ARGOS 0.4.1

ARGOS 0.4.1

ARGOS 0.4.1 brings the full observing workflow for variable-star and exoplanet time-series work into one desktop application for Seestar telescopes: prepare the night, identify the field, acquire science frames, follow a live photometric preview, and review the completed session.

This is a field-validation release. Keep the raw FITS files and independently verify scientific results during post-processing. ARGOS is not intended for unattended operation.

Highlights

• Scientific source planning — search variable stars, confirmed exoplanet hosts and local deep-sky catalogues; inspect source altitude before an observation.
• Field identification — plate-solve with ASTAP, project catalogue sources onto the frame, and select a target, comparison-star ensemble and check star.
• Session-aware acquisition — write 16-bit science FITS with the observing context needed downstream, including timing and telescope metadata; keep targets and comparisons traceable through the session.
• Live differential-photometry preview — measure the raw green plane, monitor a provisional target curve and comparison-star behaviour as frames arrive. This is a field quality check, not the final calibrated result.
• Review workspace — reopen a completed session, inspect target and comparison curves, FWHM and frame metadata, and open the exact FITS frame behind a measurement point.
• Observer and instrument setup — saved observing locations, telescope profiles for the Seestar family, catalogue paths and local catalogue management in Settings.
• Local-first diagnostics — no telemetry, analytics or automatic crash upload. Optional support bundles are created locally and are shared only by the observer.

Packages

macOS

Download the .dmg, drag ARGOS to Applications, then use right-click → Open on the first launch. The application is not yet signed with an Apple Developer certificate, so macOS may require this explicit first launch.

Debian / Ubuntu

The .deb is an x86_64 technical-preview package for Debian-family Linux systems. It is built and smoke-tested in CI, but still needs field validation before it can be recommended for production observing.

sudo apt install ./argos_0.4.1_amd64.deb

Before the first observation

1. Read the 0.4.1 field guide.
2. Install ASTAP and an appropriate star database for local plate solving.
3. Choose the correct telescope profile and observer location in Settings.
4. Treat ARGOS as the acquisition and live-review layer; perform calibration, registration and final photometry with Siril and star_var_script.

Documentation

• Differential-photometry method
• Field identification guide
• Exoplanet transit preparation
• Source code and issue tracker

Thank you to the observers testing ARGOS in the field and reporting what happens under a real sky.