Audela - Latest News

Audela - What is it?

Audela is a free and open source astronomy software intended for digital observations (CCD cameras, Webcams, etc.). Its concept is entirely new, because whilst it features advanced image processing and acquisition functions like existing software, its originality lies in the fact that it is entirely reprogrammable using simple scripts. It has been written for both Windows and Linux platforms and can control many telescope mounts and cameras or DSLRs.

What is Audela different?

• Audela is fully customizable. You can even customize its main interface.
• Audela enables not only camera control, but also full telescope control, locally or at long distance via a network.
• Audela has been especially conceived to meet the needs of the amateur astronomer, from beginner to advanced observer.
• Available in 6 languages: French, English, Spanish, Italian, German and Danish.

Sign in on our developer mailing list?

Many amateur astronomers contribute to Audela development by creating new functions and scripts. If you want to participate, you can join the Audeladev mailing list.

Audela - Main Features

Audela Functions

The new functions in version 1.4.0 are highlighted with a bluish background.

Operating System

Windows, Linux and OSX (very basic support for Mac OS-X (please help us!).

Aiming and controlling equipment

• Align assistant with the polar scope (Takahashi or EQ6)
• Align assistant with the King method
• Focusing assistant
• Pipeline for the aiming model
• GOTO function using integrated catalogs (planets, asteroids, Messier objects, reference stars, NGC, IC, Moon)
• GOTO function using another charting planetarium tool (Guide, Carte du ciel , Skychart)
• Remote control from a computer
• Check position and time via GPS (through a serial or Ethernaude link)
• Control of filter wheels
• Virtual control pad
• Autoguiding
• Supported telescopes : LX200 protocol (with special features of Audecom, Skysensor, losmandy, It-lente, Mbartels), Ouranos, Temma, Ascom, Celestron
• Link: serial port, USB/Serial adapter

Capturing Images

• Capture modes: serial, continuous, windowed, binning, scan, video.
• Capturing videos with a Webcam (Windows only).
• Characteristics of the optics (CCD field, binning, focal lengths, etc.).
• Capturing scans (drift-scan and normal scan)
• Display of a reticle for centering purposes
• Pipeline for supernovae survey
• Pipeline for asteroid photometry
• Supported cameras: Audine, Hi-Sis, SBIG, CB245, Starlight, Kitty, Webcam, TH78521, SRC1300XTC, Canon EOS, Coolpix, Andor
• Supported links: parallel port, USB port, Ethernaude, Quickremote (USB/parallel converter)
• Long exposure option for webcams and DSLRs (via parallel port or QuickRemote interface)

Displaying Images

• Zoom, mirror, windowing, full screen
• Transfer functions (linear, log, exponential, arc-tangent).
• Automatic adjustment of viewing thresholds.
• Changing colour palettes
• Multi-window display
• Viewer with animation or blinking

Processing Images

• Processing one image (add , subtract, divide, etc.)
• Processing series of images (register, add, subtract, etc.)
• Geometric operations (mirrors, windowing, resampling)
• Optimizing dark frame, subtracting sky background
• Filters (high pass, low pass, gaussian, median)
• Wavelets, logarithms
• Statistics on the image, Fwhm, Flow, Photocentre
• Histogram, section
• Image selection
• Processing colour images (RAW->CFA, CFA->RGB, R+G+B->RGB, etc.)

Advanced Processing of Images

• Automatic pre-processing (make a dark frame, a flat field, registering)
• Astrometric calibration
• SpcAudace (instrument response, spectrum calibration)

General Settings

• Observer location
• Time (local, UT, ST), time zone, summer/winter
• External editors/browsers (PDF, HTML, text, image browser)
• Selection of UI colours (with night vision)
• Saving user preferences

Scripts

• Writing customized scripts in TCL
• Models and examples of scripts: photometrie (calaphot.tcl) , asteroid occultation (titania.tcl), etc.
• Function library:
• LIB TT: pre-processing of astronomical images
• LIB MC: celestial mechanics calculations
• LIB GSL: matrix calculation
• LIB BLT: trace of curves
• LIB Audela: camera and telescope management, and image buffer

Formats of Supported Files

• FITS files (16 bits or floating), colour FITS (48-bit RGB)
• JPEG files
• DAT files (spcaudace)
• RAW files(crw, cr2, nef, etc.)
• AVI files

Who are we?

Audela likes "cassoulet" which is a well-known course based on beans and meat typical of Southern France. Visit the Pixels & Cassoulet website of the "famous" network of amateur astronomers from Toulouse (city in Southern France).

The Audela Core Team consists of a few amateur astronomers in charge of coordinating and coaching Audela development:

• Alain Klotz: development, coordination
• Denis Marchais: development, coordination
• Michel Pujol: development, coordination
• Robert Delmas: development, coordination of the translation process
• Christian Jasinski: communication, translation
• And all the people contributing to Audela development.

SourceForge

SourceForge is a company hosting open-source projects. It enables developers to access various useful tools that make software development easier.

• Visit our home page on SourceForge