Tonight’s Sky picks your targets.
Ara scores every object for your sky, your gear, and your dark window, then shows you exactly why. Plan over morning coffee, frame it on the atlas, and the run is ready to go when darkness falls.
In Development
Ara Pro
Ara, OpenAstro's cross-platform imaging app, is free and open source. Always. Build it from source for free, forever. Or go Pro, and build it with us. Every subscription writes the next chapter. Night after night. Release after release.
Beta coming soon·Sign up to be first in line·Pricing at launch
Get the highlights.
Ara is OpenAstro's imaging app. The same experience on Linux, macOS, and Windows.
Exposure plans, ready-made.
Pick narrowband SHO, broadband LRGB, or a single filter. Ara computes optimal sub-exposures from your optics and sky, and everything stays editable.
Sequences that roll with the sky.
Clouds rolling in? Pause or skip any object mid-run and never stop and start again. Add new targets on the fly. And when you resume, Ara plate solves to confirm you’re on target, with an optional refocus. Already on N.I.N.A.? Import your JSON sequences (3.2+).
Every device, first-class.
Mount, camera, focuser, filter wheel, dew heaters, power ports: all with full settings and live status. And Ara runs all your switch devices at once.
Your imaging life, in numbers.
Streaks, badges, total integration, guiding trends, frame quality, a nightly heatmap. Ara keeps score of every session and celebrates the milestones.
Every setting, one search away.
Hit ⌘K (Ctrl+K on Linux and Windows) anywhere and type "dither", "park", or "go to run". Ara finds any setting or action instantly.
The Deal
Free and open source. Always.
Build Ara from source for $0, forever. Nothing is held back.
Ready to run in minutes.
Pro ships native executables for Linux, macOS, and Windows. Download, install, image tonight.
Every update, the moment it ships.
Fresh builds land in your account with each release. No compilers. No rebuilding.
Going Pro funds first light.
Every subscription directly funds OpenAstro's continued development.
The App
What Ara can do
Free or Pro, the software is identical. Here's what you're getting.
Headless imaging server on a Raspberry Pi
One client for Linux, macOS & Windows
Full observatory control over ASCOM Alpaca
Smart Focus autofocus
Automatic plate solving during your imaging runs
Drag-and-drop sequencer, N.I.N.A. imports
Safe unattended nights & meridian flips
Built-in sky atlas & Tonight's Sky
Automatic panel & twilight flats
Image library, stats & auto-rating
Pro
What's different in Pro?
The same open-source Ara, with the friction removed.
Ready-to-run executables
Download, install, and image tonight. Native builds for Linux, macOS, and Windows. No compilers, no build tools, no dependency hunting.
Effortless updates
Grab each new release as a fresh executable the moment it ships, instead of rebuilding from source every time.
Priority support
A private Pro section on Discord where the developers answer first, so a stuck session gets unstuck fast.
You vote. We build.
Pitch features and gear support on the idea leaderboard, and vote up the ones you want. The top of the board is what we build next.
Going Pro supports the project.
Every subscription keeps drivers shipping, features coming, and a developer under the same stars you are. This is your project too.
Compare
Which Ara is right for you?
Same open-source software. Pro makes it effortless.
Free
$0
Build it yourself
In Development
Pro
Pricing at launch
Ready out of the box
ASCOM Alpaca device control
Cross-platform
Linux, macOS, and Windows
Advanced automation & scheduling
Community support on Discord
Ready-to-run executables
Download and go. No build tools needed.
Compile from source
All updates included
Every release as a fresh executable, no rebuilding
Rebuild from source
Use on all your devices
One subscription for Linux, macOS, and Windows
Priority support
Private Pro section on Discord
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Vote on what we build next
Idea leaderboard: top-voted features get implemented
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Feature list is preliminary and subject to change before launch. Want to shape it? Join us on Discord.
Done For You
Mail-in flash service
Don't want to flash your own device? Send it to us. We'll load it with Debian and AlpacaBridge, verify it boots and connects, and ship it back ready for first light.
Coming at launch
Mail-in flashing for the iOptron iMate, ZWO ASIAIR, ToupTek StellaVita, and more. Pricing and details announced when Ara Pro goes live.
Fully reversible
SD-card devices come back with their original card untouched, and eMMC devices like the iMate can be restored with the factory image any time.
This service opens with the Ara Pro launch, in the contiguous United States (CONUS) only. Sign up above and the launch email will have the details.
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Will the free version stay free?
Yes. OpenAstro is free and open source, always. Going Pro is how you support the project's future.
Is Pro hiding features from Free?
No. The software is identical. Pro is convenience: ready-to-run executables for your OS, priority support in a private Pro section on Discord, and a vote on the idea leaderboard that decides what we build next.
When can I buy it?
When it's ready. Ara is in active development, and we won't sell it before it earns your money. Pricing will be announced at launch, with all updates included, on all your devices. Sign up above and we'll send one email when it goes live.
What does my purchase support?
The project itself: hardware for testing, servers, and infrastructure. Everything it takes to keep OpenAstro moving forward.
Be there for first light.
Sign up and we'll send one email the moment the Ara Pro Beta goes live. No newsletters, no spam. Just launch day.