python module to help interfacing with SoftwareBisque's TheSkyX

This module utilises the TCP server built into TheSkyX which can be sent java scripts.

This is a work in progress. Assume all functions/classes/interfaces as very unstable and liable to change on a whim for now!

Done (for now see whats implemented in the code):

• TCP connection and sending of arbitrary commands.
• Find command
• TheSkyXAction & basic sky6ObjectInformation

Untested:

• closed loop slew
• connect/disconnect scope
• connect/disconnect camera

TODO:

• All telescope slewing
• All camera etc. settings
• All image capture

>>> import skyx
>>> sx = skyx.SkyXConnection("192.168.192.44")
>>> sx.find("Saturn")
True
>>> sx.find("Vulcan")
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
  File "skyx.py", line 74, in find
    raise SkyxObjectNotFoundError(target)
skyx.SkyxObjectNotFoundError: 'Vulcan'
>>> objinfo = sx.sky6ObjectInformation()
>>> objinfo.sky6ObjectInformation("Saturn")
{'sk6ObjInfoProp_DEC_2000': '-17.777434376248852', 
 'sk6ObjInfoProp_AZM': '192.3302592258289', 
 'sk6ObjInfoProp_RA_RATE_ASPERSEC': '-0.0009208590737941336', 
 'sk6ObjInfoProp_ALT': '18.11230835059689', 
 'sk6ObjInfoProp_DEC_RATE_ASPERSEC': '0.000022557601141670602', 
 'sk6ObjInfoProp_RA_2000': '15.760512194513813'}
>>> 

find() can also take decimal RA & Dec (J2000) as arguments, so only the target location needs to be known, it does not need to be in the skyx database. Though ObjectInformation will be sparse for such targets.

e.g. sx.find("7,3")

obj = skyx.sky6ObjectInformation()
scope = skyx.sky6RASCOMTele()

con.find("HIP 100044")
target_pos = obj.currentTargetRaDec(j="now")
con.closedloopslew()
scope.sync(target_pos)

The tests are written for py.test. An optional --host argument can be supplied to py.test to specify where TheSkyX is running. e.g.
py.test -v --host=192.168.192.44

http://www.bisque.com/scripttheskyx/ Official Scripting documentation for TheSkyX