TransitLab v2.6.5

What's new in v2.6.5 — 2026-06-08

• Fix: EXOTIC 4.3.2 reduction runs no longer crash with a JSON decode error when AAVSO VSP is unavailable. EXOTIC 4.3.2 queries AAVSO VSP for comparison stars even when coordinates are already provided; if AAVSO returns an empty response, EXOTIC crashes. TransitLab now instructs EXOTIC to skip the VSP query when comparison star pixel coordinates are already selected.
• Fix: When EXOTIC exits with an error, the Results tab now displays the path to EXOTIC's exotic.log file so the detailed traceback is immediately accessible.
• Fix: Import FinalParams JSON now correctly imports results from EXOTIC 4.3.2. The import handles both the 'FINAL PLANETARY PARAMETERS' wrapper structure (4.3.2+) and root-level structure (4.3.1), reads renamed depth and scatter keys, reads Rp/Rs from the new direct key, and extracts the planet name from the filename. Fully backward compatible with EXOTIC 4.3.1.
• Fix: History tab now correctly populates all fields after a reduction with EXOTIC 4.3.2 or later. EXOTIC 4.3.2 renamed several keys in FinalParams_*.json (depth, Rp/Rs, and scatter fields). TransitLab now reads both old and new key names, ensuring full compatibility with EXOTIC 4.3.1 and 4.3.2+.
• Fix: Target Star RA was incorrectly converted from decimal degrees to decimal hours before being written to inits.json. EXOTIC expects decimal degrees. Observations processed with earlier versions should be re-run to produce a correctly-formed inits.json.
• Fix: EXOTIC's 'Thinking…' spinner animation now displays correctly in the Results log. Previously, carriage-return-delimited spinner frames accumulated in the buffer and were dumped as a block of text when the next newline arrived. Each frame now updates the log line in place.
• Fix: Exclusion counter in the Image Analysis tab no longer shows a stale count from the previous target after scanning a new FITS directory.
• Fix: Stellar Variability plot is now correctly produced when running EXOTIC 4.3.1 with comparison stars pre-selected. TransitLab now probes the installed EXOTIC version and only suppresses the AAVSO VSP comparison-star query (required to avoid a crash in EXOTIC 4.3.2) when EXOTIC 4.3.2 or later is detected. EXOTIC 4.3.1 users continue to receive the VSP query so Stellar_Variability.png is generated.
• New: History tab entries are now editable inline. Double-click any cell to edit; press Enter or Tab to confirm, Escape to cancel. Changes are saved automatically.

Downloads

Platform	File
Windows (x64)	TransitLab-v2.6.5-win-x64.zip
macOS (Apple Silicon)	TransitLab-v2.6.5-osx-arm64.dmg
Linux (x64)	TransitLab-v2.6.5-linux-x64.zip

See the User Guide for installation instructions.

TransitLab v2.6.4

What's new in v2.6.4 — 2026-05-15

• Fix: AAVSO Upload button is now available on app launch if a report file from the previous session exists.
• Fix: Automation no longer freezes on blocking dialogs — validation dialogs and the EXOTIC runtime resolver are suppressed during automation runs.
• Fix: Automation no longer blocks on the 'Maximum Comp Stars' dialog when 10 comparison stars are already selected from a previous session.
• Fix: Running back-to-back automation sequences for different targets no longer produces out-of-bounds target pixel coordinates. The previous plate solve and coordinates are cleared before the new FITS header is read.
• Change: Automation redesigned — folder-polling model removed. Automation now waits for the configured start time and launches immediately.
• New: Automation Armed banner — a flashing green banner with MM:SS countdown appears above the tab strip when automation is armed.
• Change: Image Analysis — 'Auto-exclude Flagged' renamed to 'Exclude Flagged' and repositioned alongside 'Restore Excluded'.
• Fix: 'Restore Excluded' no longer overwrites the scan file count in the status area.
• Fix: Stale exotic.log file no longer causes PermissionError log rotation floods — TransitLab now deletes it before each EXOTIC launch.
• New: Diagnostics log now records user actions and key field values as they occur.
• New: [?] help buttons added to every section header across all tabs (Parameters, Results, Image Analysis, Data, Visualizer, History).
• Change: MObs Telescope selector removed — telescope is now fixed to Cecilia.
• New: Tip of the Day — startup popup with 47 tips covering every area of TransitLab. Browseable and dismissible.
• New: Diagnostics — Load Previous Log button opens directly in the logs folder.
• New: Help → Previous Versions — lists all GitHub releases with download links.
• Improvement: MObs Lookback Days value is now remembered between sessions.
• New: Visualizer — Starspot Effect. Configure a dark spot (radius, ΔT, X/Y position) and observe baseline depression (Zellem et al. 2017) and in-transit flux bumps (Silva 2003) on the model light curve.

