A fast, robust, open source startracker based on a new class of baysian startracker algorithms
Features:
- Fast lost in space identification
- Image to image matching
- Collect and store size, shape and color information of unknown objects
- Tracks unknown objects between images
- Programable python frontend / reusable C++ backend (BEAST-2) with no external dependencies
- Uses astrometry.net for calibration (check if your camera is good enough by uploading your star images to nova.astrometry.net)
sudo apt-get install python-scipy libopencv-dev python-opencv swig python-systemd
Additional packages needed for calibration and unit testing:
sudo apt-get install git astrometry.net python-astropy
cd /usr/share/astrometry
Download fits files corresponding to your camera fov size (see astrometry.net for details
sudo wget http://data.astrometry.net/4100/index-4112.fits
sudo wget http://data.astrometry.net/4100/index-4113.fits
sudo wget http://data.astrometry.net/4100/index-4114.fits
sudo wget http://data.astrometry.net/4100/index-4115.fits
sudo wget http://data.astrometry.net/4100/index-4116.fits
sudo wget http://data.astrometry.net/4100/index-4117.fits
sudo wget http://data.astrometry.net/4100/index-4118.fits
sudo wget http://data.astrometry.net/4100/index-4119.fits
git clone https://github.com/UBNanosatLab/openstartracker.git
cd openstartracker/tests
./unit_test.sh -crei science_cam_may8_0.05sec_gain40
cd openstartracker/
mkdir yourcamera
mkdir yourcamera/samples
mkdir yourcamera/calibration_data
add 3-10 star images of different parts of the sky taken with your camera to yourcamera/samples
edit APERTURE and EXPOSURE_TIME in calibrate.py (you want to take images with the lowest exposure time that consistently solves)
run ./unit_test.sh -crei yourcamera to recalibrate and test
The ESA test should have a score of >70. If its worse than this, play around with exposure time (50ms is a good starting point)