chimera-python Chimera - Observatory Automation System Chimera: Observatory Automation System ====================================== Chimera is a package to control astronomical observatories aiming the creation of remote and even autonomous observatories with just a few clicks. Using Chimera you can easily control telescopes, CCD cameras, focusers and domes in a very integrated way. **Distributed** Fully distributed system. You can use different machines to control each instrument and everything will looks like just one. **Powerful** Very powerful autonomous mode. Give a target and exposure parameters and Chimera does the rest. **Web interface** Web interface to schedule and monitor observations (`in development`). **Hardware support** Support for most common off-the-shelf components. See `supported devices`_. Very easy to add support for new instruments (it's Python code!). **Flexible** Chimera can be used in a very integrated mode but also in standalone mode to control just one instrument. **Free** It's free (as in *free beer*) and written in a very modern language. Python!. Getting start ------------- To try out Chimera, follow the installation instructions and make sure that you have at least one `supported devices`_. The easiest way to install Chimera is to use `easy_install <http://peak.telecommunity.com/DevCenter/EasyInstall>`_:: sudo easy_install chimera-python ... and that's it! All dependencies are automagically installed. You can also download the sources at `Chimera Development page <http://code.google.com/p/chimera>`_ and try to install it *by hands*. Help and Development -------------------- You can help Chimera development, we are always looking for contributors. If you don't write code, no problem! You can write documentation, help with this site, marketing. Everyone can help! See our `Development <http://code.google.com/p/chimera>`_ page for more information, to report a bug or just follow Chimera's development closely. .. _supported_devices: Supported Devices ----------------- **Telescopes** `Meade <http://www.meade.com>`_ based LX-200 (Meade, Losmandy). `Paramount ME <http://www.bisque.com>`_ using TheSky COM+ interfaces. **CCD Cameras** `SBIG <http://www.sbig.com>`_ USB cameras. **Focusers** `OPTEC <http://www.optecinc.com>`_ NGF-S **Domes** COTE/LNA Dome (`LNA <http://www.lna.br>`_ specific). In Development ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ **CCD Cameras** `Apogee <http://www.ccd.com>`_ USB/Ethernet cameras. .. note:: If you need support for any device which Chimera's doesn't support, call us and we can try to develop it or help you to do it. License ------- Chimera is Free/Open Software licensed by `GPL v2 <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>`_ or later (at your choice). Authors ------- Chimera is mainly developed by Paulo Henrique Silva <ph.silva@gmail.com> at `Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina <http://www.ufsc.br>`_ in collaboration with his advisor Antonio Kanaan. Chimera is sponsored by `Laboratorio Nacional de Astrofisica <http://www.lna.br>`_ through a `CNPq <http://www.cnpq.br>`_ grant. http://chimera.googlecode.com/svn/trunk#egg=chimera-dev P. Henrique Silva 6febbca0ed2f154fad784811bd6a2738741b13b1 0.1