New Features

The list below summarizes major additions and changes to the most recent version of Mira. Also see the README document provided with the Mira installation.

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Version 8.66

• Added the Boost option to the Transfer Function Panes and Setup Transfer Function dialogs. The Boost option enhances the transfer function settings by identifying and expanding compressed ranges of pixel value without saturating bright regions of the image. In astronomical images, contrast expansion is typically beneficial for revealing subtle details where an object merges into the background. See the description in Choosing Transfer Function Properties and an example in Using the Boost Transfer Function Option.

Version 8.65

This is a significant upgrade because of the new window-level connections into the Mira Pro x64 User's Guide as described below:

• Added numerous help buttons that directly open the specific help topic in the online User's Guide. See the Getting Application Help topic in the online User’s Guide for a description of how to open help for commands, windows, and toolbars.

• Implemented a Process Image Set on Immediate Mode Dialogs. The new checkbox opens with the processing status from the top-most Image Window. Set the checkbox as desired for the current processing. The Image Bar Processing button will be updated when the immediate mode dialog closes. This new checkbox replaces the previous use of a status message that specified the Image Window's processing state but did not allow overriding it.

• Fixed minor bugs in the user interface.

Version 8.624

• Plot Measurements: Added this topic which summarizes the tools used for quantifying data in a Plot Window.

• Point Measurements: Removed testing code that was accidentally retained in version 8.623.

• Fixed several minor bugs.

Version 8.623

• Marker Properties page of the Star Removal package: Added a checkbox that controls centroiding for the target star position. Uncheck this box to prevent centroid "hopping" when the target star has a nearby companion.

• List COMMENT Keywords: Added minor changes to the output and improved the documentation.

• List HISTORY Keywords: Added minor changes to the output and improved the documentation.

• List Statistics Keywords: Added minor changes to the output and improved the documentation.

• List WCS Keywords: Added listing of the WCS status and projection type to the output and improved the documentation.

• World Coordinate System: Added a description of WCS projection types to the topic.

 Version 8.622

• Go to Object: This new command sends the image cursor to the world coordinates saved in theOBJCTRA and OBJCTDEC header keywords.

• Screen Capture: Some minor changes were made to this command, including adding an instructional message in the dialog and an improved search for a unique file name for saving.

Version 8.621

• Save Window Position: This new dialog sets the offset and size for opening windows of a given view type, such as as Script Editor Windows, Plot Windows, Report Windows, etc.

• Calculate Julian Date: Added option to save the calculated Julian Date with a non-standard keyword name.

Version 8.62

• Plot Bar: Added World Coordinate System ("WCS") readout to the existing (x,y) coordinate readout. The world coordinates refer to the plot coordinates in the source image, if the plot was created from an image.

• Plot Bar: Added live pixel readout of image pixels in the source image data, if the plot was created from an image. Both the plotted Y value and the actual "Z" value in the image are listed.

• Plot Point Measurements: This plot window tool was added in version 8.60. It now includes the image world coordinates and pixel value, if the plot was created from an image. The world coordinates and value are listed in the Notes section of the Measurements pane.

• Statistics Properties: Added the following options to the dialog:

•      Standard Error of the Mean added to the estimator options.

       Standard Error of the Mean - Clipped added to the estimator options.

       Save Statistics to Header option saves the statistics results as keywords in the FITS image header.

• Remove Statistics Keywords: This new command removes all statistics keywords from the image header. It was added to the Image Window Measure > Statistics submenu.

• List Statistics Keywords: This new command lists all statistics keywords from the headers of an image or image set. It was added to the Image Window menu in the Edit > List Keyword Types submenu and theMeasure > Statistics submenu.

• Calculate Julian Date: This new command calculates 4 types of Julian Date and add the result to the image header. This was added to the global Processing > Utilities menu and theProcess > Utilities menu for Image Windows. This feature also continues in the Aperture Photometry package.

• Calculate Airmass: Added option to calculate a table of airmass for a range of date and time. The original action of calculating it for only one of date & time remains available.

• Tutorial: Added Using FITS Keywords to Analyze Image Data which illustrates both user interface methods and a script to create a scatter plot of image sky brightness versus Modified Julian Date.

Version 8.60

Mira Pro x64 version 8.60 is a major upgrade with dozens of new and improved features and a vast expansion of its scripting capabilities.

• Script Execution Interface: Added direct script execution capability to several Mira View Window types:

•      Image Windows

       Plot Windows

       Grid Windows

       Measurement Panes

       Grid Controls

• Script Samples: Added numerous sample scripts for showing execution directly from the view windows and controls listed above. These are named"Execute.... .lua" and are referenced within this document.

• Grid Controls: Added plotting, charting, Open in Excel, Execute Script, and other analysis commands to the pop-up menu of most grid controls.

• Create Pixel Mask command: Added some options including export to text file.

• Plot Windows

•      Plot Bar: Enhanced the button commands for zooming, panning, plot scaling and drawing, and plot series attributes. Also added 4 new buttons for the commands below.

       Statistics Measurement and Statistics Properties commands. These provide 17 statistical estimators and parameters for characterizing the plot series. Both commands are available from the Measure > Statistics pull-down menu and the Plot Bar.

       Plot Point Measurements package: Added for Plot Windows to the Measure > Lines pull-down menu and the Plot Bar.

       Plot Line Measurements package: Added for Plot Windows to the Measure > Points pull-down menu and the Plot Bar.

       Go to Source Image command: For Plot Windows generated from displayed images, this commands selects the source Image Window from the window stack and then displays the source image and pixel coordinates used to generate the plot. This command is available from the View > Go to Source Image pull-down menu and the Plot Bar.

       Statistics docking pane: Shows plot statistics measurements for plot series in the Plot Window.

       Mark Statistic command: Added to the Statistics measurements pane to draw a selected statistic in the Plot Window.

• Aperture Photometry package: Added several new options added to the Apphot Properties > Other page:

•      Import Photometry Catalog: Added support for world coordinates specified in (degrees, degrees) to the existing option for (hms, dms) and (column,row) pixel coordinates. See Import Photometry Catalog

       Photometric Zero Point: added option to use the zero point from the image header rather than calculate it.

       Airmass: added option to use the airmass from the image header rather than calculate it.

• Go To Coordinates command for Image Windows: Added support for world coordinates specified in (degrees, degrees) was added to the existing options for (hms,dms) and (column,row) pixel coordinates. See Go To Coordinates.

• Toolbars converted to Docking Panes: Converted 17 toolbars used for measurement and analysis packages to docking pane toolbars. The new docking panes can be opened, closed, tabified, and stacked. All markers and measurements are retained if the toolbar is closed and re-opened. The following toolbars were converted:

•      Points

       Lines

       Angles

       Regions

       Apphot

       Astrometry

       Star Removal

       Source Extraction

       Interactive Repair

       Distance and Angle

       Image Registration

       Line Profile

       Labels

       Contour Plot

       Interactive Contour Plot

       Plot Points (new package added)

       Plot Lines (new package added)

• Angle "snap" was added to the Lines, Distance & Angle, and Line Profile packages for the Image Window and the Lines package for the Plot Window. Snapping to integral angles is implemented by holding the SHIFT key while drawing the line. A 45 degree snap is available for Image Windows and a 90 degree snap is available for Plot Windows.

• Shape Properties: This new page was added to the Marker Properties dialog for Plot Point Measurements. Use it to select the style and size of the point markers drawn in Plot Windows.

• General Properties dialog: New options were added

•      Default line is stepped line

       Open file tabs toward the left

       Open docking panes on hover

       Default max cell width

Script Language

• The Mira Pro x64 Script library adds several new classes and methods, plus dozens of new functions. See "New Features" in the Mira Pro x64 Script User's Guide.

Related Topics

Contents

Mira Pro x64 User's Guide, Copyright Ⓒ 2023 Mirametrics, Inc. All Rights Reserved.