Downloads

Platform	File
Windows (x64)	TransitLab-v2.6.4-win-x64.zip
macOS (Apple Silicon)	TransitLab-v2.6.4-osx-arm64.dmg
Linux (x64)	TransitLab-v2.6.4-linux-x64.zip

See the User Guide for installation instructions.

TransitLab v2.6.3

What's New in v2.6.3

macOS

• Fixed EXOTIC crash: "Read-only file system: /exotic.log"
• Fixed Python detection (Python.org 3.10 now found correctly instead of Xcode Python 3.9)
• Fixed Setup tab showing Linux instructions on macOS
• Added macOS sound notifications (Glass, Ping, Tink, Funk, Hero, Sosumi)

All Platforms

• Added Submit Feedback (Help menu) — submit bug reports and feature requests from within the app
• Added Check for Updates (Help menu)
• Renamed "Install EXOTIC" button to "Install / Upgrade EXOTIC"

Downloads

Platform	File
Windows (64-bit)	TransitLab-v2.6.3-win-x64.zip
macOS (Apple Silicon)	TransitLab-v2.6.3-osx-arm64.dmg
Linux (64-bit)	TransitLab-v2.6.3-linux-x64.zip

See the included README.txt for installation instructions.

TransitLab v2.6.2

What's new in v2.6.2

• Install/Reinstall Python button — the button in Python & EXOTIC Setup
  now relabels itself: shows Download & Install Python when Python is
  absent, and Reinstall Python when Python is already detected.
• macOS initial release — first build for Apple Silicon (osx-arm64). No
  functional changes to the Windows version in this release.

Installation

1. Download TransitLab-v2.6.2-win-x64.zip
2. Extract to any folder
3. Run TransitLab.exe

No .NET installation required — fully self-contained.

Requirements

• Windows 10 (version 1607) or later, 64-bit
• Internet connection for first-time Python & EXOTIC setup

TransitLab v2.6.1

• Automation — Runs an entire reduction unattended. Set a monitor folder and
  optional start time, click Arm, and walk away. TransitLab plate-solves,
  fetches target parameters from the NASA Exoplanet Archive, selects
  comparison stars, and launches EXOTIC automatically when your calibrated
  frames stop arriving.
• Operation status alerts — Short Windows sounds play when each background
  task (plate solve, NEA fetch, AAVSO comp fetch) succeeds or fails. Can be
  toggled off in Settings → Notifications.
• Python & EXOTIC Setup improvements — New Uninstall EXOTIC button for
  cleaning up corrupt installations. Fixed a crash that caused the app to
  close immediately when any install button was clicked (affected all versions
  since v2.5.6).
• AAVSO comp fetch reliability — Timeouts and NEA query failures no longer
  leave the comparison star fetch permanently stuck. Failed fetches now
  recover and retry automatically.
• Visualizer — Sunspots on the host star now more closely match real
  white-light solar images — smaller and more numerous.

Requirements: Windows 10 (version 1607) or later, 64-bit. Python 3.8+ and
EXOTIC installed via the built-in setup wizard.