Anyone Else Using CcdCiel/CarteDuCiel?

[JonCarleton]

I have been using CCDciel and SkyChart (CarteduCiel) on raspberry pi's for a few years now.  I realize that this software set doesn't have the following of KStars/Ekos, but wondered if was still represented here in this group.  For me, at least, it works well, is simple to demonstrate and makes a good showing at star parties and the like. 

This software set relies on INDIserver and the INDI drivers, under Linux or ASCOM drivers under Windows.  Again, much the same as KStars/Ekos.  

[skybadger]

I use  cartes de ciel all the time on windows. Less faff than others. Also does orbital offsets with phd2 to track comets. 

Also have ccd de ciel for when I want to run three cameras in spectroscopy mode. 

[groberts]

Never used anything else but CdC with ASCOM for over 10-years on various rigs and find it to be excellent i.e. if it ain't broke, don't fix it.  Many thanks to Patrick.

Graham

  

Edited March 5 by groberts

[TakMan]

Yep, same here - both of them on the wife’s old 17” Samsung i3 W7 laptop. I moved to this a few years ago from a Mac OS X environment and looking back, was the best thing I could have done.

Platesolving, auto focus, dithering, all work a treat.

Suggested a few ideas to the chap who writes the stuff - which he incorporated as well.

A few small bugs pop up now and again, which I have learnt to keep an eye out for… but it has never crashed on me mid-session - touch wood!

Would highly recommend, although I do think about trying NINA now and again, just to see what that has to offer…

Damian

Edited March 8 by TakMan

[tomato]

I have used CdC with Windows since getting back into AP 10 years ago. I now use it in conjunction with NINA, it meets all of my requirements when imaging, although I use Stellarium with the various Deep Sky overlays for planning sessions.

[JonCarleton]

Interesting.  I knew there was a community out there for the platform, but I didn't suspect that it was mostly Windows-based.  I've never used ASCOM and came to CdC and CCDciel from KStars.  I prefer the platform to KStars because it seems to run better on my hardware. I typically run a Pi4 with the drivers on each setup and the imaging/guiding/planetarium inside on the desktop.  Ubuntu as the common OS.

Thank you for your replies!

[Tomatobro]

Like my Bro I use C du C on windows but with Sharpcap. Have my local horizon set so I know when targets come into view.

[CedricTheBrave]

I find it better to use than others but I am also Windows

[PhilB61]

I also use CdC through NINA on Windows as my primary planetarium app.

[fozzybear]

Hi,
 
The new beta version 0.9.87 of CCDciel is now available.
It consist mainly of bug fix and usability improvement.

Download from https://sourceforge.net/projects/ccdciel/files/ccdciel_0.9.87/  or update with apt.

Change:

- Use a menu for the Preview options to do action for every preview image:
  - astrometry
  - image inspection
  - preprocessing
- Image measurement improvement
- Add menu entry to preprocess the current image
- Add menu entry to show dark and flat FITS header
- Draw big cross at cursor position when Meta or Alt is pressed
- Allow to stop mount tracking with the Track button
- Add custom image type with specific script on selection
- Add a button to scan a single Alpaca server when discovery fail. Can be use to scan a server not in the broadcast range
- Complete support for INDI switch, same as with ASCOM
- Add weather detail to FITS header
- Add INDI weather detail
- Increase allowed autofocus movement
- Prevent delay when autofocus is started
- Add a combobox for autofocus ROI selection when measuring only center stars for autofocus
- Add option to defocus by a given amount after autofocus (useful for photometry with color sensor)
- Add script command to control ROI
- Add ComObj to pascal script to allow direct access to ASCOM devices
- Give script access to connected ASCOM devices
- Continuous astrometry update for polar alignment
- Use double click to select the polar alignment reference star
- Also purge old finder and guider astrometry error files
- Add example script for blind astrometry
- Put the Internal guider Loop button in the guider tab, allow to start guiding when loop is in progress
- Predict new star position during spectroscopy settling, use star manually selected
- Ensure the finder tool is show when finder is selected
- Allow to solve main camera image for finder calibration
- Do not remove blank space from object name
- Use histogram also for finder and guider image level
- Save finder and guider image to the same path as the last capture

The full change log:   
https://github.com/pchev/ccdciel/compare/v0.9.86...v0.9.87

Best regards,
Patrick

[JonCarleton]

Thanks Fozzy,

I got an email about that a bit ago.  Good night to image, so I suppose I'll test it.