gnuastro-commits
[Top][All Lists]
Advanced

[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

[gnuastro-commits] master 08b0e97a: pointing-simulate: new name for the


From: Mohammad Akhlaghi
Subject: [gnuastro-commits] master 08b0e97a: pointing-simulate: new name for the dither-simulate script
Date: Thu, 21 Sep 2023 14:24:10 -0400 (EDT)

branch: master
commit 08b0e97a3568c5d3b1e9fe4de8cd57bb663b44e3
Author: Mohammad Akhlaghi <mohammad@akhlaghi.org>
Commit: Mohammad Akhlaghi <mohammad@akhlaghi.org>

    pointing-simulate: new name for the dither-simulate script
    
    Until now, we used the term "dither" instead of the more generic
    "pointing". This could be confusing because a "dither" is usually used for
    small displacements on the sky and can be confusing when the observing
    strategy has to account for large spacing (and needs to re-focus the camera
    and etc).
    
    With this commit, the name of the installed script is now set to
    'astscript-pointing-simulate', also the text of the book has been edited to
    clarify these definitions.
---
 NEWS                                               |  12 +-
 README                                             |   2 +-
 bin/script/Makefile.am                             |  14 +-
 .../{dither-simulate.mk => pointing-simulate.mk}   |   4 +-
 .../{dither-simulate.sh => pointing-simulate.sh}   |   8 +-
 doc/Makefile.am                                    |   8 +-
 doc/gnuastro.texi                                  | 280 +++++++++++----------
 7 files changed, 172 insertions(+), 156 deletions(-)

diff --git a/NEWS b/NEWS
index b6b7048c..4d4e1c1d 100644
--- a/NEWS
+++ b/NEWS
@@ -9,19 +9,19 @@ See the end of the file for license conditions.
 ** New features
 
   New program:
-  - 'astscript-dither-simulate': a new installed script that will simplify
-    the process of designing the best dither pattern for your observing
+  - 'astscript-pointing-simulate': a new installed script that will
+    simplify the process of designing a pointing pattern for your observing
     strategy. It takes into account the distortion of the camera, runs in
     parallel and allows customizations (for example to account for
-    vignetting or large blobs of bad pixels) through hooks at relevant
+    vignetting, or large blobs of bad pixels) through hooks at relevant
     steps. A new tutorial has been added in the Tutorials chapter of the
     book on how to use this new script.
 
   Book:
-  - New tutorial on a low surface brightness optimized design of a dither
+  - New tutorial on a low surface brightness optimized design of a pointing
     pattern using the newly added installed script in Gnuastro for
-    simulating the exposure map of a dither pattern stack (it is called as
-    'astscript-dither-simulate' on the command-line).
+    simulating the exposure map of a pointing pattern stack (it is called as
+    'astscript-pointing-simulate' on the command-line).
   - Smaller tutorials that were distributed within the documentation of
     different programs are brought into the "Tutorials" chapter.
   - New "Standard deviation vs. error" sub-section added under the
diff --git a/README b/README
index a6bc1f7c..17a8a4f8 100644
--- a/README
+++ b/README
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ running a program in a special way), Gnuastro also installs 
Bash scripts
 (all prefixed with 'astscript-'). They can be run like a program and behave
 very similarly (with minor differences, as explained in the book).
 
-  - astscript-dither-simulate: Given a table of pointings on the sky,
+  - astscript-pointing-simulate: Given a table of pointings on the sky,
     create and a reference image that contain's your camera's distortions
     and properties, generate a stacked exposure map. This is very useful in
     testing the coverage of dither patterns when planning your observing
diff --git a/bin/script/Makefile.am b/bin/script/Makefile.am
index b4e211b9..83d9ec3c 100644
--- a/bin/script/Makefile.am
+++ b/bin/script/Makefile.am
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
 # Data files (necessary for various components like desktop files for GUIs
 # or Makefiles that are called within scripts).
 pkgdata_DATA = zeropoint.mk \
-               dither-simulate.mk \
+               pointing-simulate.mk \
                astscript-fits-view.desktop
 astscript-fits-view.desktop: $(srcdir)/fits-view.desktop.desktop Makefile
        sed -e 's|@PREFIX[@]|$(exec_prefix)|g' \
@@ -47,9 +47,9 @@ bin_SCRIPTS = astscript-fits-view \
               astscript-psf-subtract \
               astscript-sort-by-night \
               astscript-radial-profile \
-              astscript-dither-simulate \
               astscript-psf-scale-factor \
-              astscript-psf-select-stars
+              astscript-psf-select-stars \
+              astscript-pointing-simulate
 
 EXTRA_DIST = fits-view.sh \
              psf-unite.sh \
@@ -60,10 +60,10 @@ EXTRA_DIST = fits-view.sh \
              psf-subtract.sh \
              sort-by-night.sh \
              radial-profile.sh \
-             dither-simulate.sh \
-             dither-simulate.mk \
              psf-select-stars.sh \
              psf-scale-factor.sh \
+             pointing-simulate.sh \
+             pointing-simulate.mk \
              fits-view.desktop.desktop
 
 CLEANFILES = $(bin_SCRIPTS) \
@@ -84,8 +84,8 @@ do_subst = sed -e 's,[@]PREFIX[@],$(exec_prefix),g' \
 
 
 ## Rules to install the scripts.
-astscript-dither-simulate: dither-simulate.sh Makefile
-       $(do_subst) < $(srcdir)/dither-simulate.sh > $@
+astscript-pointing-simulate: pointing-simulate.sh Makefile
+       $(do_subst) < $(srcdir)/pointing-simulate.sh > $@
        chmod +x $@
 
 astscript-ds9-region: ds9-region.sh Makefile
diff --git a/bin/script/dither-simulate.mk b/bin/script/pointing-simulate.mk
similarity index 96%
rename from bin/script/dither-simulate.mk
rename to bin/script/pointing-simulate.mk
index 1af9638c..744ff866 100644
--- a/bin/script/dither-simulate.mk
+++ b/bin/script/pointing-simulate.mk
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# Makefile to do the number-crunching of the 'dither-simulate.in' script.
+# Makefile to do the number-crunching of the 'pointing-simulate.sh' script.
 #
 # Original author:
 #     Mohammad Akhlaghi <mohammad@akhlaghi.org>
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@
 # along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
 
 # Include the parameters from the user.
-include $(tmpdir)/dither-simulate.conf
+include $(tmpdir)/pointing-simulate.conf
 
 # Final target.
 all: $(output)
diff --git a/bin/script/dither-simulate.sh b/bin/script/pointing-simulate.sh
similarity index 98%
rename from bin/script/dither-simulate.sh
rename to bin/script/pointing-simulate.sh
index 2566dfb9..ebc19d37 100644
--- a/bin/script/dither-simulate.sh
+++ b/bin/script/pointing-simulate.sh
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ hook_warp_before=""
 stack_operator="sum"
 scriptname=@SCRIPT_NAME@
 ctype="RA---TAN,DEC--TAN"
-output=dither-simulate.fits
+output=pointing-simulate.fits
 installdir=@PREFIX@/share/gnuastro
 
 
@@ -328,7 +328,7 @@ fi
 ndither=$(asttable $cat --info-num-rows)
 if [ x$ndither = x0 ]; then
         cat <<EOF
-$scriptname: $cat: input dither pointing table is empty! It should contain at 
least one row, containing two columns for the RA and Dec of each pointing of 
the dither pattern. Please see the documentation with this command: 'info 
astscript-dither-simulate'
+$scriptname: $cat: input dither pointing table is empty! It should contain at 
least one row, containing two columns for the RA and Dec of each pointing of 
the dither pattern. Please see the documentation with this command: 'info 
astscript-pointing-simulate'
 EOF
         exit 1
 fi
@@ -367,7 +367,7 @@ fi
 # All the settings given by the user and data are passed to Make through
 # this configuration file (and the variables within it).
 counter=1;
-config=$tmpdir/dither-simulate.conf
+config=$tmpdir/pointing-simulate.conf
 echo "img = $img" > $config
 echo "ctype = $ctype" >> $config
 echo "width = $width" >> $config
@@ -426,7 +426,7 @@ fi
 # temporary directory. Also, the number of threads should be given when
 # calling Make. Otherwise, all other settings should be taken inside the
 # configuration file.
-if [ x"$mksrc" = x ]; then mksrc=$installdir/dither-simulate.mk; fi
+if [ x"$mksrc" = x ]; then mksrc=$installdir/pointing-simulate.mk; fi
 make -f $mksrc tmpdir=$tmpdir --jobs=$numthreads
 
 
diff --git a/doc/Makefile.am b/doc/Makefile.am
index 37eaa23a..d5fc8d1a 100644
--- a/doc/Makefile.am
+++ b/doc/Makefile.am
@@ -162,7 +162,7 @@ dist_man_MANS = $(MAYBE_ARITHMETIC_MAN) \
   $(MAYBE_STATISTICS_MAN) \
   $(MAYBE_TABLE_MAN) \
   $(MAYBE_WARP_MAN) \
-  man/astscript-dither-simulate.1 \
+  man/astscript-pointing-simulate.1 \
   man/astscript-ds9-region.1 \
   man/astscript-fits-view.1 \
   man/astscript-psf-scale-factor.1 \
@@ -264,11 +264,11 @@ man/astwarp.1: $(top_srcdir)/bin/warp/args.h  
$(ALLMANSDEP)
 
