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Argos v0.4.0 — first usable alpha

Argos v0.4.0 — first usable alpha Pre-release
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@jperret21 jperret21 released this 14 Jul 14:35
v0.4.0
f5f17f2

The first usable alpha of Argos — desktop capture and differential photometry for the ZWO Seestar S30 Pro. From raw frames to a light curve, on your laptop, as the light lands.

What it does

  • Capture & control — GoTo, tracking, live view and multi-step sequences over ASCOM Alpaca, with the native Seestar link for the moves the firmware won't expose.
  • Science-grade FITS — every sub written with the headers the Seestar leaves out (exposure mid-times, gain, airmass, Moon separation), ready for Siril / PixInsight / AstroImageJ.
  • Astrometry — ASTAP plate-solves every frame; each pixel maps to real sky coordinates, even on short live subs.
  • Photometry — aperture photometry + AAVSO-ensemble differential magnitudes, a live light curve, and CSV / AAVSO export.

From quick-look to publishable

Argos stops at honest subs + a live quick-look. For the calibrated, phase-folded, AAVSO-ready curve, its frames drop straight into Siril with star_var_script — validated on RR Lyr against the published Sesar 2010 template.

Run it

Dev flow for now (packaged builds to follow):

brew install uv
git clone https://github.com/jperret21/argos.git
cd argos
uv sync --extra dev
uv run python main.py

No telescope needed — it runs against the ASCOM Alpaca simulator (see docs/simulator_testing.md).

Alpha caveats

  • Autofocus routine not yet wired (focuser control is).
  • Calibration (darks / flats) is intentionally left to post-processing in Siril.
  • Field-tested on the S30 Pro — expect rough edges, and please open issues.
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v0.3.0 — first field-testable alpha

v0.3.0 — first field-testable alpha Pre-release
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@jperret21 jperret21 released this 05 Jul 10:28
v0.3.0
6fcf4f3

Argos v0.3.0 — first field-testable alpha 🔭

This is the first version of Argos meant to leave the desk: a complete,
capture-first acquisition experience for the ZWO Seestar S30 Pro, validated
against the real telescope (firmware 7.18) — all four Alpaca devices
connect, frames download end-to-end, plate-solving is wired.

Capture-first redesign

  • 4 modes, one workspace: Connect → Capture → Analyze → Configure. Everything
    you touch during a session lives in the Capture screen.
  • Fully dockable workspace: every panel (Camera, Sequence, Histogram,
    Statistics, HFD trend, Mount, Focuser, Filter wheel, Light curve, Log) is a
    dock — move, float, tab, hide. Layouts persist across restarts.
  • Theme presets: Equilux, Charcoal, High Contrast, and Night (Red) for
    dark-adapted eyes.
  • Display rotation: the portrait Seestar sensor is shown landscape by
    default (Auto/0°/90°/180°/270°, display-only — science data untouched).

Acquisition

  • Camera ownership state machine: live preview, single shots, sequences and
    autofocus can't fight over the camera — sequences preempt, autofocus
    hands back cleanly, the UI shows who owns what.
  • Advanced sequencer: multi-step plans (type/filter/exposure/gain/count/
    interval), pause/resume at frame boundaries, dithering, AF-every-N-frames,
    on-complete actions (stop tracking / park), live progress with ETA on every
    screen, presets saved as JSON.
  • Autofocus with live V-curve in the Focuser dock, HFD trend history.
  • Robustness: bounded 5s shutdown (no zombie processes), mount
    auto-reconnect after a Wi-Fi drop, sequence cockpit lock.

Photometry (the bonus that makes it Argos)

  • Live light curves during acquisition: solve → VSX/VSP catalog overlay →
    assign target/comparison roles by clicking stars → one point per saved sub.
  • One measurement pipeline for live and batch: FWHM-adaptive apertures,
    BJD_TDB timestamps, airmass, 9-column CSV, AAVSO extended-format export.
  • Batch re-run over saved subs with progress + cancel.

Validated on hardware (2026-07-05)

  • Real Seestar S30 Pro, firmware 7.18: mount, camera, filter wheel and focuser
    all connect over the built-in Alpaca server on port 32323 (no bridge needed).
  • Real camera limits read from the driver: gain 0–600, exposure 30 µs–2000 s.
  • Filter wheel truth: Dark / IR-cut / LP positions confirmed.
  • Test frame downloaded end-to-end (3840×2160 uint16).

Field-testing this alpha

  • Follow docs/hardware_test_plan.md —
    a 9-section protocol from connection to park, with a PASS/FAIL report template.
  • At home (station mode) or in the field on the Seestar's own hotspot
    (AP mode, 10.0.0.1:32323) — both documented in the plan.
  • No telescope? The whole app runs against the ASCOM OmniSim simulator:
    see docs/simulator_testing.md.

Known gaps (alpha)

  • Battery / storage / thermal telemetry not yet surfaced (needs §9 protocol
    capture from real-device observation).
  • Theme changes need a restart to fully restyle dock title bars.
  • Sections 4–8 of the hardware plan (autofocus on stars, sequences, photometry
    under the sky) still await a clear night — that's what this alpha is for.

Full diff: v0.2.1...v0.3.0

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