Installation

Prerequisites

Before installing Astra, please ensure you have the following prerequisites:

• uv, conda, or some Python 3.11 environment

• ASCOM Alpaca-compatible devices or simulators

• Optional: Git (for installation from source)

Installation Steps

1. Clone the Astra repository

git clone https://github.com/ppp-one/astra.git
cd astra

Or, download the ZIP archive from the GitHub repository and extract it.

2. Set up a Python environment using uv or conda

Using uv (recommended)

We recommend using uv because it provides consistent, reproducible dependency management. See the uv documentation for installation instructions.

Using your terminal, navigate to the astra directory and run:

# Create a new uv environment, install Astra and its dependencies
uv sync

Or, using conda

Alternatively, you can use conda to create a virtual environment.

Like above, using your terminal, navigate to the astra directory and run:

# Create a new conda environment
conda create -n astra_env python=3.11

# Activate the environment
conda activate astra_env

# Install Astra in local mode
pip install -e .