TychoCam™
ASCOM-Alpaca Compliant Observing Conditions API
This Internet-accessible API complies with the ASCOM Alpaca ObservingConditions specification and provides the observing conditions at the site. Values are refreshed every 30 seconds.
Desktop observatory-control programs can use these methods to act or react as conditions change.
All 13 ASCOM-defined conditions are provided, in their ASCOM units. A value that is not currently available (for example Sky Quality in daylight, or StarFWHM when the site supplies none) is reported as not available rather than as zero.
| Property | Units | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| CloudCover | % | Combined camera and infrared measurement; see The Technology. Reports 100% after 5 minutes with no measurement |
| DewPoint | °C | Calculated from Temperature and Humidity |
| Humidity | % | Relative humidity |
| Pressure | hPa | Station pressure at the camera's altitude, not adjusted to sea level |
| RainRate | mm/hr | Converted from the rain sensor's intensity category |
| SkyBrightness | lux | Illuminance from the sky background (π × measured sky luminance); astronomical night only |
| SkyQuality | mag/arcsec² | Astronomical night only |
| SkyTemperature | °C | Infrared sky temperature |
| StarFWHM | arcsec | Seeing, supplied by the site from an external instrument such as a DIMM. Not measured by TychoCam |
| Temperature | °C | Ambient temperature |
| WindDirection | degrees | Direction the wind blows from; 0 = North, 90 = East |
| WindGust | m/s | Latest reading minus the 2-minute average |
| WindSpeed | m/s |
TychoCam's Image Quality (star FWHM in pixels) is not an ASCOM property. It is shown on the dashboard and can be used as an IsSafe condition.
The site's safe/unsafe status is provided separately through the Safety Monitor API.
