are right, all I can do is humbly apologize for wasting your time, although they certainly could make this little fact clearer in the INDI documentation and UI. Thanks again, stan.

Is the capture suite that comes as part of the software package. It's a free, fully automated suite for capturing on Mac, Linux, and PC. It's not to dissimilar to on the PC. While the capture suite comes with KStars, you're not limited to using KStars. EKOS will also allow you to send commands to your mount from on the Mac as well. I'll break down it's use and capabilities screen by screen. Main Window In the main window shown above, you see tabs that represent each part of the application which include the Scheduler, Mount Control, Capture Module, Alignment Module, Focus Module, and Guide Module.

From the main window you will see the currently taken image, the seconds remaining in the next image, as well as which image number you are on during the sequence, and the percent complete of the entire sequence with hours, minutes, and second remaining in your sequence. Additionally to the right of your image, you see your target and tracking status, focus status, and guiding status. From the Scheduler, you can pick your targets, and assign them capture sequences (which are set up in the imaging module). Additionally there are some overall parameters you can set here for starting a session and ending a session.

It's already been added to the internet company’s bug tracking platform and Firefox users can find out more about the progress on a fix there. Mozilla launches Firefox Reality VR web browser See. Bug 1398513 firefox for mac. While on Mac and Windows the bug will cause Firefox's browser process to crash and throw-up its usual Crash Reporter popup, it can cause a lot more damage on Windows. In other news, Mozilla has recently released a new update to the Firefox browser that advances the browser version to 62.0.2 and the focus is on fixing bugs. Firefox 62.0.2 has fixed issues with. On Windows, the bug is a little bit worse, as besides sometimes crashing the browser, the bug has also been observed freezing the entire operating system, requiring users to perform a hard reboot.

If you have a permanent observatory, you do things here like open and close your observatory with startup and shut down sequences, or set parameters for when to run your schedule based on the twilight hour, weather, or phase of the moon. The scheduler lets you set up multiple imaging sessions, mosaics, and more.

And as the twilight hour approaches, it will start up and pickup imaging based off of priorities you set, or object priorities based on their visibility in the night sky. Imaging sessions can be set for a single night, or can be taken over multiple nights if it wasn't able to complete them in a single night. Mount Control.

Mount control is fairly straight forward. This window shows the current aperture and focal length of your selected equipment. You can save multiple equipment configurations from this window for various telescope and guide scope combinations that you might have. Current tracking information is also shown in this window. If you select Mount Control in the upper right of the screen, it pops up a floating window with arrow buttons, speed and goto functions for manually controlling the mount. You can search for a target, and manually go to an object in the sky to start an imaging session without setting one up in the scheduler.

Capture Module. From here you control all aspects of your imaging camera including setting up imaging sequences. For instance, I might have 7 hours of night time to image before the sun rises. I can divide that time up between each filter, and save the sequence of 120 captures, at 60s each at -20°C for each individual filter, and save that as a sequence which I can later load and reuse anytime I want to run that session during a 7 hour window.

Or I could say I want 20 hours total on an object, and set all parameters for each filter to accommodate a 20 hour session, and save it. Or maybe I want one session for LRGB, and one for narrowband imaging. You can also set flat, dark and bias sequences. Flats have an awesome automatic mode, where you can set a pre-determined ADU value, and it will expose each filter automatically to the same ADU and capture all your flats in a single automatic session.

It also supports hardware like the so that flat sessions can be run immediately following a nights imaging session. Additionally you can set guiding and focus limits for imaging sessions, and control when your meridian flip occurs. Focus Module. Here you can control all focus functions if you have a computer controlled focuser. I highly recommend getting one of these. Focusing can be set up to run automatically. It will capture a single image, and auto select a star, then run a sequence where it continues to capture, while moving the focuser in and out.

Gci-discuss Re Kstars For Mac

Each time it is graphing the HFR on a curve plot trying to find the best point of focus. Depending on seeing conditions, it can get focusing down in 3-4 iterations, or sometimes 20. All parameters including threshold and tolerance settings for focusing are controlled in this window. Alignment Module. From this window you can polar align (assuming you can see Polaris), and also plate solve to locate an object center window or improve GOTO accuracy. Since I can't see Polaris from my location, I have to use my mounts built in, then I can come to this window to capture & solve a target to improve it's GOTO accuracy.

There are several nice features accessible here. You can load a fits file from a previous imaging session, it will plate solve the image, then move your telescope to that precise point to continue an imaging session.

Or you can select targets from the floating mount control window, then capture and solve, or capture and slew to bring the mount as close to center of the target as possible. EKOS automatically uses this function during an imaging session to initially align to a target, and then realign once the meridian flip occurs. Guide Module. The guide module handles all guiding through your guide scope and camera. Press capture in the upper left, and hit guide, a star will be automatically selected, calibration starts, and once calibrated guiding begins.

Additionally options can be set for dithering, and guide rate. For people who prefer PHD2, EKOS integrates seamlessly with it, and even shows PHD2's guiding graphs within the app and on your overview tab.

I've not personally had any issues using the EKOS guiding, and it has an additional benefit of being able to reacquire a guide star after clouds interrupt your imaging session, and can continue the imaging session when it's clear again. Overall thoughts As someone who images regularly, and doesn't have a permanent setup (like an observatory), I like how much of the application can automate my nights imaging sessions. There is little else available on the Mac that is this full featured. The comes in a close second for me, but is initially easier to set up and use. Additionally is also a full featured suite, however I've not used it. The setup process with EKOS isn't too difficult once you get an understanding of how the modules interact with each other and what all the options do.

I hope this brief overview gives you enough of an idea that you can setup and use the software on your own. EKOS has a healthy number of contributors on the project, and regularly sees updates on a monthly basis, and has good support through it's.