Welcome in the GuitAstro module documentation
1. What is GuitAstro ?
GuitAstro is a Python module that provides classes and methods to write scripts for astronomical observations. GuitAstro wraps the classical astronomical Python modules (AstroPy, etc.) and adds functionalities.
GuitAstro is inspired by the software AudeLA written from 1999 by astronomers of the Toulouse region (France).
- Why the name GuitAstro?
- Official version: General Use of Instruments and Telescopes in ASTROnomy.
- Legendary version: GUITalens ASTROnomy
GuitAstro Logo.
2. Download Guitastro
The source code of Guitastro is available using Git. Windows users can install Tortoige Git which is user friendly.
You can get Guitastro anywhere in your computer. The examples of this guide consider to place Guitastro in the folder Documents of your user. If the user is xxx for linux you have to install guitastro in the folder /home/xxx/Documents. For Windows users it corresponds to C:\Users\xxx\Documents
Clone the code from the Git repository https://gitlab.irap.omp.eu/guitastrolib/guitastro.git.
For Linux users, the following git clone command will copy all the files of the Guitastro code in the current directory:
cd ~/Documents
git config --global http.sslVerify false
git clone https://gitlab.irap.omp.eu/guitastrolib/guitastro.git
For Windows users using Tortoise, open a file explorer (Win+E), create and select a folder where the code will be downloaded. The contextual menu of the file explorer allows to "Git Clone". A window opens. Fill the URL entry by https://gitlab.irap.omp.eu/guitastrolib/guitastro.git and the Directory entry by C:\Users\xxx\Documents\guitastro. Push OK.
For Windows users, if you prefer to use the command line instead of Tortoise, open a Powershell with Win+R (Open: powershell) and put:
cd C:\Users\xxx\Documents
git config --global http.sslVerify false
git clone https://gitlab.irap.omp.eu/guitastrolib/guitastro.git
3. Python installation
There two main ways to install Python:
- Using default Python installation. Not recommanded.
- Using Anaconda and virtual environments. Recommanded.
4. Install Guitastro
There two main ways to install GuitAstro:
- Record GuitAstro as a module using setup.py. This method is good to use GuitAstro but is not adapted to develop GuitAstro.
- Only apply requirements. This method is good for developers of Guitastro code but is less convenient to import Guitastro.
5. External resources
5.1. Resources for Linux
To use Ima.calibwcs you have to install ASTAP and its quad files. Download the astap_amd64.deb and:
sudo apt-get install ./astap_amd64.deb
To use Ima.calibwcs() you have to install Astrometry.net and its quad index files:
sudo apt install astrometry.net
sudo apt install astrometry-data-tycho2
sudo apt install astrometry-data-2mass
The executable is /usr/bin/solve-field. The default directory where you have to place the index files is /usr/share/astrometry. However, if you prefer to install the index folders (4100, 4200, 5200) in another directory, you must change the following line in the configuration file /etc/astrometry.cfg (sudo):
add_path /usr/share/astrometry
For example:
add_path /home/myself/astrometry.net
Check solve-field is working before using Ima.calibwcs():
WCS calibration in total blind:
cd ~/Documents
solve-field --crpix-center --overwrite guitastro/tests/data/m57.fits
WCS calibration in case you know approximate coordinates:
cd ~/Documents
solve-field --ra 180 --dec 0 --radius 3 --crpix-center --overwrite guitastro/tests/data/m57.fits
WCS calibration if you know approximate spatial sampling:
cd ~/Documents
solve-field --scale-units arcsecperpix --scale-low 3.5 --scale-high 3.7 --crpix-center --overwrite guitastro/tests/data/m57.fits
5.2. Resources for Windows
To use Ima.calibwcs you have to install ASTAP and its quad files.
6. Some very simple tests
7. Example collection
8. User guide to program with guitastro Python classes
Describe how to instanciate guitastro classes to use them in a personal Python code.
9. Driving devices with guitastro
10. Class and method documentation
For developers of Python code of GuitAstro:
The classes of GuitAstro.