With the growing popularity of astrophotography and the increasing capabilities of Raspberry Pi devices, enthusiasts now have the opportunity to combine the two for capturing stunning images of celestial objects. FireCapture, a powerful software tool designed for planetary and lunar imaging, can be installed on a Raspberry Pi 5, offering an affordable and portable solution for amateur astronomers. In this guide, we’ll walk through the steps to install FireCapture on your Raspberry Pi 5, unlocking its potential for capturing breath taking images of the night sky.

This article describes a procedure to install software on a Raspberry Pi 5 with 8G RAM running Raspberry Pi OS (64-bit) (Debian v.12 bookworm) booted directly from a 1TB NVMe SSD PCIe drive. This procedure may work for other configurations, so please do let us know if it does, or tell us about any issues you faced and your configuration. Thanks!

Prerequisites

• Raspberry Pi 5 board with Raspberry Pi OS (or any other compatible operating system) installed and configured.
• For the best possible performance, check out how to Turbocharge Your Raspberry Pi 5: Booting from NVMe SSD.
• Stable internet connection for downloading software packages.
• Basic familiarity with the Raspberry Pi environment, including how to open a terminal and run commands.
• A compatible CCD camera – the base installation for the Raspberry Pi 5 supports cameras from ZWO, QHY, Altair, Touptek/Omegon, Svbony, and PlayerOne. Alternatively, a dummy camera is available to support initial setup and configuration.

Step 1: Download FireCapture

Navigate to the download section of the FireCapture website and download the latest AARCH64 version of the software as a Debian package. We will use version v2.7.14 for this guide (firecapture_2.7.14_aarch64.deb).

Step 2: Install FireCapture

Once the download is complete, navigate to the directory where the package is downloaded and install it using the following command:

sudo dpkg -i firecapture_2.7.14_aarch64.deb

Step 3: Run FireCapture

Once the package is installed, FireCapture is launched from the desktop menu or for the command line:

cd /opt/FireCapture_v2.7/
./start.sh 

Step 4: Configuration

Upon launching FireCapture, you may need to configure it according to your specific camera and telescope setup. Refer to the FireCapture documentation for detailed instructions on configuration options.

Step 5: Enjoy Capturing Images

With FireCapture successfully installed on your Raspberry Pi 5, you’re now ready to start capturing stunning images of planets, moons, and other celestial objects. Experiment with different settings, adjust exposure times, and explore the capabilities of your setup to capture the best possible images:

Step 6: Sequence Image Playback with SER-Player

FireCapture generates video files in both Audio Video Interleave (AVI) and Sequence Image (SER) formats, the latter most commonly used when capturing for later stacking. Playback of SER format files is possible with SER-Player. Follow our guide Solar Image Sequencing: Installing SER-Player on a Raspberry Pi 5 to get SER-Player installed and running:

Conclusion:

Installing FireCapture on a Raspberry Pi 5 opens up exciting possibilities for amateur astronomers and astrophotography enthusiasts. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can harness the power of this software on your Raspberry Pi, turning it into a versatile tool for capturing the wonders of the night sky. Whether you’re a seasoned astronomer or just starting out, FireCapture on Raspberry Pi offers an accessible and affordable solution for exploring the cosmos from your own backyard. Happy imaging!