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ScopeDriver ©2001–2008 Stephen E. Hutson, All Rights Reserved |
Welcome to ScopeDriver
Version 3.1.2 Has Been Released — Download Here — Read Highlights
People have been asking us how to set up a new astronomer with ScopeDriver and a go-to telescope. So we created this web page that may be of some assistance.
Celestron testing is underway.
What is ScopeDriver?
ScopeDriver lets you connect your computer to your astronomical telescope.
A computer-telescope connection adds many features to your telescope, harnessing the greater power of your computer to control your instrument. You can control your telescope from the comfort of indoors, or even across the Internet. You can also plan your observing in advance, on your computer, then instruct your telescope to take you on a tour of these objects, and log your observations from within the ScopeDriver package.
ScopeDriver can also control a camera via a serial shutter control, completely automating observing patrols and sky surveys.
If you’re new to astronomy (and even if you’re not), you can use Observing Lists created by talented people that take you on tours of interesting stars and deep sky objects. Move from one fascinating object to another, and read about them on your computer screen as you observe.
Why ScopeDriver?
We realize that people want a fast, reliable program that gets out of their way at the telescope. In fact, other developers who have seen ScopeDriver’s source code are amazed at how complex ScopeDriver is “under the hood.” Its interface is just so simple that people are surprised at how much it actually does.
We’re hard at work on ScopeDriver — and we add new features, too — but we spend a lot of time making the program faster, more intuitive, and easier to use under the stars.
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Observing List, Standard Window View also viewable Full Screen, red on black, tap any key to slew |
Why put star charts in a telescope interface program?
In a program that controls your telescope, and is designed to be used at the telescope, why put star charts in the program? Looking through the eyepiece produces the most realistic sky view obtainable at any cost! And there are so many wonderful sky simulation application programs available, why waste precious development time reinventing the wheel?
Programs that try to simulate the sky and strive to be useful at the telescope generally fail at both objectives.
Why be graphics-intensive?
It’s cool to be able to download Hubble images, and there’s a place for this — indoors. At the telescope, who needs deep-space imagery or a chart on a monitor when you’re exploring the night sky with your own modern telescope? Why require frequent or constant attention to the computer screen when your focus needs to be on the guider or your imaging equipment?
Why require the latest hardware?
Most of us don’t want to expose a top-of-the-line laptop computer to the night air. If a program’s preferences window takes a few seconds to open on a 5 GHz machine, what’s the performance going to be like on an aging laptop computer? ScopeDriver makes modest demands on your system by design; we don’t want you waiting (or worse, rebooting) in the middle of an observing session.
It Slices! It Dices! It…
Products that purport to do everything usually do so at a price: either they don’t do everything well, they’re difficult to learn and use, they become too complex to adequately maintain, they’re unreliable, or a combination of all these. ScopeDriver is a solid, nimble performer that does its job, and does it well: it lets you quickly assemble observing lists, then gets out of your way as it guides you from object to object.
Read on if you want to…
…but if you have a Meade, Gemini, or compatible telescope, we encourage you to download and try out ScopeDriver for yourself. Don’t let its simple interface fool you; there’s a lot of power in there, and it’s being used by amateur and professional astronomers worldwide.
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Update Elements Window — always ensure you have the latest comet and asteroid data |
Designed With Elegant Simplicity
ScopeDriver has become a popular planning, logging, and control interface for your astronomical telescope. It places modest demands on your system, runs quickly, and does not clutter your screen with unnecessary user interface features. It has been designed and refined by active, serious observers.
It allows you to connect your computer to one of the following astronomical telescopes:
And since so many instruments are compatible with some subset of the LX200 command set, there’s a good chance ScopeDriver will work with your instrument or mount. (At this time, ScopeDriver does not support Celestron instruments, but we are adding support right now.)
Here’s What Sets ScopeDriver Apart:
ScopeDriver is designed to be used under the stars (although you can also operate it remotely from inside, if you like). It is designed to be used with a minimum of screen usage. Compare this to the competition, whose features require frequent or constant reference to your computer screen. For example, you can move from object to object in an Observing List simply by tapping the spacebar or any other key.
And, while so many programs these days plod along, ScopeDriver operates quickly and smoothly.
We’ve avoided the temptation of creating yet another sky charting program to interface with your telescope, as there are many excellent interactive sky charts already available. Instead, ScopeDriver’s interface is designed to enhance your observing, so that you can spend more time observing actual sky objects — not staring at your computer’s screen. ScopeDriver is the result of extensive user research, and it’s being used by individuals and institutions worldwide.
And when you do need to refer to your screen, ScopeDriver’s visual, intuitive interface empowers you to do more, and to do it faster. You may immediately notice that ScopeDriver’s interface has been carefully and thoughtfully designed.
Click here to discover why so many individuals and universities have standardized on ScopeDriver!
At last, a software package that lets you keep your eyes trained on the sky! Our goal is to keep the focus on the actual night sky, and to do what we can in software to make your observing more productive and enjoyable.
