Getting Started

Looking for the Raspberry Pi image? See the Raspberry Pi page — flash an SD card and power on, no manual install needed.

Quick start

Two commands get you to a running dashboard:

uv tool install citrasense
citrasense

Then open your browser to:

http://localhost:24872

When the dashboard opens you’ll see the Monitoring tab:

From here, connect to the Citra Space API and pick a hardware adapter — then you’re imaging.

Requirements

• Python 3.10 through 3.14
• uv (recommended) — handles Python versions, virtual environments, and dependencies in a single tool. brew install uv on macOS, curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh elsewhere.

Hardware extras

Some devices need additional Python libraries (ZWO SDK, Moravian GxCCD, Ximea, etc.). Install every extra in one go, or only what you need:

uv tool install citrasense --with citrasense[all-hardware]

See Direct Hardware for the per-device extras and the full list of supported cameras, mounts, filter wheels, and focusers.

Alternatives

Install with pip

If you’d rather manage your own Python environment:

pip install citrasense

Use a different port

citrasense --web-port 8080

Useful when port 24872 is already taken, or when you’re running multiple instances on one machine for testing.

Next steps

• Hardware Adapters — pick how CitraSense talks to your telescope. Direct Hardware is recommended on Linux/macOS/Pi; N.I.N.A. is the Windows path.
• Configuration — API credentials, observation settings, processors, and autofocus.
• Operating CitraSense — a full walkthrough of a night’s session, from alignment to batch imaging to robotic mode.