CCD image processing
Version : 0.8.2
Author(s) : Radu Corlan
License : GPL
Website : http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/gcx
Installs from Open Source Astronomy for Linux cd 1
Disk space required for installation is 4.26 Mb
* Open/save 16-bit FITS image files;
GCX uses floating-point images internally, so other FITS formats are easy to add; * Zoom/Pan images, adjust brightness/contrast/gamma in an intuitive way, appropiate for astronomical images; * Convert FITS files to 8-bit PNM after intensity mapping; * Show image statistics (both global and local); * Maintain a noise model for the image across transformations; // * Maintain bad pixel information; * Perform ccd reductions (dark/bias/flat); * Automatically align (register) and stack images.
Catalogs and WCS
* Read field star information from GSC1/2 and Tycho2; * Read object information from edb and native files; * Read recipe files; * Detect sources (stars) from images; * Overlay objects on the image; * Edit objects' information; * Match image stars to catalog positions; * Calculate world coordinates for image objects.
Camera Control
* Control cameras over a TCP socket using a simple protocol;
The control proces (cpxcntrl) presently supports the cpx3m camera. It can be easily modified to support other cameras.
* Acquire images under script control; * Set binning/windowing/integration times/temperature; * Dark frames; * All acquired frames are fully annotated in their FITS headers; * Auto-generate descriptive names for files.
Telescope control
* Support LX200 protocol over serial; * Point telescope under script control; * Point telescope by object name (if edb catalogs are installed); * Refine pointing by comparing image star positions with catalogs;
Aperture Photometry
* Do sparse field stellar photometry using fixed circular apertures for stars, annular apertures for sky estimation; * Aperture sizes fully programmable; * Multiple sky estimation methods; * Uses a complex error model thorughout, that takes into account photon shot noise, read noise, noise of the callibration frames and scintillation; * Report noise estimates for every result; * Take photometric targets (program and standard stars) from recipe files, or directly from the image; * Produce a comprehensive report.
Multi-Frame Reductions
* Fit color transformation coefficients from multiple frames; * Fit extinction coefficients; * Perform all-sky reductions; * Generate various plots for data checking;
Interfacing
* Uses plain-ascii files for configuration files, reports and recipies; * Implements import filters and an output converter to interface with tabular formats; * Most functions available in batch mode, so the program can be made part of a script.