 
 # The Scripts:
-man/astscript-dither-simulate.1: $(top_srcdir)/bin/script/dither-simulate.sh \
+man/astscript-pointing-simulate.1: 
$(top_srcdir)/bin/script/pointing-simulate.sh \
                                  $(ALLMANSDEP)
-       $(MAYBE_HELP2MAN) -n "Simulate the exposure map of a dither pattern" \
+       $(MAYBE_HELP2MAN) -n "Simulate the exposure map of a pointing pattern" \
                          --libtool \
-                         $(toputildir)/script/astscript-dither-simulate
+                         $(toputildir)/script/astscript-pointing-simulate
 
 man/astscript-ds9-region.1: $(top_srcdir)/bin/script/ds9-region.sh \
                             $(ALLMANSDEP)
diff --git a/doc/gnuastro.texi b/doc/gnuastro.texi
index 9afe4844..e9e4600f 100644
--- a/doc/gnuastro.texi
+++ b/doc/gnuastro.texi
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ A copy of the license is included in the section entitled 
``GNU Free Documentati
 * astwarp: (gnuastro)Invoking astwarp. Options to Warp.
 
 * astscript: (gnuastro)Installed scripts. Gnuastro's installed scripts.
-* astscript-dither-simulate: (gnuastro)Invoking astscript-dither-simulate. 
Options to this script
+* astscript-pointing-simulate: (gnuastro)Invoking astscript-pointing-simulate. 
Options to this script
 * astscript-ds9-region: (gnuastro)Invoking astscript-ds9-region. Options to 
this script
 * astscript-fits-view: (gnuastro)Invoking astscript-fits-view. Options to this 
script
 * astscript-psf-scale-factor: (gnuastro)Invoking astscript-psf-scale-factor. 
Options to this script
@@ -273,7 +273,7 @@ Tutorials
 * Detecting lines and extracting spectra in 3D data::  Extracting spectra and 
emission line properties.
 * Color channels in same pixel grid::  Aligning images to same grid to build 
color image.
 * Zero point of an image::      Estimate the zero point of an image.
-* Dither pattern design::       Simulate the output image of a given dither 
pattern.
+* Pointing pattern design::
 * Moire pattern in stacking and its correction::  How to avoid this grid-based 
artifact.
 
 General program usage tutorial
@@ -336,11 +336,11 @@ Zero point of an image
 * Zero point tutorial with reference image::  Using a reference image.
 * Zero point tutorial with reference catalog::  Using a reference catalog.
 
-Dither pattern design
+Pointing pattern design
 
 * Preparing input and generating exposure map::  Download and image and build 
exposure map.
 * Area of non-blank pixels on sky::  Account for the curved area on the sky.
-* Script with dither simulation steps so far::  Summary of steps for easy 
testing.
+* Script with pointing simulation steps so far::  Summary of steps for easy 
testing.
 * Larger steps sizes for better calibration::  The initial small dither is not 
enough.
 * Pointings that account for sky curvature::  Sky curvature will cause 
problems!
 * Accounting for non-exposed pixels::  Parts of the detector do not get 
exposed to light.
@@ -758,7 +758,7 @@ Installed scripts
 * SAO DS9 region files from table::  Create ds9 region file from a table.
 * Viewing FITS file contents with DS9 or TOPCAT::  Open DS9 (images/cubes) or 
TOPCAT (tables).
 * Zero point estimation::       Zero point of an image from reference catalog 
or image(s).
-* Dithering pattern simulation::  Simulate a stack with a certain dithering 
pattern.
+* Pointing pattern simulation::  Simulate a stack with a given series of 
pointings.
 * PSF construction and subtraction::  Set of scripts to create extended PSF of 
an image.
 
 Sort FITS files by night
@@ -786,9 +786,9 @@ Invoking astscript-zeropoint
 * zero point output::           Format of the output.
 * zero point options::          List and details of options.
 
-Dithering pattern simulation
+Pointing pattern simulation
 
-* Invoking astscript-dither-simulate::  Options and running mode.
+* Invoking astscript-pointing-simulate::  Options and running mode.
 
 PSF construction and subtraction
 
@@ -1139,9 +1139,9 @@ In Gnuastro, higher-level operations (combining multiple 
programs, or running a
 They can be run just like a program and behave very similarly (with minor 
differences, see @ref{Installed scripts}).
 
 @table @code
-@item astscript-dither-simulate
-(See @ref{Dithering pattern simulation}) Given a table of pointings on the 
sky, create and a reference image that contain's your camera's distortions and 
properties, generate a stacked exposure map.
-This is very useful in testing the coverage of dither patterns when designing 
your observing strategy and it is highly customizable, see the tutorial in 
@ref{Dither pattern design}.
+@item astscript-pointing-simulate
+(See @ref{Pointing pattern simulation}) Given a table of pointings on the sky, 
create and a reference image that contain's your camera's distortions and 
properties, generate a stacked exposure map.
+This is very useful in testing the coverage of dither patterns when designing 
your observing strategy and it is highly customizable, see the tutorial in 
@ref{Pointing pattern design}.
 
 @item astscript-ds9-region
 (See @ref{SAO DS9 region files from table}) Given a table (either as a file or 
from standard input), create an SAO DS9 region file from the requested 
positional columns (WCS or image coordinates).
@@ -2026,7 +2026,7 @@ In @ref{Detecting lines and extracting spectra in 3D 
data}, we use MUSE cubes (a
 In @ref{Color channels in same pixel grid} we demonstrate how you can warp 
multiple images into a single pixel grid (often necessary with mult-wavelength 
data), and build a single color image.
 In @ref{Moire pattern in stacking and its correction} we show how you can 
avoid the un-wanted Moir@'e pattern which happens when warping separate 
exposures to build a stacked/co-add deeper image.
 In @ref{Zero point of an image} we review the process of estimating the zero 
point of an image using a reference image or catalog.
-Finally, in @ref{Dither pattern design} we show the process by which you can 
simulate a dither pattern to find the best observing strategy for your next 
exciting scientific project.
+Finally, in @ref{Pointing pattern design} we show the process by which you can 
simulate a dither pattern to find the best observing strategy for your next 
exciting scientific project.
 
