  Linux Astronomy HOWTO
  Elwood Downey and John Huggins howto@astronomy.net
  v1.17, 2001-04-10

  This document shares tips and resources to utilize Linux solutions in
  the pursuit of Astronomy.
  ______________________________________________________________________

  Table of Contents


  1. Introduction

     1.1 Knowledge Required
     1.2 Scope
     1.3 Version
     1.4 Copyright
     1.5 About the authors

  2. Software

     2.1 Collections
     2.2 Planetarium Programs
     2.3 Libraries
     2.4 Other

  3. Astronomical Images over the web

     3.1 List

  4. Organizations

  5. Hardware Control

     5.1 Telescope Control
     5.2 CCD Camera Control

  6. Installation Help

  7. Projects using Linux



  ______________________________________________________________________

  1.  Introduction

  1.1.  Knowledge Required

  With all the help from major Linux distributions such as SuSE, Redhat,
  Caldera and many others, Linux based systems are becoming easier to
  use.  However, there is still some need of understanding of basic UNIX
  skills to make the most of Linux.  Thus, this HOWTO will assume that
  the reader has at least a basic knowledge of using a UNIX system
  including the ability to compile and install programs.

  A few resources we have found useful over the years include:


  ·  "A Practical Guide to the UNIX System", Mark G. Sobel

  ·  "Advanced Programming in the UNIX Environment", the late W. Richard
     Stevens

  ·  "Running LINUX", Matt Welsh et al.

  ·  "LINUX Device Drivers", Alessandro Rubini

  Similarly, this is not a tutorial or reference for astronomy
  principles or astronomical instrumentation. Astronomy is perhaps the
  grandest of all sciences, employing widely disparate disciplines in a
  bold attempt to understand nothing less than the universe itself. Your
  interests will lead in many directions. A few references we have used
  include:


  ·  "Astronomy with your Personal Computer", Peter Duffett-Smith

  ·  "Astronomy on the Personal Computer", Oliver Montenbruck et al

  ·  "Textbook on Spherical Astronomy", W. M. Smart

  ·  "The Astronomy and Astrophysics Encyclopedia", Stephen P. Maran,
     ed.


  1.2.  Scope

  The authors define the scope of this HOWTO as primarily an index to
  Linux tools applicable in some fashion to the pursuit of Astronomy. It
  is NOT our intention to list WWW astronomy references in general. Our
  own interests tend more towards the technology than the pure science
  and so we welcome contributions from others who have found Linux tools
  which contribute in other ways to Astronomy. Please contact us at the
  address above.

  1.3.  Version

  $Revision: 1.3 $

  $Date: 2001/04/20 18:19:43 $

  The latest version of this document is always available on the
  Astronomy Net at Astronomy HOWTO.

  We eagerly accept suggestions from you.  Send them to Astronomy HOWTO
  Editors.


  1.4.  Copyright

  Copyright 2000 by Elwood Downey and John Huggins. This document may be
  distributed only subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the
  LDP License except that this document must not be distributed in
  modified form without the author's consent.

  A verbatim copy may be reproduced or distributed in any medium
  physical or electronic without permission of the author. Translations
  are similarly permitted without express permission if it includes a
  notice on who translated it.  Commercial redistribution is allowed and
  encouraged; however please notify authors of any such distributions.

  Excerpts from the document may be used without prior consent provided
  that the derivative work contains the verbatim copy or a pointer to a
  verbatim copy.

  Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this
  document provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are
  preserved on all copies.

  In short, we wish to promote dissemination of this information through
  as many channels as possible. However, we wish to retain copyright on
  this HOWTO document, and would like to be notified of any plans to
  redistribute this HOWTO.


  1.5.  About the authors

  Elwood Downey has over twenty years experience in software engineering
  for various astronomy projects.  Learn more about Elwood at Clear Sky
  Institute.

  John Huggins has eleven years experience in hardware engineering
  including eight years associated with an astronomy project.  Learn
  more at John's Site.


  2.  Software


  2.1.  Collections

  Here are some links to collections and other indexes of Linux
  astronomy software.

  ·  The Linux for Astronomy CDROM

  ·  Scientific Applications on Linux (SAL), Physics and Astronomy

  ·  Linux Applications and Utilities Page, Science and Math

  ·  AstroMake is a utility intended to make installations of some
     common astronomical packages (in binary form) easy.

