Ad Astra Observatory

So after much gnashing of teeth and tearing of hair, I figured out that it’s going to be next to impossible for me to get the rig up and running fully in Windows 7. In particular, the Canon 350D DSLR is getting old enough that it’s getting tough to find drivers. So, I have to stick with Windows XP for the moment, and at some point, I’m due for a new camera.

I am currently thrashing about between Win7, WinXP, and OSX, and trying to figure out if I can get the rig running in any of these.

What I’ve decided is that basic observatory control is possible in almost any OS:
– mount GOTO
– DSLR/planetary camera control and taking image series
– Autoguiding

But the more advanced stuff is harder to come by:
– Plate solving
– Motor focuser control
– Polar alignment tools

TheSkyX may be the answer to my problem, as it seems to have most of this stuff. The problem is that it seems like it’s going to cost nearly $1000 to get it all running.

Also, ASCOM is only available in Windows; OSX and Linux get INDI, which is not as well supported.

The quest continues, but I’m about to be at a pretty good blocking point if I can’t get the camera up and running.