 In these tutorials, we have intentionally avoided too many cross references to 
make it more easy to read.
 For more information about a particular program, you can visit the section 
with the same name as the program in this book.
@@ -2042,7 +2042,7 @@ For an explanation of the conventions we use in the 
example codes through the bo
 * Detecting lines and extracting spectra in 3D data::  Extracting spectra and 
emission line properties.
 * Color channels in same pixel grid::  Aligning images to same grid to build 
color image.
 * Zero point of an image::      Estimate the zero point of an image.
-* Dither pattern design::       Simulate the output image of a given dither 
pattern.
+* Pointing pattern design::
 * Moire pattern in stacking and its correction::  How to avoid this grid-based 
artifact.
 @end menu
 
@@ -8789,7 +8789,7 @@ We'll leave those as an exercise for you to try your self 
using @ref{Warp} and/o
 
 
 
-@node Zero point of an image, Dither pattern design, Color channels in same 
pixel grid, Tutorials
+@node Zero point of an image, Pointing pattern design, Color channels in same 
pixel grid, Tutorials
 @section Zero point of an image
 
 The ``zero point'' of an image is astronomical jargon for the calibration 
factor of its pixel values; allowing us to convert the raw pixel values to 
physical units.
@@ -9320,19 +9320,33 @@ $ astscript-fits-view jplus-zeropoint.fits 
jplus-zeropoint-cat.fits \
 @end example
 
 
-@node Dither pattern design, Moire pattern in stacking and its correction, 
Zero point of an image, Tutorials
-@section Dither pattern design
+@node Pointing pattern design, Moire pattern in stacking and its correction, 
Zero point of an image, Tutorials
+@section Pointing pattern design
 
 @cindex Dithering
-Deciding a suitable dithering pattern is one of the most important steps when 
planning your observation strategy.
-Dithering is the process of moving each exposure compared to the previous one 
and is done for several reasons like improving calibration, increasing 
resolution, expending the area of the observation and etc.
-For a more complete introduction to dithering, see @ref{Dithering pattern 
simulation}.
-
-In this tutorial, let's simulate a hypothetical dither pattern using 
Gnuastro's @command{astscript-dither-simulate} installed script.
-Assume you want to observe @url{https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messier_94, M94} 
in the H-alpha and rSDSS filters (to study the extended star formation in the 
outer rings of this beautiful galaxy!).
+@cindex Pointings
+@cindex Observing strategy
+@cindex Offset (in observing strategy)
+A dataset that is ready for scientific analysis is usually composed of many 
separate exposures and how they are taken is usually known as ``observing 
strategy''.
+This tutorial describes Gnuastro's tools to simplify the process of deciding 
the pointing pattern of your observing strategy.
+
+A ``pointing'' is the location on the sky that each exposure is aimed at.
+Each exposure's pointing is usually moved (on the sky) compared to the 
previous exposure.
+This is done for reasons like improving calibration, increasing resolution, 
expending the area of the observation and etc.
+Therefore, deciding a suitable pointing pattern is one of the most important 
steps when planning your observation strategy.
+
+There are commonly two types of pointings: ``dither'' and ``offset''.
+These are sometimes used interchangeably with ``pointing'' (especially when 
the final stack is roughly the same area as the field of view.
+Alternatively, ``dither'' and ``offset'' are used to distinguish pointings 
with large or small (on the scale of the field of view) movement compared to a 
previous one.
+When a pointing has a large distance to the previous pointing, it is known as 
an ``offset'', while pointings with a small displacement are known as a 
``dither''.
+This distinction originates from the mechanics and optics of most modern 
telescopes: the overhead (for example the need to re-focus the camera) to make 
small movements is usually less than large movements.
+
+In this tutorial, let's simulate a hypothetical pointing pattern using 
Gnuastro's @command{astscript-pointing-simulate} installed script (see 
@ref{Pointing pattern simulation}).
+Since we will be testing very different displacements between pointings, we'll 
ignore the difference between offset and dither here, and only use the term 
pointing.
+
+Let's assume you want to observe 
@url{https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messier_94, M94} in the H-alpha and rSDSS 
filters (to study the extended star formation in the outer rings of this 
beautiful galaxy!).
 Including the outer parts of the rings, the galaxy is half a degree in 
diameter!
-This is very large, and you want to design a dither pattern that will cover 
this area efficiently!
-Therefore, you need an instrument with a large field of view.
+This is very large, and you want to design a pointing pattern that will allow 
you to cover as much area, while not loosing your ability to calibrate properly.
 
 @cartouche
 @noindent
@@ -9343,26 +9357,26 @@ Basic features like access to this book on the 
command-line, the configuration f
 @menu
 * Preparing input and generating exposure map::  Download and image and build 
exposure map.
 * Area of non-blank pixels on sky::  Account for the curved area on the sky.
-* Script with dither simulation steps so far::  Summary of steps for easy 
testing.
+* Script with pointing simulation steps so far::  Summary of steps for easy 
testing.
 * Larger steps sizes for better calibration::  The initial small dither is not 
enough.
 * Pointings that account for sky curvature::  Sky curvature will cause 
problems!
 * Accounting for non-exposed pixels::  Parts of the detector do not get 
exposed to light.
 @end menu
 
-@node Preparing input and generating exposure map, Area of non-blank pixels on 
sky, Dither pattern design, Dither pattern design
+@node Preparing input and generating exposure map, Area of non-blank pixels on 
sky, Pointing pattern design, Pointing pattern design
 @subsection Preparing input and generating exposure map
 
-As mentioned in @ref{Dither pattern design}, the assumed goal here is to plan 
an observations strategy for M94.
+As mentioned in @ref{Pointing pattern design}, the assumed goal here is to 
plan an observations strategy for M94.
 Let's assume that after some searching, you decide to write a proposal for the 
@url{https://oaj.cefca.es/telescopes/jast80, JAST80 telescope} at the 
@url{https://oaj.cefca.es, Observatorio Astrofísico de Javalambre}, 
OAJ@footnote{For full disclosure, Gnuastro is being developed at CEFCA (Centro 
de Estudios de F@'isica del Cosmos de Arag@'on); which also hosts OAJ.}, in 
Teruel (Spain).
 The field of view of this telescope's camera is almost 1.4 degrees wide, 
nicely fitting M94!
 It also has these two filters that you need@footnote{For the full list of 
available filters, see the @url{https://oaj.cefca.es/telescopes/t80cam, T80Cam 
description}.}.
 
-Before we start, as described in @ref{Dithering pattern simulation}, it is 
just important to remember that the ideal dither pattern depends primarily on 
your scientific objective, as well as the limitations of the instrument you are 
observing with.
-Therefore, there is no single dither pattern for all purposes.
-However, the tools, methods, criteria or logic to check if your dither pattern 
satisfies your scientific requirement are similar.
-Therefore, you can use the same methods, tools or logic here to simulate or 
verify that your dither pattern will produce the products you expect after the 
observation.
+Before we start, as described in @ref{Pointing pattern simulation}, it is just 
important to remember that the ideal pointing pattern depends primarily on your 
scientific objective, as well as the limitations of the instrument you are 
observing with.
+Therefore, there is no single pointing pattern for all purposes.
+However, the tools, methods, criteria or logic to check if your pointing 
pattern satisfies your scientific requirement are similar.
+Therefore, you can use the same methods, tools or logic here to simulate or 
verify that your pointing pattern will produce the products you expect after 
the observation.
 
-To start simulating a dither pattern for a certain telescope, you just need a 
single-exposure image of that telescope with WCS information.
+To start simulating a pointing pattern for a certain telescope, you just need 
a single-exposure image of that telescope with WCS information.
 In other words, after astrometry, but before warping into any other pixel grid 
(to combine into a deeper stack).
 The image will give us the default number of the camera's pixels, its pixel 
scale (width of pixel in arcseconds) and the camera distortion.
 These are reference parameters that are independent of the position of the 
image on the sky.
@@ -9371,8 +9385,8 @@ Because the actual position of the reference image is 
irrelevant, let's assume t
 With the last command, please take a look at this image before continuing and 
explore it.
 
