CCD AutoPilot, written by John Smith and sold by CCDWare, is an "automation" software for astronomical imaging - it controls the other software, and allows complex sequences of actions to be programmed, so that a full night's worth of images can be made automatically, while the astronomer sleeps! CCDAP controls TheSky6 for telescope control, MaximDL (or CCDSoft) for camera control, FocusMax for automatic focusing, as well as control for the camera rotator and the observatory dome. It takes care of aiming the scope at the target object(s), plate solving and correcting the exact position of the object, automatically focusing on the object (or a focus star, selected to be the proper magnitude for FocusMax), rotating the camera so the guide star is on the guide chip, determining the guide star exposure, starting the AO, making a series of exposures, and - before or after the main imaging session - automatically making bias, dark, and flat calibration frames. In the morning, I wake up to an e-mail with the CCDAP log for the previous night, and folders full of images of the target objects, plus the calibration frames! No more sitting out in the cold all night. And, finally, I can get some sleep!

The image above shows the set-up window of CCDAP. Here, the hardware can be specified, the system initialized (finding the position angle, so that the rotator and AO guiding can be calibrated), and all of the other software connected to CCDAP. There is also a Preference file with many additional settings that usually don't change with the system.

The image above shows the Targets window of CCDAP. Here, we have loaded 3 targets by importing a session plan from CCD Navigator 2. Targets can also be loaded by entering them in the box (middle of the window), and pressing "Get". The object can then be centered in TheSky6. Then, one can go to TheSky6 and re-orient the image - centering and rotation to get a guide star on the guide chip. Then you go back to CCDAP and press "Get" again; this time, the actual FOV set in TheSky6 is shown. This is the actual target that will be imaged. Typically, CCDAP can center an object within about 1-2 arcseconds with 3 plate solves.

The image above shows the Focusing window of CCDAP. Here, you can set the focusing method, how to find the guide star, and how often to focus. The system can automatically refocus as the temperature changes, and set filter offsets (so that various thickness filters will all focus properly). The "SkyStar" method of finding the guide star works very well - finding the correct magnitude star at a higher elevation (so there is less atmosphere to image through), and using FocusMax for the actual focusing (see "FocusMax" page).

This is the Tracking and Guiding window of CCDAP, where you can tell the system whether to dither (i.e., move each exposure a little bit, so the exact pixels don't line up on every image; this reduces problems with dark or light pixels, as they will average, while the stars - which must be registered - will add. This window also controls the guide exposure, and meridian flip settings. A "meridian flip" is the process of moving the scope from East-facing to West-facing, which involves flipping the mount direction and rotating the camera 180 degrees. All equatorial mounts must do this when the object reaches the meridian (i.e., highest point in the sky; or in the northern hemisphere, the most southerly position of the object).

CCDAP can program exposures of light frames (i.e., images of the target), as well as dark frames and flat frames - on two additional windows. If using filters, each filter can be set for a different exposure time. Dark frames are used to subtract the pattern noise (from "dark current" in the CCD chip) from the image. They must be taken at the same temperature as the image frames, and for exactly the same exposure time. Flat frames are used to remove vignetting of the optical path (i.e., getting darker towards the corners), and also correcting for "dust donuts" - i.e., circles on the image created by dust particles on the optics near the camera. Flat frames are exposures of a very "flat" field - i.e., uniformly illuminated. I currently use "sky flats", which are images of a certain part of the sky just after sunset or before sunrise, where the light is very uniform. CCDAP automatically finds these areas of the sky and makes the flat exposures, changing the exposure time to stay in the 'linear' range of the CCD chip. The chip I am using has a "full-well capacity" of 65,000 counts, so the flats are generally exposed to produce about 20,000-30,000 counts on each CCD pixel.

The Options window in CCDAP allows for great flexibility in starting and stopping the system, including opening the dome, cooling down the camera, taking flats and darks, and - at the end of the session - parking the telescope, closing the dome, and warming up the camera. It disconnects the software from the telescope, dome and camera.