No “Feature Bloat,” Just the Features You Need
It’s tempting to add feature after feature, especially because the “more is better” philosophy sometimes sells copies of software. But this “feature bloat” can complicate an interface, slow down a program, and lead to instability from program errors. We add features, too, but we also spend time refining our existing code to make it faster and easier to use. The result? ScopeDriver gets faster with age, and becomes more intuitive and streamlined in spite of its new capabilities.
Our pledge to you: ScopeDriver will always follow the model of elegant simplicity. We’ll continue to improve the program, but we’ll never add features just for the sake of padding our feature listing.
Connect to Another Copy of ScopeDriver Over a Network or the Internet
You may use two copies of ScopeDriver to connect to a telescope over a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), or the Internet.
Sometimes it makes sense to operate our telescopes and imaging equipment from the comfort of indoors. It’s also possible to control a telescope which is situated at a remote location.
In the most common setups (local area networks), ScopeDriver can automatically configure and connect both copies without any user interaction. Operating ScopeDriver over a WAN connection or the Internet currently requires that the remote computer be accessible via a public IP address. And ScopeDriver implements two-way encrypted password protection to prevent unauthorized connection attempts.
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ScopeDriver’s Area Search |
Area Search Without the “Pause and Beep”
Sometimes, due to telescope pointing inaccuracies, object motion, or incorrect coordinates, a slew to a sky object will result in the telescope pointing close to — but not exactly at — the desired sky object. Traditionally, the observer must manually slew around the sky region in search of the desired target. One could end up being quite far from the original telescope position and the intended target.
ScopeDriver’s Area Search lets you search the immediate area surrounding the telescope’s current position, greatly speeding acquisition of the intended target object.
ScopeDriver’s Area Search establishes the eyepiece field of view and telescope orientation in one quick step, eliminating the need to specify the eyepiece field diameter. Also, our fluid search method eliminates “pause and beep” interruptions while performing a search, which is a frustrating part of other search schemes.
As with all ScopeDriver features, a lot of thought went into the Area Search to make it not just functional, but smooth and user-friendly.
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Find Object Window |
Find Tens of Thousands of Sky Objects, Including Comets and Asteroids
ScopeDriver’s convenient and powerful Find Object Window finds tens of thousands of sky objects by Common Name, Bayer/Flamsteed designation, Constellation, and much more. Looking for Omicron Cygni? Just type “omi cy” into the Find Object Window, and slew to the star. Want to view the Sombrero Galaxy? Type in “som” and go-to the object. This feature alone will greatly enhance your observing sessions.
Are you looking for an object that’s in your telescope’s built-in catalog? ScopeDriver features direct catalog access, and it’s smart enough to create an entry in the Find Object Window based on your instrument’s catalog capabilities. And if you update a database, ScopeDriver instantly updates the objects program-wide, even if the Find Object Window is already open.
Of course, ScopeDriver provides an easy method by which you may rapidly download updated comet and asteroid data from the Internet, making the data instantly available throughout the program. And the Find Object Window also provides a convenient summary of an object’s rise, transit, and set time.
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Observing List (background) and Automated Observing Run Setup Window |
Sophisticated Observing Lists
Our Observing List support enables you to define an unlimited number of observing lists, and access recently-viewed lists with a single click. Open multiple observing lists, define list objects from within ScopeDriver, import list objects from text files, and drag objects between lists.
Reading about an interesting object online? Just double-click an observing list and add the object using ScopeDriver’s advanced interface, and you’re all set for your next observing session. And ScopeDriver’s lists are Unicode-aware, so you can share your lists with observers worldwide.
And if you download an observing list which contains objects that aren’t in ScopeDriver’s database, you can easily add them. You won’t use this feature often, though, because ScopeDriver’s database contains so many sky objects.
ScopeDriver can open Meade Tour files, text files, AstroPlanner plan documents, and more with ease. Many dedicated people have worked hard to produce great observing adjuncts, and now you can enjoy them with ScopeDriver’s fast and elegant interface.
Object rise, transit, and set times are updated instantly, and you may select which columns you’d like included in your Observing List, and reorder them at will.
Automated Observing Runs with Serial Camera Shutter Control
ScopeDriver supports Automated Observing Runs, so that you may effortlessly perform observing patrols and sky surveys, work with automated image capture equipment, and more.
Serial camera shutter support lets you specify camera exposures and exposure sequences on an object-by-object basis, truly automating your workflow. Simply create an Observing List containing the objects you wish to document, set the desired exposures, and you’re done.
Start the Observing Run by clicking a button, or set it to start at a desired time. If an error occurs — perhaps the object is below the horizon — ScopeDriver simply moves on to the next object and continues the Observing Run.
A Powerful Log
Our integrated, searchable Observing Log features customizable text file import and export options. Want to review an object you logged last year? Just double-click the log entry and go-to the object. ScopeDriver will even precess the coordinates to the current epoch. ScopeDriver’s Observing Log can automatically create new entries, complete with your current site, universal time, telescope and eyepiece.
