[BAA Comets] Submittings FITS images of 67P to the ESA/PSA archive

[Nick James]

Hi Erik,

I have a relatively efficient processing pipeline but it is based on 
Linux tools that I have written based around the CFITSIO library. My two 
cameras are controlled using CCDsoft on a Windows machine which sits by 
the telescope. The FITS files are saved to a Linux based network storage 
server. As each file arrives it is calibrated using an appropriate 
master dark and flat and the calibrated files are then solved using the 
solve-field utility from astrometry.net.

I can then stack the images using another Linux utility but I currently 
still use Astrometrica for initial measurements and then my comet VEM 
estimation tool for magnitudes.

Everything except CCDsoft and Astrometrica runs under Linux but I'm 
looking at setting up a packaged virtual machine using the free VMWare 
Workstation player that would allow Windows users access to these tools.

Nick.

> I had with Emanuel Jehin a while ago a privat conversation regarding this issue and he told me that they use a 'pipeline'. All they have to do is place the images in a particular folder and the computers do the rest. This is for astronomy IT specialists to put this into practice.
> My question is whether there is some kind of interaction may exist which could get the amateur astronomers to certain software to automate this total processing? Or is there someone in the amateur world that can program this or make available for the benefit of amateur astronomers? I have this question once placed on the comets-ml but really got no answer. I do not know if Padma here can have some influence?