Welcome to the CCDSoft Version 5 Information Site!

Make the most of your observing time with CCDSoft CCD Astronomy Software. CCDSoft integrates CCD camera, filter wheel, and focuser control with data reduction and astronomical image processing into a single application.

With its powerful functionality, ease of use and support for many popular astronomical cameras and devices, CCDSoft is in a class by itself. No observatory is complete without it. Order your copy today!

If you wish to purchase CCDSoft version 5, visit the Software Bisque Store. If you own an earlier version of CCDSoft, or an SBIG CCD Camera, you're eligible to purchase CCDSoft for $99. See the Upgrade Scenarios page for details about the upgrade offer.

What is CCDSoft?

CCDSoft is a Microsoft Windows-based CCD camera control, data reduction, image processing and astronomical research application for amateur and professional astronomers. Additionally, CCDSoft integrates with TheSky6 Professional Edition for the ultimate in hands-on or automated telescope, CCD camera, and observatory device control (such as the SBIG AO-7, motorized focusers, filter wheels, and video cameras).

Why Use CCDSoft?

CCDSoft will become the data acquisition tool for your observatory. See below for just a few reasons...

Integrated Software for Observatory Control

CCDSoft is part of an integrated software suite that can observatory control your observatory hardware. You can enjoy the benefits of integration by your increased productivity in image acquisition and data reduction. Check out our discoveries page.

Dependability

Software Bisque has been providing astronomy software for over 20 years, longer than any other company. Our users continuously provide suggestions and ideas for improvement. We strive to continue our tradition of innovation in the astronomical community.

Quality

Our products have gained world-wide acceptance for many reasons. We work hard to provide a friendly, intuitive user interface to all our products. Rigorous testing methods are used to ensure CCDSoft and other products from Software Bisque are bullet-proof.

Nothing is more demanding than running an all night, unattended script, and CCDSoft has been performing under these conditions for years. In fact, CCDSoft is a core component of a completely automated and unattended satellite image-acquisition observatory at Edward's Air Force base.

Scripting/Automation Model

Using Visual Basic, VisualScript or JavaScript, you can write custom scripts to control your CCD camera, filter wheel, telescope — even your dome. All our software has been fundamentally designed with integration in mind and takes advantage of the latest software technologies to accomplish this.

Comprehensive Manual and Context-Sensitive Help Files

In addition to CCDSoft's extensive 370 page PDF User’s Manual, context-sensitive help is available at all times. So whether in the field or at your desk, quick answers to your questions are always available.

Note: The printed CCDSoft manual is no longer available.

Technical Support

Software Bisque's support team consists of many experienced CCD astronomers who regularly spend their free time at the telescope. Combined, we have over 50 years of experience CCD imaging on staff. You can be sure to find an answer to your question no matter how simple or difficult. Additionally, free updates are available 24-hours a day via our Downloads page.

CCDSoft: A Friendly, Dependable Tool

If you are an experienced observer, you know the necessity of highly dependable hardware. This applies to your software as well. Nature provides enough obstacles to overcome and you don't want your software to become another one.

CCDSoft was written and tested by experienced observers. Hundreds of hours of testing under actual observing conditions provided the insight for developing the CCDSoft user interface to ensure that you spend your time gathering data instead of fumbling in the dark.

By combining power with ease of use, CCDSoft is charting a new course for astronomical image processing software. At Riverside Telescope Makers Conference one year, we left our computer momentarily unattended and came back to find two 10-year-olds taking CCD images! You are in control of your CCD camera, and not the other way 'round.

Not only is CCDSoft the best value in CCD camera control software, it is part of a complete observatory control package. When you choose a program for controlling your CCD camera, only CCDSoft makes sense. Here are a few reasons.

Scripting + Software Integration = Productivity

CCDSoft has a powerful object model for scripting. See the Scripted Operation topic in CCDSoft's Help file for details.

When you use an integrated package for acquiring your CCD images, your productivity will increase dramatically. The benefits of software apply to any telescope system! Whether you are manually pointing your telescope using encoders, or have a fully robotic system, CCDSoft will automatically stamp your FITS images with the important information required for scientific processing of the image.

This provides benefits that are almost unfair when compared to competing software. For example, a recent survey indicates that most people doing accurate astrometry spend on average 20 minutes to determine the coordinates of unknown objects on an image. With CCDSoft/TheSky, a single mouse click computes an astrometric plate solution in seconds.

This level of integration simply cannot be attained by collecting myriad software for observatory control from different vendors.

Here are two specific examples of how this increase in productivity has proven indispensable:

Case History #1

Amateur Tim Puckett and his supernova search team has discovered 58 supernovas to date. Many team members use the powerful combination of CCDSoft, TheSky and Orchestrate. Why has this team been so successful making discoveries — comparable to the professional supernova patrols? Productivity. Using CCDSoft to control his CCD camera, Tim optimizes precious observing time through automated, scripted equipment control. CCDSoft automatically saves files for you. No typing in file names, observation times, image coordinates, and the like during data acquisition.

Case History #2

When the United States Air Force needed a system to acquire images of hundreds of satellites nightly for Space Command Center (NORAD), Software Bisque provided the means to do so. Human intervention would make this task impossible. The solution? CCDSoft, used in concert with TheSky, gracefully (and inexpensively) accomplished the task. This software duo is so well integrated that the telescope slews to the next target satellite while the CCD camera is downloading the previous image to maximize efficiency!