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Site Selection |
Unlimited Observing Locations
Your telescope probably can store several observing locations. ScopeDriver gives you the ability to store and select an unlimited number of Observing Sites with associated longitude, latitude, and name. Even if you observe from dozens of sites, ScopeDriver has you covered, and you can switch observing sites in seconds.
Full Printing Support
Sometimes you need to commit observations to paper. ScopeDriver anticipates that, providing extensive control over Observing List and Observing Log printing options, including print preview.
A Highly Usable User Guide
Our user guide (you can download it here) has earned high praise for its readability, content, and appearance. The PDF file includes a fully linked table of contents, clickable URL’s, clickable cross-references, an index, and extensive graphics. We want you to get the most out of your investment.
Just as with ScopeDriver, a lot of thought has gone into our User Guide. It’s set up in landscape orientation (11 inches wide and 8.5 inches tall), so the whole page fits on your monitor better. Want to print your User Guide? We’ve set it up so that page numbers appear at the outside edges of your two-sided printout, and we’ve included a generous margin for the side that gets stapled.
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Global Control Palette |
ScopeDriver is Available in all of Your Applications
Over the years, we’ve received many requests to add support for imagers, guiders, and other accessories. While it’s exciting and fun to add such features, it’s also unrealistic to expect that any one program can fully support the wide range of electronic equipment available today. Plus, adding such support to ScopeDriver is counter to our mission of providing a fast, uncomplicated, and intuitive application program.
So we opted for a better solution. We’ve made ScopeDriver available in all of your programs via its Global Control Palette, which “floats” unobtrusively in front of all other windows. In one simple step, ScopeDriver is instantly available in all of your other programs. And the palette is extensively configurable, so you can display only the controls you need, in your preferred arrangement.
The Global Control Palette offers slew speed selection; slew motion control; focus control; equatorial/altazimuth displays and setting; a sidereal time readout; a local time display; a UTC readout; and the ability to review or slew to any object in any ScopeDriver Observing List. In addition to all of this, the Global Control Palette’s contextual menu allows easy access to ScopeDriver’s most often used features and windows.
Orbiting Body Entry
ScopeDriver provides a handy interface for adding orbiting bodies (such as comets and asteroids) as well as fixed sky objects, and saves these objects in a database for quick access. Enter the elements for a newly-discovered comet, and the object is immediately available throughout ScopeDriver. The program even calculates and displays the Earth-object distance. Even if your telescope already supports orbiting bodies, you’ll benefit from entering the data once, making it available to any instrument to which you connect ScopeDriver.
Of course, you can also use ScopeDriver’s built-in feature to automatically check for updated comet and asteroid positions, or just drop a Meade-format orbital elements file into ScopeDriver’s Downloaded Elements folder. Either way, you’ll always have updated data for these fascinating objects.
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Night Vision Mode |
Other Thoughtful Features
Synchronize your telescope’s clock with your computer’s clock (both date and time) for more accuracy.
Interpolated Tracking increases your telescope’s tracking frequency precision to 0.001 Hz.
ScopeDriver also incorporates protective mechanisms to help avoid slews that could damage your instrument, mechanisms to delay motor reversals, and more.
A customizable “Night Vision Mode” display preserves your dark adaptation. Choose from a conventional red display or an innovative green display. ScopeDriver’s night mode uses the same technology as the extremely popular DarkAdapted utility.
Enjoy simultaneous, non-modal readouts of current object, time, telescope position, alignment mode, reticle state, and much more.
No monitor? No problem! We have reports from users that utilize ScopeDriver without a monitor nearby, since nearly all features have intuitive, handy keyboard equivalents. ScopeDriver features keypad and mouse control of focus and slew motors, with compensation for mirror reversed and/or inverted eyepiece display.
ScopeDriver also includes a full complement of other timesavers and productivity enhancers.
Have an LX200 “Classic”?
The LX200 “Classic” (pre-GPS models) contained a phenomenally open command set. ScopeDriver takes advantage of this, offering special LX200 Classic-specific features such as:
The Gemini Connection
Additional features when connected to a Losmandy Gemini Level 3 and 4 include the following:
We Trust You!
We don’t make you register to try ScopeDriver, and we don’t withhold any features until you pay for them. The entire program is fully functional for thirty days, and ScopeDriver includes a built-in mechanism for extending the demonstration time.
System Requirements
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Macintosh (Universal Binary): |
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Pricing
ScopeDriver costs nothing to try! The program will run for 30 days in “demo mode,” which is fully functional, at no charge. If you feel that 30 days isn’t enough time to fully check out ScopeDriver, the program includes a built-in mechanism for requesting additional demonstration time. If you decide to purchase ScopeDriver, the cost is $30.00 US. You may securely purchase ScopeDriver here.
Other Pages of Interest
Check out ScopeDriver screen shots, e-mail us at 
, go to the downloads page, purchase ScopeDriver, or check out more of our software.