 @example
-$ mkdir dither-tutorial
-$ cd dither-tutorial
+$ mkdir pointing-tutorial
+$ cd pointing-tutorial
 $ mkdir input
 $ siapurl=https://archive.cefca.es/catalogues/vo/siap
 $ wget $siapurl/jplus-dr3/reduced/get_fits?id=1050345 \
@@ -9389,7 +9403,7 @@ Therefore, they become publicly available very soon after 
the observation date;
 @end cartouche
 
 As you see from the image above, the T80Cam images are large (9216 by 9232 
pixels).
-Therefore, to speed up the dither testing, let's down-sample the image by a 
factor of 10.
+Therefore, to speed up the pointing testing, let's down-sample the image by a 
factor of 10.
 This step is optional and you can safely use the full resolution, which will 
give you a more precise stack.
 But it will be much slower (maybe good after you have an almost final solution 
on the down-sampled image).
 We will call the output @file{ref.fits} (since it is the ``reference'' for our 
test).
@@ -9399,11 +9413,11 @@ We are putting these two ``input'' files (to the 
script) in a dedicated director
 $ astwarp input/jplus-1050345.fits.fz --scale=1/10 -oinput/ref.fits
 @end example
 
-For a first trial, let's create a cross-shaped dither pattern with 5 points 
around M94, which is centered at its center on the RA and Dec of 192.721250, 
41.120556.
+For a first trial, let's create a cross-shaped pointing pattern with 5 points 
around M94, which is centered at its center on the RA and Dec of 192.721250, 
41.120556.
 We'll center one exposure on the center of the galaxy, and include 4 more 
exposures that are each 1 arc-minute away along the RA and Dec axes.
-To simplify the actual command later@footnote{Instead of this, later, when you 
called @command{astscript-dither-simulate}, you could pass the 
@option{--racol=1} and @option{--deccol=2} options.
-But having metadata is always preferred (will avoid many bugs/frustrations in 
the long-run!).}, let's also include the column names in @file{dither.txt} 
through two lines of metadata.
-Also note that the @file{dither.txt} file can be made in any manner you like, 
for example, by writing the coordinates manually on your favorite text editor, 
or through another programming language or logic, or etc.
+To simplify the actual command later@footnote{Instead of this, later, when you 
called @command{astscript-pointing-simulate}, you could pass the 
@option{--racol=1} and @option{--deccol=2} options.
+But having metadata is always preferred (will avoid many bugs/frustrations in 
the long-run!).}, let's also include the column names in @file{pointing.txt} 
through two lines of metadata.
+Also note that the @file{pointing.txt} file can be made in any manner you 
like, for example, by writing the coordinates manually on your favorite text 
editor, or through another programming language or logic, or etc.
 Here, we are using AWK because it is sufficiently powerful for this job, and 
it is a very small program that is available on any Unix-based operating system 
(allowing you to easily run your programs on any computer).
 
 @example
@@ -9411,8 +9425,8 @@ $ step_arcmin=1
 $ center_ra=192.721250
 $ center_dec=41.120556
 
-$ echo "# Column 1: RA  [deg, f64] Right Ascension"  > dither.txt
-$ echo "# Column 2: Dec [deg, f64] Declination"     >> dither.txt
+$ echo "# Column 1: RA  [deg, f64] Right Ascension"  > pointing.txt
+$ echo "# Column 2: Dec [deg, f64] Declination"     >> pointing.txt
 
 $ echo $center_ra $center_dec \
        | awk '@{s='$step_arcmin'/60; fmt="%-10.6f %-10.6f\n"; \
@@ -9421,14 +9435,14 @@ $ echo $center_ra $center_dec \
                printf fmt, $1,   $2+s; \
                printf fmt, $1-s, $2; \
                printf fmt, $1,   $2-s@}' \
-       >> dither.txt
+       >> pointing.txt
 @end example
 
 With the commands below, let's have a look at the produced file, first as 
plain-text, then with TOPCAT (which needs conversion to FITS).
 After TOPCAT is opened, in the ``Graphics'' menu, select ``Plane plot'' to see 
the five points in a flat RA, Dec plot.
 
 @example
-$ cat dither.txt
+$ cat pointing.txt
 # Column 1: RA  [deg, f64] Right Ascension
 # Column 2: Dec [deg, f64] Declination
 192.721250 41.120556
@@ -9437,18 +9451,18 @@ $ cat dither.txt
 192.704583 41.120556
 192.721250 41.103889
 
-$ asttable dither.txt -odither.fits
-$ astscript-fits-view dither.fits
-$ rm dither.fits
+$ asttable pointing.txt -opointing.fits
+$ astscript-fits-view pointing.fits
+$ rm pointing.fits
 @end example
 
-We are now ready to generate the exposure map of the dither pattern above 
using the reference image that we downloaded before.
+We are now ready to generate the exposure map of the pointing pattern above 
using the reference image that we downloaded before.
 Let's put the center of our final stack to be on the center of the galaxy, and 
we'll assume the stack has a size of 2 degrees.
 With the second command, you can see the exposure map of the final stack.
 Recall that in this image, each pixel shows the number of input images that 
went into it.
 
 @example
-$ astscript-dither-simulate dither.txt --output=stack.fits \
+$ astscript-pointing-simulate pointing.txt --output=stack.fits \
            --img=input/ref.fits --center=$center_ra,$center_dec \
            --width=2
 
@@ -9496,10 +9510,10 @@ For an example of how these calibration issues can 
ruine low surface brightness
 After it is loaded, at the bottom-left corner of the window, write ``M94'' in 
the box of ``Jump to object'' and press ENTER.
 At first, M94 looks good with a black background, but as you increase the 
``Brightness'' (by scrolling it to the right and seeing what is under the 
originally black pixels), you will see the calibration artifacts clearly.
 
-@node Area of non-blank pixels on sky, Script with dither simulation steps so 
far, Preparing input and generating exposure map, Dither pattern design
+@node Area of non-blank pixels on sky, Script with pointing simulation steps 
so far, Preparing input and generating exposure map, Pointing pattern design
 @subsection Area of non-blank pixels on sky
 
-In @ref{Preparing input and generating exposure map} we generated a dither 
pattern with very small steps, showing how this can cause calibration problems.
+In @ref{Preparing input and generating exposure map} we generated a pointing 
pattern with very small steps, showing how this can cause calibration problems.
 Later (in @ref{Larger steps sizes for better calibration}) using larger steps 
is discussed.
 In this section, let's see how we can get an accurate measure of the area that 
is covered in a certain depth.
 
@@ -9542,7 +9556,7 @@ You will see that the pixel area (in degrees squared) is 
exactly the same as we
 As you move your mouse away to other colors, you will notice that the area 
covered by each pixel (its value in this image) deceases very slightly (in the 
5th decimal!).
 This is the effect of the 
@url{https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnomonic_projection, Gnomonic projection}; 
summarized as @code{TAN} (for ``tangential'') in the FITS WCS standard, the 
most commonly used in optical astronomical surveys and the default in this 
script.
 
-Having @file{deep-pix-area.fits}, we can now use Arithmetic to set the areas 
of all the pixels that were NaN in @file{deep.fits} and sum all the values to 
get an accurate estimate of the area we get from this dither pattern:
+Having @file{deep-pix-area.fits}, we can now use Arithmetic to set the areas 
of all the pixels that were NaN in @file{deep.fits} and sum all the values to 
get an accurate estimate of the area we get from this pointing pattern:
 
 @example
 $ astarithmetic deep-pix-area.fits deep.fits isblank nan where -g1 \
@@ -9554,10 +9568,10 @@ Therefore, the actual area that is covered is less than 
the simple multiplicatio
 At these declinations, the dominant cause of this difference is the first 
point above (that RA needs correction), this will be discussed in more detail 
later in this tutorial (see @ref{Pointings that account for sky curvature}).
 Genearlly, using this method to measure the area of your non-NAN pixels in an 
image is very easy and robust (automatically takes into account the curvature, 
coordinate system, projection and blank pixels of the image).
 
-@node Script with dither simulation steps so far, Larger steps sizes for 
better calibration, Area of non-blank pixels on sky, Dither pattern design
-@subsection Script with dither simulation steps so far
+@node Script with pointing simulation steps so far, Larger steps sizes for 
better calibration, Area of non-blank pixels on sky, Pointing pattern design
+@subsection Script with pointing simulation steps so far
 
-In @ref{Preparing input and generating exposure map} and @ref{Area of 
non-blank pixels on sky}, the basic steps to simulate a dither pattern's 
exposure map and measure the final output area on the sky where described in 
detail.
+In @ref{Preparing input and generating exposure map} and @ref{Area of 
non-blank pixels on sky}, the basic steps to simulate a pointing pattern's 
exposure map and measure the final output area on the sky where described in 
detail.
 From this point on in the tutorial, we will be experimenting with the shell 
variables that were set above, but the actual commands will not be changed 
regularly.
 If a change is necessary in a command, it is clearly mentioned in the text.
 
