A Study of Web Control of an RTS2 System Based on the WebSocket

For a modern automated astronomical telescope its autonomous-control software system is one of the most important parts. Currently, research of autonomous-control software is becoming rather active. The RTS2, which is an open-source software system, has been used for many small-aperture astronomical telescopes. However, the subsystem for web control implemented in the RTS2 is too simple to include many useful functions such as real-time control and system-information display. By taking advantage of the development of the HTML5 and the WebSocket technology, we study implementing a server-side WebSocket protocol in the RTS2 based on an in-depth analysis of the RTS2 source codes. By using the HTML5 and WebSocket technology we have developed a prototype subsystem for web control via real-time monitoring. Our study results in a simple and convenient platform for remote control and real-time monitoring of automated astronomical telescopes, and it lays a sound foundation for relevant future research.