wxAstroCapture - Windows and linuX Astronomy Capture

wxAstroCapture is a free capture program primarily intended for astronomical use, it is developed as a joint effort between Martin Burri (Switzerland) and Carsten Arnholm (Norway). Installation instructions and program download is found here, there is also an online Yahoo group where users are welcome to share experiences.

wxAstroCapture is supported on

Windows 2000 and XP
Linux (K)ubuntu 7.04, 7.10
Linux SuSE 10.2, Mandriva
Click here to join wxAstroCapture
Click to join wxAstroCapture

New version 1.1, February 2008

The current version supports Philips webcams for planetary/lunar/solar and deep sky imaging. Long exposures are supported for SC modified webcams with serial and parallel port long exposure control. Also supported are Artemis/ATK cameras for 16bit deep sky imaging.

Also supported is webcam autoguiding using normal or long exposures. By running two instances of wxAstroCapture you can autoguide and image using Artemis at the same time. With a webcam you can capture to AVI or FITS

For more details relating to program use, see NOTES for wxAstroCapture.

Microsoft Windows XP, ToUcam 740
Linux Kubuntu 7.04, ToUcam 740

Microsoft Windows XP, Artemis 285
Linux Kubuntu 7.04, Artemis 285

Microsoft Windows XP, Artemis 11002 simulation
Linux Kubuntu 7.04, Artemis 11002 simulation

Quickstart user instructions

Read install instructions first!! Windows and Linux

The use of the program is the same on both platforms (great, isn't it!).

Connect to a camera using menu : Camera | Connect ...
If more than one camera is attached to the computer, a dialog is presented so you can select which one to use. For Artemis, there are also simulation files available see NOTES for wxAstroCapture.
Adjusting camera properties (gamma, brightness etc.) is done via the "properies" button. This opens up a tabbed dialog with access to the familiar webcam controls. For Artemis, a similar dialog is used for adjusting the live preview, the settings do not modify the captured images.
The capture folder is set using the Options | Settings... menu. The current capture folder is shown in the status bar at bottom left.
Actual AVI capture is started/stopped using the "Capture" button. When a capture is ongoing, the gauge next to the capture button indicates activity. AVI files are saved in the defined capture folder, all files are time-stamped to avoid overwrite.
For enabling webcam long exposures on Linux, please see instructions for enabling parallel port.
For autoguiding with the scope server, see wxScopeServer demo.
If you have questions, please visit the wxAstroCapture Yahoo group

How to install wxAstroCapture

In this section you find links for how to install the software on the various systems

Windows setup: Windows
Linux - debian packages: Linux (.deb)
Linux - rpm packages: Linux (.rpm)

NOTICE when upgrading from version 1.0 to 1.1 on linux:

Version 1.0 used configuration file ~/.wxAstroCapture
Version 1.1 uses configuration file ~/.wxAstroCapture/wxAstroCapture.conf

To migrate the old configuration, run wxAC_fixConfig.sh before you start the new version for the first time.

Program Download

Free Software: You may download and use the software at no cost. However, this software is Copyright (C) 2007 Martin Burri and Carsten Arnholm. You may not sell or bundle the software with another product without advance permission from the copyright owners.
Disclaimer: The authors regularly use the software on several of their computers and firmly believe that the software is without any damaging effect. Nevertheless,the authors accepts no responsibility for damages resulting from use of the software and makes no warranty or representation, either express or implied, including but not limited to, any implied warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. The software is provided "AS IS" and the authors do not assume or accept any risk by its use.
Download setup programs: By downloading any software, you agree that any use of the program is at your own risk.
Linux (K)ubuntu (2 files): --- How to install on Debian Linux
File 1: wxAC_install.sh.tar.gz
File 2: wxastrocapture_1.2-1_i386.deb
RPM Linux (1 file): --- How to install on RPM Linux
File 1: wxastrocapture-1.2-2.i386.rpm.tar.gz
Windows 2000,XP and Vista(1 file): --- How to install on Windows
File 1: wxAstroCapture_setup_1.2-1.exe
Download Artemis simulation files from Yahoo
Artemis Sim files: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wxAstroCapture/files/ArtSim/
Download wxScopeServer source and binaries:
Source code: wxScopeServer_Demo_source.zip
Linux binary: wxScopeServer_linux.tar.gz
Windows binary: wxScopeServer_win.zip