@@ -9608,10 +9622,10 @@ set -e
 # Make the build directory if it doesn't alreay exist.
 if ! [ -d $bdir ]; then mkdir $bdir; fi
 
-# Build the 5-pointing dither pattern (with the step size above).
-dithercat=$bdir/dither.txt
-echo "# Column 1: RA  [deg, f64] Right Ascension"  > $dithercat
-echo "# Column 2: Dec [deg, f64] Declination"     >> $dithercat
+# Build the 5-pointing pointing pattern (with the step size above).
+pointingcat=$bdir/pointing.txt
+echo "# Column 1: RA  [deg, f64] Right Ascension"  > $pointingcat
+echo "# Column 2: Dec [deg, f64] Declination"     >> $pointingcat
 echo $center_ra $center_dec \
             | awk '{s='$step_arcmin'/60; fmt="%-10.6f %-10.6f\n"; \
                     printf fmt, $1,   $2; \
@@ -9619,11 +9633,11 @@ echo $center_ra $center_dec \
                     printf fmt, $1,   $2+s; \
                     printf fmt, $1-s, $2; \
                     printf fmt, $1,   $2-s}' \
-            >> $dithercat
+            >> $pointingcat
 
-# Simulate the dither pattern.
+# Simulate the pointing pattern.
 stack=$bdir/stack.fits
-astscript-dither-simulate $dithercat --output=$stack \
+astscript-pointing-simulate $pointingcat --output=$stack \
            --img=input/ref.fits --center=$center_ra,$center_dec \
            --width=2
 
@@ -9646,13 +9660,13 @@ astarithmetic $pixarea $deep isblank nan where -g1 \
 For a description of how to make it exectable and how to run it, see 
@ref{Writing scripts to automate the steps}.
 Note that as you start adding your own text to the script, be sure to add your 
name (and year that you modified) in the copyright notice at the start of the 
script (this is very important!).
 
-@node Larger steps sizes for better calibration, Pointings that account for 
sky curvature, Script with dither simulation steps so far, Dither pattern design
+@node Larger steps sizes for better calibration, Pointings that account for 
sky curvature, Script with pointing simulation steps so far, Pointing pattern 
design
 @subsection Larger steps sizes for better calibration
 
-In @ref{Preparing input and generating exposure map} we saw that a small 
dither pattern is not good for the reduction of data from a large object like 
M94!
+In @ref{Preparing input and generating exposure map} we saw that a small 
pointing pattern is not good for the reduction of data from a large object like 
M94!
 M94 is about half a degree in diameter; so let's set @code{step_arcmin=15}.
 This is one quarter of a degree and will put the center of the four exposures 
on the four corners of the M94's main ring.
-Furthermore, @ref{Script with dither simulation steps so far}, the steps were 
summarized into a script to allow easy changing of variables without manually 
re-entering the individual/separate commands.
+Furthermore, @ref{Script with pointing simulation steps so far}, the steps 
were summarized into a script to allow easy changing of variables without 
manually re-entering the individual/separate commands.
 
 After you change @code{step_arcmin=15} and re-run the script, you will get a 
total area (from counting of per-pixel areas) of approximately 0.96 degrees 
squared.
 This is just roughly half the previous area and will barely fit M94!
@@ -9686,8 +9700,8 @@ Therefore at the cost of decreasing our surface 
brightness limit by 0.28 magnitu
 
 The argument above didn't involve any image and was primarily theoretical.
 For the more visually-inclined readers, let's add raw Gaussian noise (with a 
@mymath{\sigma} of 100 counts) over each simulated exposure.
-We will then instruct @command{astscript-dither-simulate} to stack them as we 
would stack actual data (by taking the sigma-clipped mean).
-The command below is identical to the previous call to the dither simulation 
script with the following differences.
+We will then instruct @command{astscript-pointing-simulate} to stack them as 
we would stack actual data (by taking the sigma-clipped mean).
+The command below is identical to the previous call to the pointing simulation 
script with the following differences.
 Note that this is just for demonstration, so you should not include this in 
your script (unless you want to see the noisy stack every time; at double the 
processing time).
 
 @table @option
@@ -9719,7 +9733,7 @@ For more on the noise-adding operators, see @ref{Random 
number generators}.
 @example
 $ center_ra=192.721250
 $ center_dec=41.120556
-$ astscript-dither-simulate build/dither.txt --img=input/ref.fits \
+$ astscript-pointing-simulate build/pointing.txt --img=input/ref.fits \
            --center=$center_ra,$center_dec \
            --width=2 --stack-operator="3 0.2 sigclip-mean" \
            --output=build/stack-noised.fits \
@@ -9752,11 +9766,11 @@ Accurate calibration is necessary if you do not want to 
loose the faint photons
 Ideally, you want your target to be on the four edges/corners of each image.
 This will make sure that a large fraction of each exposure will not be covered 
by your final target in each exposure, allowing you to calibrate much more 
accurately.
 
-@node Pointings that account for sky curvature, Accounting for non-exposed 
pixels, Larger steps sizes for better calibration, Dither pattern design
+@node Pointings that account for sky curvature, Accounting for non-exposed 
pixels, Larger steps sizes for better calibration, Pointing pattern design
 @subsection Pointings that account for sky curvature
 
 In @ref{Larger steps sizes for better calibration}, we saw how a small loss in 
surface brightness limit can allow better calibration and even a larger area.
-Let's extend this by setting @code{step_arcmin=40} (almost half the width of 
the detector) inside your script (see @ref{Script with dither simulation steps 
so far}).
+Let's extend this by setting @code{step_arcmin=40} (almost half the width of 
the detector) inside your script (see @ref{Script with pointing simulation 
steps so far}).
 After running the script with this change, take a look at 
@file{build/deep.fits}:
 
 @example
@@ -9765,13 +9779,13 @@ $ astscript-fits-view build/deep.fits --ds9scale=minmax
 
 You will see that the region with 5 exposure depth is a horizontally elongated 
rectangle now!
 Also, the vertical component of the cross with four exposures is much thicker 
than the horizontal component!
-Where does this assymmetry come from? All the steps in our dither strategy had 
the same (fixed) size of 40 arc minutes.
+Where does this assymmetry come from? All the steps in our pointing strategy 
had the same (fixed) size of 40 arc minutes.
 
 This happens because the same change in RA and Dec (defined on the curvature 
of a sphere) will result in different absolute changes on the equator.
-To visually see this, let's look at the dither positions in TOPCAT:
+To visually see this, let's look at the pointing positions in TOPCAT:
 
 @example
-$ cat build/dither.txt
+$ cat build/pointing.txt
 # Column 1: RA  [deg, f64] Right Ascension
 # Column 2: Dec [deg, f64] Declination
 192.721250 41.120556
@@ -9780,8 +9794,8 @@ $ cat build/dither.txt
 192.054583 41.120556
 192.721250 40.453889
 
-$ asttable build/dither.txt -obuild/dither.fits
-$ astscript-fits-view build/dither.fits
+$ asttable build/pointing.txt -obuild/pointing.fits
+$ astscript-fits-view build/pointing.fits
 @end example
 
 After TOPCAT opens, under the ``graphics'' window, select ``Plane Plot''.
@@ -9793,7 +9807,7 @@ Keep the previous window, and let's go back to the 
original TOPCAT window.
 In the first TOPCAT window, click on ``Graphics'' again, but this time, select 
``Sky plot''.
 You will notice that the vertical component of the cross is now longer than 
the horizontal component!
 If you zoom-out (by scrolling your mouse over the plot) a lot, you will see 
that this is actually on the spherical surface of the sky!
-In other words, as you see here, on the sky, the horizontal points are closer 
to each other than the vertical points; causing a larger overlap between them, 
making the vertical overlap thicker in @file{build/dither.fits}.
+In other words, as you see here, on the sky, the horizontal points are closer 
to each other than the vertical points; causing a larger overlap between them, 
making the vertical overlap thicker in @file{build/pointing.fits}.
 
 @cindex Declination
 @cindex Right Ascension
@@ -9801,7 +9815,7 @@ In other words, as you see here, on the sky, the 
horizontal points are closer to
 On the celestial sphere, only the declination is measured in degrees.
 In other words, the difference in declination of two points can be calculated 
only with their declination.
 However, except for points that are on the equator, differences in right 
ascension depend on the declination.
-Therefore, the origin of this problem is that we done the additions and 
subtractions for defining the dither points in a flat space: based on the step 
size in arc minutes that was applied similarly on RA and Dec (in @ref{Preparing 
input and generating exposure map}).
+Therefore, the origin of this problem is that we done the additions and 
subtractions for defining the pointing points in a flat space: based on the 
step size in arc minutes that was applied similarly on RA and Dec (in 
@ref{Preparing input and generating exposure map}).
 