  ·  The linuxastro mailing list also contains a list of applications
     and packages.  For more information, see linuxastro.


  2.2.  Planetarium Programs

  Here is discussion of whole programs for use in finding objects,
  natural and man-made, in the sky which run on Linux.



  ·  XEphem has been the pet project of one of us (Downey) for the past
     15-odd years. It has grown to become one of the more capable
     interactive tools for the computation of astronomical ephemerides.

  ·  XSky is by Terry R. Friedrichsen, terry@venus.sunquest.com. XSky is
     essentially an interactive sky atlas.

  ·  Skymap is an astronomical mapping program written in Fortran and C
     for unix workstations by Doug Mink of the Smithsonian Astrophysical
     Observatory Telescope Data Center.

  ·  Xplns reproduces real starry sky on your display of X Window
     System.

  ·  Nightfall is an astronomy application for fun, education, and
     science. It can produce animated views of eclipsing binary stars,
     calculate synthetic lightcurves and radial velocity curves, and
     eventually determine the best-fit model for a given set of
     observational data of an eclipsing binary star system.



  2.3.  Libraries

  This section discusses bits and pieces of software that can be used to
  form the basis for specialized projects.


  ·  SLALIB, part of the Starlink Project, is a complete library of
     subroutines for astrometric computations.

  ·  Astrophysics Source Code Library is a collection of links to
     numerical astrophysical process models.

  ·  Astronomy and numerical software source codes is a collection of C
     codes related to astronomy.

  ·  How to compute planetary positions.

  ·  CCD Astronomy on Linux A library of routines that help control SBIG
     cameras.


  2.4.  Other

  Every list needs a miscellaneous section, and this is it for Software.


  ·  IRAF is a gigantic but exceptionally capable astronomical analysis
     system, shepherded over the past 20-odd years by Doug Tody of NOAO.
     It has accumulated innumerable authoritative contributions from
     leading astronomers in all areas of astronomical data analysis. If
     you have a serious interest in astronomical data reduction and
     significant time to invest, this system will reward you mightily.

  ·  Nightfall Eclipsing Binary Star Program


  3.  Astronomical Images over the web

  Much effort exists to allow access to Astronomical image file type
  such as FITS from any web browser.  Here are some pointers.


  3.1.  List

  The folks at harvard have a list of Image Servers and Image Browsers.


  ·  Astronomical Images Over the Web


  4.  Organizations


  ·  The yearly Astronomical Data Analysis Software and Systems, ADAAS,
     Conference Series provides a forum for scientists and computer
     specialists concerned with algorithms, software and operating
     systems in the acquisition, reduction and analysis of astronomical
     data.  The program includes invited talks, contributed papers and
     poster sessions as well as user group meetings and special interest
     meetings ("BOFs'').  All these activities aim to encourage
     communication between software specialists and users, and also to
     stimulate further development of astronomical software and systems.

  ·  The linuxastro mailing list, linuxastro@majordomo.cv.nrao.edu, is
     for people who are interested in porting astronomical software to
     linux.  For more information, see linuxastro.
  5.  Hardware Control

  More folks are using Linux to control equipment.  Users range from
  amateur astronomers in the field to professional observatories.


  5.1.  Telescope Control


  ·  OCAAS is a complete Observatory Control and Astronomical Analysis
     System for Linux.

  ·  XEphem has the capability to communicate with a telescope control
     daemon process.


  5.2.  CCD Camera Control


  ·  Apogee Instruments Inc supports their line of professional CCD
     cameras under Linux.

  ·  SBIG offers some assistance with operating their ST7 and ST8 CCD
     cameras under Linux.

  ·  CCD Astronomy on Linux These pages describe a number of facets of
     using astronomical CCD cameras for image acquisition and processing
     under Linux.


  6.  Installation Help

  You need to know what you're doing with Linux and installing programs,
  but help is available for some programs.  Here are some ways to make
  life easier.


  ·  AstroMake is is a utility intended to make installations of some
     common astronomical packages (in binary form) easy.

  ·  XEphem requires several elements to exist on your machine.  Life is
     much simpler with the CDROM version of the program as it contains
     an installation script which loads the appropriate precompiled
     binary for most systems and places all auxiliary files to the
     correct spots. See XEphem CDROM


  7.  Projects using Linux

  Here is a list of astronomy projects using Linux in whole or in part
  of their instrumentation:


  ·  The CHARA Array is an optical interferometer project using Linux in
     their control system.



