astro.husky

// kstars · ubuntu setup

Install the astro stack on Ubuntu

A reproducible KStars / Ekos / INDI setup for an astrophotography mini-PC — latest KStars, the full INDI driver suite (with simulators), offline plate solving and GPS, straight from the official ppa:mutlaqja/ppa. Tested on Ubuntu 22.04 & 24.04 LTS (Ubuntu, Kubuntu and Lubuntu all work).

Source: github.com/nirmaljangid/kstars-astro-setup

What you get

  • kstars-bleeding — latest KStars + Ekos (planetarium + imaging suite).
  • indi-full — INDI server and every driver, including the simulators (indi_simulator_telescope, _ccd, _guide, _focus…).
  • astrometry.net — offline plate-solving engine for Ekos.
  • gsc — Guide Star Catalog used by KStars.
  • gpsd + INDI Web Manager — optional companions.

PHD2 is intentionally skipped — Ekos has a capable built-in guider.

Fast path — one script

Clone the repo and run the installer. It refreshes the system, adds the PPA, installs the whole stack, and adds your user to the device groups. Run it as your normal user (it calls sudo itself — never run it as root).

bash 
git clone https://github.com/nirmaljangid/kstars-astro-setup.git
cd kstars-astro-setup
bash install-kstars-stack.sh

Prefer to see every step? Do it by hand below — the result is identical.

Manual path — step by step

1 · Refresh the base system

bash 
sudo apt update
sudo apt full-upgrade -y

2 · Add the official KStars/INDI PPA

Jasem Mutlaq's PPA is the source of the latest kstars-bleeding and indi-full with all third-party drivers and simulators.

bash 
sudo apt install -y software-properties-common ca-certificates curl
sudo apt-add-repository -y ppa:mutlaqja/ppa
sudo apt update

3 · Install KStars, INDI, simulators & the plate solver

bash 
sudo apt install -y kstars-bleeding indi-full gsc astrometry.net

4 · Optional companions (GPS, INDI Web Manager)

The INDI Web Manager is a browser UI to start/stop drivers. On Ubuntu 24.04 the --break-system-packages flag is needed because Python is externally managed.

bash 
sudo apt install -y gpsd python3-pip
pip3 install --user --break-system-packages indiweb

5 · Device permissions

Lets you talk to mounts, cameras and serial gear later. Harmless for simulators.

bash 
sudo usermod -aG dialout,plugdev,video "$USER"

⚠️ Log out and back in now — group membership only takes effect on a fresh login.

6 · Verify

bash 
kstars --version
dpkg -l | grep -iE 'indi|kstars|astrometry'
ls /usr/bin/indi_simulator_*

The last command should list several indi_simulator_* binaries. If it's empty, indi-full didn't install — re-run step 3.

First launch — prove it with simulators

  1. Launch KStars, then open Ekos (Tools menu or toolbar).
  2. In the Profile Editor pick the built-in Simulators profile and Connect.
  3. The CCD simulator renders a star field and the mount simulator slews — you now have a full virtual rig to learn align, focus, guide and capture before any real hardware arrives.

Ready to image for real? See my imaging workflow.