 To fix this problem, we need to convert our points from the flat RA/Dec into 
the spherical RA/Dec.
 In the FITS standard, we have the ``World Coordinate System'' (WCS) that 
defines this type of conversion, using pre-defined projections in the 
@code{CTYPEi} keyword (short for for ``Coordinate TYPE in dimension i'').
@@ -9818,9 +9832,9 @@ This is the most commonly used projection in optical 
astronomy.
 Now that we know the final projection, we can do this conversion using Table's 
column arithmetic operator @option{eq-j2000-from-flat} like below:
 
 @verbatim
-$ dithercat=build/dither.txt
-$ ditheronsky=build/dither-on-sky.fits
-$ asttable $dithercat --output=$ditheronsky \
+$ pointingcat=build/pointing.txt
+$ pointingonsky=build/pointing-on-sky.fits
+$ asttable $pointingcat --output=$pointingonsky \
            -c'arith RA          set-r \
                     DEC         set-d \
                     r meanvalue set-ref-r \
@@ -9829,21 +9843,21 @@ $ asttable $dithercat --output=$ditheronsky \
            --colmetadata=1,RA,deg,"Right ascension" \
            --colmetadata=2,Dec,deg,"Declination"
 
-$ astscript-fits-view build/dither-on-sky.fits
+$ astscript-fits-view build/pointing-on-sky.fits
 @end verbatim
 
 Here is a break-down of the first command above: to do the flat-to-sky 
conversion, we need a reference point (where the two are equal).
 We have used the mean RA and mean Dec (through the @code{meanvalue} operator 
in Arithmetic) as our reference point (which are placed in the @code{ref-r} and 
@code{red-d} variables.
 After calling the @option{eq-j2000-from-flat} operator, we have just added 
metadata to the two columns.
 
-To confirm that this operator done the job correctly, after the second command 
above, repeat the same experiment as before with TOPCAT (where you viewed the 
dither positions on a flat and spherical coordinate system).
+To confirm that this operator done the job correctly, after the second command 
above, repeat the same experiment as before with TOPCAT (where you viewed the 
pointing positions on a flat and spherical coordinate system).
 You will see that indeed, on the sphere you have a `+' shape, but on the flat 
plot, it looks stretched.
 
 @cartouche
 @noindent
-@strong{Script update 1:} you should now add the @code{ditheronsky} definition 
and the @code{asttable} command above into the script of @ref{Script with 
dither simulation steps so far}.
-They should be placed before the call to @code{astscript-dither-simulate}.
-Also, in the call to @code{astscript-dither-simulate}, @code{$dithercat} 
should be replaced with @code{$ditheronsky} (so it doesn't use the flat RA, Dec 
pointings).
+@strong{Script update 1:} you should now add the @code{pointingonsky} 
definition and the @code{asttable} command above into the script of @ref{Script 
with pointing simulation steps so far}.
+They should be placed before the call to @code{astscript-pointing-simulate}.
+Also, in the call to @code{astscript-pointing-simulate}, @code{$pointingcat} 
should be replaced with @code{$pointingonsky} (so it doesn't use the flat RA, 
Dec pointings).
 @end cartouche
 
 After implementing this change in your script and running it, open 
@file{deep.fits} and you will see that the widths of both the horizontal and 
vertical regions are much more similar.
@@ -9868,17 +9882,17 @@ This is due to the RA/Dec change above, but across the 
width of the image.
 We can't therefore change this by just changing the position of the pointings, 
we need to rotate some of the exposures if we want it to be removed.
 But rotation is not yet implemented in this script.
 
-You can construct any complex dither pattern (with more than 5 points and in 
any shape) based on the logic and reasoning above to help extract the most 
science from the valuable telescope time that you will be getting.
+You can construct any complex pointing pattern (with more than 5 points and in 
any shape) based on the logic and reasoning above to help extract the most 
science from the valuable telescope time that you will be getting.
 Since the output is a FITS file, you can easily download another FITS file of 
your target, open it with DS9 (and ``lock'' the ``WCS'') with the stack 
produced by this simulation to make sure that the deep parts correspond to the 
area of interest for your science case.
 
 Factors like the optimal exposure time are also critical for the final 
result@footnote{The exposure time will determine the Signal-to-noise ration on 
a single exposure level.}, but is was beyond the scope of this tutorial.
 One relevant factor however is the effect of vignetting: the pixels on the 
outer extremes of the field of view that are not exposed to light and should be 
removed from your final stack.
-They effect your dither pattern: by decreasing your total area, they act like 
a larger spacing between your points, causing similar shallow crosses as you 
saw when you set @code{step_arcmin} to 43 arc minutes.
+They effect your pointing pattern: by decreasing your total area, they act 
like a larger spacing between your points, causing similar shallow crosses as 
you saw when you set @code{step_arcmin} to 43 arc minutes.
 In @ref{Accounting for non-exposed pixels}, we will show how this can be done 
within the same test concept that we done here.
 
 
 
-@node Accounting for non-exposed pixels,  , Pointings that account for sky 
curvature, Dither pattern design
+@node Accounting for non-exposed pixels,  , Pointings that account for sky 
curvature, Pointing pattern design
 @subsection Accounting for non-exposed pixels
 
 @cindex Baffle
@@ -9900,7 +9914,7 @@ Vignetting strongly depends on the optical design of the 
instrument you are usin
 It can be a constant number of pixels on all the edges the detector, or it can 
have a more complex shape.
 For example on cameras that have multiple detectors on the field of view, in 
this case, the regions to exclude on each detector can be very different and 
will not be symmetric!
 
-Therefore, within Gnuastro's @command{astscript-dither-simulate} script there 
is no parameter for pre-defined vignetting shapes.
+Therefore, within Gnuastro's @command{astscript-pointing-simulate} script 
there is no parameter for pre-defined vignetting shapes.
 Instead, you should define a mask that you can apply on each exposure through 
the provided hook (@option{--hook-warp-before}; recall that we previously used 
another hook in @ref{Larger steps sizes for better calibration}).
 Through the mask, you are free to set any vignetted or bad pixel to NaN (thus 
ignoring them in the stack) and applying it in any way that best suites your 
instrument and detector.
 
@@ -9913,7 +9927,7 @@ To mask the outer edges of an image we can use Gnuastro's 
Arithmetic program; an
 To learn more about this operator, see @ref{Size and position operators}.
 
 But before doing that, we need convert this angular distance to pixels on the 
detector.
-In @ref{Dither pattern design}, we used an undersampled version of the input 
image, so we should do this conversion on that image:
+In @ref{Pointing pattern design}, we used an undersampled version of the input 
image, so we should do this conversion on that image:
 
 @example
 $ margin_arcsec=30
@@ -9944,15 +9958,15 @@ $ astarithmetic input/ref.fits indexonly     set-i \
 $ astscript-fits-view build/mask.fits --ds9extra="-cmap red"
 @end example
 
-We are now ready to run the main dither simulate script.
+We are now ready to run the main pointing simulate script.
 With the command below, we will use the @option{--hook-warp-before} to apply 
this mask on the image of each exposure just before warping.
-The concept of this hook is very similar to that of @option{--hook-warp-after} 
in @ref{Dither pattern design}.
+The concept of this hook is very similar to that of @option{--hook-warp-after} 
in @ref{Pointing pattern design}.
 As the name suggests, this hook is applied ``before'' the warping.
 The input to the command given to this hook should be called with 
@code{$EXPOSURE} and the output should be called with @code{$TOWARP}.
 With the second command, let's compare the two outputs:
 
 @example
-$ astscript-dither-simulate build/dither-on-sky.fits \
+$ astscript-pointing-simulate build/pointing-on-sky.fits \
            --output=build/stack-with-trim.fits --img=input/ref.fits \
            --center=$center_ra,$center_dec --width=2 \
            --hook-warp-before='astarithmetic $EXPOSURE build/mask.fits \
@@ -9965,14 +9979,14 @@ As expected, due to the smaller area of the detector 
that is exposed to photons,
 To have contiguous depth in the deeper region, use this new call in your 
script and decrease the @code{step_arcmin=41}.
 
 You can use the same command on a mask that is created in any way and as 
realistic as possible.
-More generically, you can use the before and after hooks for any other 
operation; for example to insert objects from a catalog using 
@ref{MakeProfiles} as well as adding noise as we did in @ref{Dither pattern 
design}.
+More generically, you can use the before and after hooks for any other 
operation; for example to insert objects from a catalog using 
@ref{MakeProfiles} as well as adding noise as we did in @ref{Pointing pattern 
design}.
 
