The Astrophotography Manual, 2nd Edition

Sequencing, Automation and Scripting

The power of automation extends one’s ability to image for longer and adapt to changing conditions, with an immediate benefit on image quality and sleep.

 

 

In the beginning, film cameras were operated with a mechanical cable release and later, as electronic cameras evolved, using an electronic release or intervalometer. With the introduction of USB communications, more sophisticated computer control became possible including full remote control. The advent of digital SLRs refined the interface further and make image download a possibility too. The same evolutionary forces play out across many other astronomy devices and, with the advent of the Internet, remote control from virtually anywhere is not only ...