Pointing a camera at the sky is one thing. Doing it while you're sleeping is another.
I absolutely love a nice clear summer night with my telescope, camera, a cup of cocoa, and the frogs in the pond to keep me company. It's really fun to find a target in the sky, aim the telescope at it, take some images, and see what comes out (assuming the camera is connected to the laptop). But it's a totally different when it's the middle of January and my eyelashes are frozen because my eyes are watering in the wind. That's no fun. That's where automation comes in.
Automation simply having computers do all the things that you would normally do so you can do whatever other things you want to do inside where it's warm, while your gear it outside taking pictures. The end result is the same - pictures of objects in the Cosmos, but you get to stay warm (and you can still have that up of cocoa). Most time travelers these days likely use one of three things to automate their time machines:
All of these are great options, but I'm going to focus on the first two because they're free.
EKOS is generally bundled together with KSTARS and you can see both of these on the software page. The best part about KSTARS/EKOS is that it runs on Linux. So if you're using a Raspberry Pi for your mount control, you'll be happy to know that this is some great software to use. In fact, Astroberry bundles EKOS together with some other software to make an Open Source version of something very similar to what you would find in the ASIAir (see below, all for the cost of a Raspberry Pi.
The other great thing about EKOS is that it uses a client/server approach. So there is a server that runs on the mount computer (which we'll assume is a Raspberry Pi) and provides the low-level access to all of your hardware. But there is also Linux, Windows, and Mac clients that you can run on a different computer so all the hard work of looking up objects in the sky atlas, planning your session, and controlling it is done by your main computer over the network. Now, this does require that your mount computer is accessible to your main computer, but this frees up significant memory and CPU resources on your mount computer so you can do more with less. I wish NINA did this! Even if you don't go full-blown client/server, you can still access EKOS via a simple web browser, so no additional software is needed (though if you use VNC, it will be more robust than the web interface).
Once you've got EKOS up and running, and I can't recommend Astroberry enough to get going with this, you've got a great little system that can connect to your mount, camera, focuser, dew heater, guide scope, dome control (if you're lucky enough to have that), and plate solving so that you can do just about everything you need to do without having to be outside to do it.
I'll go into more detail later, but I started with Astroberry on a Raspberry Pi on top of my mount as my first automation tool because I already had a couple of Pis lying around and the price was right: free! I found that I wanted to do some more stuff that was hard to do in EKOS so I switched to NINA, which I'll talk about next.
NINA stands for Nighttime Imaging 'N' Astronomy, and is properly shortened to N.I.N.A., but other than on their web page, I never see people put the dots in there because it's hard to type. So, NINA it is. If EKOS is a ten-fold improvement over standing outside with your telescope and a camera and making manual adjustments and pushing the button with your remote shutter release then NINA is at least double of EKOS, and maybe more.
First though, NINA, requires a Windows computer to be connected to all of your equipment and, as far as I know as I write this, there is no client/server approach. So most people end up getting a mini PC that they permanently connect to their rig, or else they have a laptop that they bring out and pack up as needed. In my case, I have a dedicated Mini PC and it all stays in my SkyShed POD 24x7. You may not be ready for that yet, so setting things up each night and tearing it back down is fine. Just make notes on how all your cables are connected. Just keep in mind that NINA will have the additional expense of having a Windows PC needed to run it.
Second, without the client/server approach, if you plan on being inside on your main computer while NINA is outside on a mount computer, you'll need some sort of remote control software to allow your main computer to connect to NINA. This is typically done through Windows Remote Desktop if you're running Windows Pro (which costs more) or through VNC software if you're not. Either way, keep that mind that you'll need to have more software on your two computers than just a simple web browser like you would with EKOS.
Having said that, NINA excels at doing observatory observation. In addition to all the things EKOS does, it lets you connect to a planetarium program, even one on another computer, so you can run the sky atlas functions there and free up resources. If also has support for making flats, doing mosaics, connecting to a Pegasus Powerbox and controlling the switches individually, and an insanely capable but easy-to-program advanced sequencer that can do everything from start to finish except pick the things you want to take pictures of.
In short, NINA is an improvement over EKOS, so long as you're willing to accept the additional requirements mentioned above. I've switched to NINA as my main imaging software lately because I'm running more things remotely, with more automation, and I need some additional functionality that NINA can provide with out-of-band notifications that EKOS can't give me. Or maybe it can, but I never figured out how. Those things are just menu items you can drag into the advanced sequencer in NINA, and it's much easier.
The ZWO ASIAir is a closed ecosystem that consists of a modified version of KSTARS running on a Raspberry Pi platform that has been pre-programmed by ZWO. It's a turnkey box that works well with all of ZWO's other accessories like filters, focusers, and cameras, but it's that last part that bothers some people. It only works with ZWO cameras. It won't work with QHY, or your your Canon DSLR, or any other camera unless it's red and says "ZWO" on the side. If that's okay for you, then go for it. The ASIAir also comes in many versions and as far as I know, it's not upgradable from one level to the next. So if you're going to get one, I recommend that you overbuy so you have some room to grow.
ZWO did a great job with this device, however, and it's really a "buy it, set it, and forget it" type product. You can rest assured that it will do what needs to be done with your gear to make sure that you take decent images, and its combination of drivers, KSTARS, EKOS, plate solving, and other tools means that if you have ZWO gear, it will "just work." Because it's a closed system though, you can't do anything with it that it's not programmed to do. That's not a judgment, it's just what it is. Similar to how your favorite fast food will always be the same every time you go buy it. It's not a bad thing - in fact, some people think it's the best way to go - but it is something to be aware of.
The general approach to automation requires the following things, in general order of "must have" to "would be nice."
If you're seeing the trend here, pretty much everything these days connects via USB. So you might want to also get a powered USB hub and a solid power supply to plug it all in because all of that stuff needs power and most of it runs off of 12VDC power. That's where the powerbox comes in. You can read more about my gear at the equipment page. Let's take a closer look at some of this.
This has already been discussed, above.
The software is free, but you'll need to buy a computer to run it on that you hook up to your equipment. The ASIAir is not free, but it it a turnkey hardware device that you buy that has the software baked in to it. But the ASIAir is a closed platform limited to only ZWO cameras, while the other software is not. Plus, if you are good at bargain hunting or don't mind a used laptop, you can buy a decent mini computer for less than the cost of an ASIAir and still have some cash left over for a filter. If you want to buy an ASIAir, however, I strongly recommend the ASIAIR Plus WiFi Camera Controller - 256GB Version which is new for 2024 and should last you for more than a couple nights of imaging.