-Therefore it is also good to add the mask and its application in your script. 
This should be pretty easy by now (following @ref{Script with dither simulation 
steps so far} and the ``Script update 1'' box of @ref{Pointings that account 
for sky curvature}).
+Therefore it is also good to add the mask and its application in your script. 
This should be pretty easy by now (following @ref{Script with pointing 
simulation steps so far} and the ``Script update 1'' box of @ref{Pointings that 
account for sky curvature}).
 So we will leave this as an exercise.
 
 
 
-@node Moire pattern in stacking and its correction,  , Dither pattern design, 
Tutorials
+@node Moire pattern in stacking and its correction,  , Pointing pattern 
design, Tutorials
 @section Moir@'e pattern in stacking and its correction
 
 @cindex Moir@'e pattern or fringes
@@ -10078,11 +10092,11 @@ In the @code{MAX-FRAC} extension, you will see that 
the range of pixel values is
 This shows that the pixels are more similarly mixed and in fact, when you look 
at the actual warped image, you can hardly distinguish any Moir@'e pattern in 
the noise.
 
 @cindex Stacking
-@cindex Dithering
+@cindex Pointing
 @cindex Coaddition
 However, deep astronomical data are usually built by several exposures 
(images), not a single one.
 Each image is also taken by (slightly) shifting the telescope compared to the 
previous exposure.
-This shift is known as ``dithering''.
+This shift is known as ``dithering'' or a ``pointing pattern'', see 
@ref{Pointing pattern design}.
 We do this for many reasons (for example tracking errors in the telescope, 
high background values, removing the effect of bad pixels or those affected by 
cosmic rays, robust flat pattern measurement, etc.@footnote{E.g., 
@url{https://www.stsci.edu/hst/instrumentation/wfc3/proposing/dithering-strategies}}).
 One of those ``etc.'' reasons is to correct the Moir@'e pattern in the final 
coadded deep image.
 
@@ -10124,7 +10138,7 @@ In the previous @code{MAX-FRAC} image, you could see 
large blobs of similar valu
 But here, you see that the variation is almost on a pixel scale, and the 
difference between one pixel to the next is not significant.
 This is why you don't see any Moir@'e pattern in the warped image.
 
-In J-PLUS, each part of the sky was observed with a three-point dithering 
pattern.
+In J-PLUS, each part of the sky was observed with a three-point pointing 
pattern (very small shifts in each pointing).
 Let's download the other two exposures and warp the same region of the sky to 
the same pixel grid (using the @option{--gridfile} feature).
 Then, let's open all three cropped images in one DS9 instance:
 
@@ -10193,7 +10207,7 @@ For optimal results, the oversampling should be 
determined by the dithering patt
 For example if you only have two dither points, you want the pixels with 
maximum value in the @code{MAX-FRAC} image of one exposure to fall on those 
with a minimum value in the other exposure.
 Ideally, many more dither points should be chosen when you are planning your 
observation (not just for the Moir@'e pattern, but also for all the other 
reasons mentioned above).
 Based on the dithering pattern, you want to select the increased resolution 
such that the maximum @code{MAX-FRAC} values fall on every different pixel of 
the output grid for each exposure.
-
+Note that this discussion is on small shifts between pointings (dithers), not 
large ones like offsets); see @ref{Pointing pattern design}.
 
 
 
@@ -24186,7 +24200,7 @@ For good strategies of setting the pixel scale, see 
@ref{Moire pattern in stacki
 @end cartouche
 
 Another problem that may arise when aligning images to new pixel grids is the 
aliasing or visible Moir@'e patterns on the output image.
-This artifact should be removed if you are stacking several exposures, 
especially with a dithering pattern.
+This artifact should be removed if you are stacking several exposures, 
especially with a pointing pattern.
 If not see @ref{Moire pattern in stacking and its correction} for ways to 
mitigate the visible patterns.
 See the description of @option{--gridfile} below for more.
 
@@ -31736,7 +31750,7 @@ If you do confront such strange errors, please submit a 
bug report so we fix it
 * SAO DS9 region files from table::  Create ds9 region file from a table.
 * Viewing FITS file contents with DS9 or TOPCAT::  Open DS9 (images/cubes) or 
TOPCAT (tables).
 * Zero point estimation::       Zero point of an image from reference catalog 
or image(s).
-* Dithering pattern simulation::  Simulate a stack with a certain dithering 
pattern.
+* Pointing pattern simulation::  Simulate a stack with a given series of 
pointings.
 * PSF construction and subtraction::  Set of scripts to create extended PSF of 
an image.
 @end menu
 
@@ -32602,7 +32616,7 @@ With this option, you can have separate color bars 
under each image.
 
 
 
-@node Zero point estimation, Dithering pattern simulation, Viewing FITS file 
contents with DS9 or TOPCAT, Installed scripts
+@node Zero point estimation, Pointing pattern simulation, Viewing FITS file 
contents with DS9 or TOPCAT, Installed scripts
 @section Zero point estimation
 
 @cindex Zero point
@@ -32866,8 +32880,8 @@ When this option is given, the default installed 
Makefile will not be used: the
 @end table
 
 
-@node Dithering pattern simulation, PSF construction and subtraction, Zero 
point estimation, Installed scripts
-@section Dithering pattern simulation
+@node Pointing pattern simulation, PSF construction and subtraction, Zero 
point estimation, Installed scripts
+@section Pointing pattern simulation
 
 @cindex Depth of data
 Astronomical images are often composed of many single exposures.
@@ -32901,45 +32915,47 @@ In the jargon of observational astronomers, each 
exposure is also known as a ``d
 This name was chosen because two exposures are not usually taken on exactly 
the same position of the sky (known as ``pointing'').
 In order to improve all the item above, we often move the center of the field 
of view from one exposure to the next.
 In most cases this movement is small compared to the field of view, so most of 
the central part of the final stack has a fixed depth, but the edges are 
shallower (conveying a sence of vibration).
+When the spacing between pointings is large, they are known as an ``offset''.
+A ``pointing'' is used to refer to either a dither or an offset.
 
 @cindex Exposure map
 For example see Figures 3 and 4 of @url{https://arxiv.org/pdf/1305.1931.pdf, 
Illingworth et al. 2013} which show the exposures that went into the XDF survey.
-The dither pattern can also be large compared to the field of view, for 
example see Figure 1 of @url{https://arxiv.org/pdf/2109.07478.pdf, Trujillo et 
al. 2021}, which show the dithering strategy for the LIGHTS survey.
+The pointing pattern can also be large compared to the field of view, for 
example see Figure 1 of @url{https://arxiv.org/pdf/2109.07478.pdf, Trujillo et 
al. 2021}, which show the pointing strategy for the LIGHTS survey.
 These types of images (where each pixel contains the number of exposures, or 
time, that were used in it) are known as exposure maps.
 
-The dithering pattern therefore is strongly defined by the science case 
(high-level purpose of the observation) and your telescope's field of view.
+The pointing pattern therefore is strongly defined by the science case 
(high-level purpose of the observation) and your telescope's field of view.
 For example in the XDF survey is focused on very high redshift (most distant!) 
galaxies.
 These are very small objects and within that small footprint (of just 1 
arcmin) we have thousands of them.
 However, the LIGHTS survey is focused on the halos of large nearby galaxies 
(that can be more than 10 arcminutes wide!).
 
-In @ref{Invoking astscript-dither-simulate} of Gnuastro's @ref{Installed 
scripts} is described in detail.
-This script is designed to simplify the process of selecting the best 
dithering pattern for your observation strategy.
-For a practical tutorial on using this script, see @ref{Dither pattern design}.
+In @ref{Invoking astscript-pointing-simulate} of Gnuastro's @ref{Installed 
scripts} is described in detail.
+This script is designed to simplify the process of selecting the best pointing 
pattern for your observation strategy.
+For a practical tutorial on using this script, see @ref{Pointing pattern 
design}.
 
