Linux Astronomy HOWTO
 Elwood Downey and John Huggins [email protected]
 $Revision: 1.8 $, $Date: 2000/08/14 18:33:47 $

 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

 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



 ______________________________________________________________________

 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: 1.8 $

 $Date: 2000/08/14 18:33:47 $

 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.


 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, [email protected]. 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.

 �  AstrHorloge is a small astronomy software that shows a sky map,
    give you the coordinates of stars and planets.

 �  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.


 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, [email protected], 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.


 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

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