Chromebook workflow for a complete lunar imaging session using AstroDMx Capture for Chrome OS Linux.
- The Chromebook used has Linux enabled.
- The Gimp 2.10 was installed from the repository.
- Wine (Windows compatibility layer was installed from the repository as well as the 32-bit libraries.
- AstroDMx Capture for Chrome OS Linux was downloaded and installed from the .deb install file.
- AutoStakkert!2 was downloaded and moved to the Linux files directory.
- Registax 5.1 was downloaded and installed with Wine.
These are all of the tools needed for the lunar imaging session reported here.
However, a number of other programs have also been installed that are used for various astronomical imaging processes, but were not used for this session; they are:
Other Linux Programs
- Siril
- Hugin Panorama Creator
- SER Player
Other Windows programs to run in Wine
- Iris
The Workflow
A Skymax 127 Maksutov was mounted on a Celestron AVX mount and an SVBONY SV305M Pro monochrome CMOS camera was placed at the focus.
The camera was connected to a USB 3.0 port and the camera connected to Linux when prompted.
AstroDMx Capture for Chrome OS Linux was launched and the camera connected.
Click on an image to get a closer view
Screenshot of AstroDMx Capture for Chrome OS Linux capturing a 2000 frame SER file.
Screenshot showing the SER file having been stacked (best 50%) in AutoStakkert!
Screenshot of the stacked image being wavelet processed in Registax 5.1
Screenshot of the wavelet-processed image being post-processed in the Gimp.
Final image of the Caucasus mountains region of the Moon
This experiment demonstrates that everything that was required for a complete imaging session from image capture right through all of the stages to the final image, could all be done on a Chromebook using the Crostini Virtual Linux machine and the Wine, Windows compatibility layer.
As most Chromebooks have so little storage, it is necessary to limit the amount of data captured in any one session so that the disk space for Linux is adequate.
There are obvious performance penalties for using a virtual Linux System (Crostini) within the Linux distribution Chrome OS, and to running Windows programs in the Wine, Windows compatibility layer, within the Crostini virtual machine container. Nevertheless, it was all possible, and we were able to get good results.
It must also be remembered that at the moment, the only cameras that we have been able to get to work with a Chromebook are the SVBONY SV305, SV305 Pro and SV305M Pro.
We do not know whether, as Google improves the USB support for Crostini, more cameras may be able to be used, or whether the USB support for the SVBONY SV305 series cameras will be broken. It remains to be seen. The only certain thing at the moment is that UVC cameras are not supported, and we at least have three cameras that work perfectly within the system.
There is another way of imaging with a Chromebook and we shall look at this in a future article.