 @menu
-* Invoking astscript-dither-simulate::  Options and running mode.
+* Invoking astscript-pointing-simulate::  Options and running mode.
 @end menu
 
-@node Invoking astscript-dither-simulate,  , Dithering pattern simulation, 
Dithering pattern simulation
-@subsection Invoking astscript-dither-simulate
+@node Invoking astscript-pointing-simulate,  , Pointing pattern simulation, 
Pointing pattern simulation
+@subsection Invoking astscript-pointing-simulate
 
-This installed script will simulate a final stacked image from a certain 
dither pattern (given as a table).
-The executable name is @file{astscript-dither-simulate}, with the following 
general template:
+This installed script will simulate a final stacked image from a certain 
pointing pattern (given as a table).
+The executable name is @file{astscript-pointing-simulate}, with the following 
general template:
 
 @example
-$ astscript-dither-simulate [OPTION...] pointings.fits
+$ astscript-pointing-simulate [OPTION...] pointings.fits
 @end example
 
 @noindent
-Examples (for a tutorial, see @ref{Dither pattern design}):
+Examples (for a tutorial, see @ref{Pointing pattern design}):
 
 @example
-$ astscript-dither-simulate dither.fits --output=stack.fits \
+$ astscript-pointing-simulate pointing.fits --output=stack.fits \
            --img=image.fits --center=10,10 --width=1,1
 @end example
 
-The default output of this script is a stacked image that results from placing 
the given image (given to @option{--img}) in the pointings of a dither pattern.
-The Right Ascension (RA) and Declination (Dec) of each pointing is given in 
the main input catalog (@file{dither.fits} in the example above).
+The default output of this script is a stacked image that results from placing 
the given image (given to @option{--img}) in the pointings of a pointing 
pattern.
+The Right Ascension (RA) and Declination (Dec) of each pointing is given in 
the main input catalog (@file{pointing.fits} in the example above).
 The center and width of the final stack (both in degrees by default) should be 
speficied using the @option{--width} option.
 Therefore, in order to successfully run, this script at least needs the 
following four inputs:
 @table @asis
@@ -32956,23 +32972,23 @@ The width (in degrees) of the final stack (given to 
the @option{--width} option)
 @end table
 
 This script will ignore the pixel values of the reference image (given to 
@option{--img}) and the Reference coordinates (values to @code{CRVAL1} and 
@code{CRVAL2} in its WCS keywords).
-For each dither pointing, this script will put the given RA and Dec into the 
@code{CRVAL1} and @code{CRVAL2} keywords of a copy of the input (not changing 
the input in anyway), and reset that input's pixel values to 1.
+For each pointing pointing, this script will put the given RA and Dec into the 
@code{CRVAL1} and @code{CRVAL2} keywords of a copy of the input (not changing 
the input in anyway), and reset that input's pixel values to 1.
 The script will then warp the modified copy into the final pixel grid 
(correcting any rotation and distortions that are used from the original input).
-This process is done for all the dither points in parallel.
-Finally, all the dithered exposures are stacked together to produce an 
exposure map (showing how many exposures go into each pixel of the final stack.
+This process is done for all the pointing points in parallel.
+Finally, all the exposures in the pointing list are stacked together to 
produce an exposure map (showing how many exposures go into each pixel of the 
final stack.
 
-Except for the table of dither positions, the rest of the inputs and settings 
are configured through @ref{Options}, just note the restrictions in 
@ref{Installed scripts}.
+Except for the table of pointing positions, the rest of the inputs and 
settings are configured through @ref{Options}, just note the restrictions in 
@ref{Installed scripts}.
 
 @table @option
 @item -o STR
 @itemx --output=STR
 Name of the output.
-The output is an image of the requested size (@option{--width}) and position 
(@option{--center}) in the sky, but each pixel will contain the number of 
exposures that go into it after the dithering has been done.
+The output is an image of the requested size (@option{--width}) and position 
(@option{--center}) in the sky, but each pixel will contain the number of 
exposures that go into it after the pointing has been done.
 See description above for more.
 
 @item -h STR/INT
 @itemx --hdu=STR/INT
-The name or counter (counting from zero; from the FITS standard) of HDU 
containing the table of dither pointing positions (the file name of this table 
is the main input argument to this script).
+The name or counter (counting from zero; from the FITS standard) of HDU 
containing the table of pointing pointing positions (the file name of this 
table is the main input argument to this script).
 For more, see the description of this option in @ref{Input output options}.
 
 @item -i STR
@@ -32989,12 +33005,12 @@ If not given, a default value of @code{1} is assumed; 
so this is not a mandatory
 
 @item -r STR/INT
 @itemx --racol=STR/INT
-The name or counter (counting from 1; from the FITS standard) of the column 
containing the Right Ascension (RA) of each pointing to be used in the dither 
pattern.
+The name or counter (counting from 1; from the FITS standard) of the column 
containing the Right Ascension (RA) of each pointing to be used in the pointing 
pattern.
 The file containing the table is given to this script as its only argument.
 
 @item -d STR/INT
 @itemx --deccol=STR/INT
-The name or counter (counting from 1; from the FITS standard) of the column 
containing the Declination (Dec) of each pointing to be used in the dither 
pattern.
+The name or counter (counting from 1; from the FITS standard) of the column 
containing the Declination (Dec) of each pointing to be used in the pointing 
pattern.
 The file containing the table is given to this script as its only argument.
 
 @item -C FLT,FLT
@@ -33020,21 +33036,21 @@ The warping of each exposure is done in parallel by 
default; therefore there are
 @table @code
 @item $EXPOSURE
 Input: name of file with the same size as the reference image with all pixels 
having a fixed value of 1.
-The WCS has also been corrected based on the dither pattern.
+The WCS has also been corrected based on the pointing pattern.
 @item $TOWARP
 Output: name of the expected output of your hook.
 If it is not created by your script, the script will complain and abort.
 This file will be given to Warp to be warped into the output pixel grid.
 @end table
 
-For an example of using hooks with an exteded discussion, see @ref{Dither 
pattern design} and @ref{Accounting for non-exposed pixels}.
+For an example of using hooks with an exteded discussion, see @ref{Pointing 
pattern design} and @ref{Accounting for non-exposed pixels}.
 
 To develop your command, you can use @command{--hook-warp-before='...; echo 
GOOD; exit 1'} (where @code{...} can be replaced by any command) and run the 
script on a single thread (with @option{--numthreads=1}) to produce a single 
file and simplify the checking that your desired operation works as expected.
 All the files will be within the temporary directory (see @option{--tmpdir}).
 
 @item --hook-warp-after='STR'
 Command to run after the warp of each exposure into the output pixel grid, but 
before the stacking of all exposures.
-For more on hooks, see the description of @code{--hook-warp-before}, 
@ref{Dither pattern design} and @ref{Accounting for non-exposed pixels}.
+For more on hooks, see the description of @code{--hook-warp-before}, 
@ref{Pointing pattern design} and @ref{Accounting for non-exposed pixels}.
 
 @table @code
 @item $WARPED
@@ -33049,7 +33065,7 @@ This file will be stacked from the same file for all 
exposures into the final ou
 The operator to use for stacking the warped individual exposures into the 
final output of this script.
 For the full list, see @ref{Stacking operators}.
 By default it is the @code{sum} operator (to produce an output exposure map).
-For an example usage, see the tutorial in @ref{Dither pattern design}.
+For an example usage, see the tutorial in @ref{Pointing pattern design}.
 
 @item --mksrc=STR
 Use a non-standard Makefile for the Makefile to call.
@@ -33083,7 +33099,7 @@ For more, see @option{Operating mode options}.
 
 @item -N INT
 @itemx --numthreads=INT
-The number of threads to use for parallel operations (warping the input into 
the different dither points).
+The number of threads to use for parallel operations (warping the input into 
the different pointing points).
 If not given (by default), the script will try to find the number of available 
threads on the running system and use that.
 For more, see @option{Operating mode options}.
 
@@ -33102,7 +33118,7 @@ Print the version of the running Gnuastro along with a 
copyright notice and list
 For more, see @option{Operating mode options}.
 @end table
 
-@node PSF construction and subtraction,  , Dithering pattern simulation, 
Installed scripts
+@node PSF construction and subtraction,  , Pointing pattern simulation, 
Installed scripts
 @section PSF construction and subtraction
 
 The point spread function (PSF) describes how the light of a point-like source 
is affected by several optical scattering effects (atmosphere, telescope, 
instrument, etc.).



reply via email to

[Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread]