• Introduction
    • The VISTA Program
    • A Brief History of VISTA
    • VISTA Basics
    • VISTA Command Syntax
    • VISTA and Disk Files
    • Running VISTA
    • HELP: The VISTA Online Help Facility
    • Useful Commands for the Beginner
    • QUIT: Stopping VISTA
    • VISTA News
    • TERM: Specify or Change the Graphics Terminal Type

  • Advanced VISTA Command Syntax
    • Abbreviating VISTA Commands
    • Output Redirection
    • HISTORY: Recall the Last Several Commands
    • %: Repeating/Editing a Previous Command
    • Extending Commands Past One Line
    • ALIAS/UNALIAS: Define/Delete Command Aliases
    • EDIT: Editing the Last Command
    • SETDIR: Set the VISTA Default Directories and File Extensions
    • CD: Change the Current Working Directory

  • Variables, Arithmetic Expressions, & Strings
    • Arithmetic Expressions in VISTA
    • SET: Define a VISTA Variable and Assign it a Value
    • TYPE: Evaluate/Print Arithmetic Expressions
    • ASK: Prompt for Numerical Input at the Keyboard
    • Using Variables to Specify Buffer Numbers
    • PRINTF: Formatted Display of Strings and Arithmetic Expressions
    • STRING: Defining VISTA String Variables
    • Substituting String Variables into the Command Line

  • VISTA Command Procedure Scripts
    • Introduction to Command Procedure Scripts
    • PEDIT: Edit the Procedure Buffer
    • STOP: Stop Procedure Execution
    • END: End Procedure Execution
    • SHOW: Show the Current Procedure Buffer
    • WP: Write a Procedure to Disk
    • RP: Read a Procedure from Disk
    • GO: Start Procedure Execution
    • CALL: Call a Procedure as a Subroutine
    • RETURN: Return from a Procedure Subroutine
    • PARAMETER: Pass Arguments to a Procedure
    • VERIFY: Verify (Trace) Procedure Execution
    • DEF: Define a Procedure
    • SAME: End Procedure Insertion and Keep Trailing Lines

  • Flow Control in Procedures
    • PAUSE: Pause Procedure Execution
    • CONTINUE: Resume a Paused Procedure
    • GOTO: Jump to a Specified Place in a Procedure
    • DO/END_DO: Using Do-Loops in Procedures
    • IF, ELSE_IF, ELSE, END_IF: Conditional (IF) Flow Control
    • ERROR: Execute On Error
    • EOF: Execute On End-Of-File (EOF)

  • Input and Output of Images and Spectra
    • RD: Read an Image from a Disk File
    • WD: Write an Image to a Disk File
    • SETDIR: Set the VISTA Default Directories and File Extensions
    • CD: Change the Current Working Directory
    • COPY: Copy an Image between Buffers
    • BUFFERS: List the Contents of the Image Buffers
    • DISPOSE: Clear (Delete) an Image Buffer
    • CREATE: Create a Blank Image
    • CHANGE: Change the Object Name of an Image
    • FITS: Insert/Edit a FITS Header Card
    • UNFIT: Delete a FITS Header Card
    • HEDIT: Edit FITS Headers
    • FIXHEAD: Fix FITS Headers

  • Getting, Saving, and Printing Non-Image VISTA Data
    • Non-Image Data Files used by VISTA
    • GET/SAVE: Get/Save a VISTA Data File
    • PRINT: Print Data Files, Spectra, or Image Subsections
    • OPEN: Open an ASCII Text File
    • CLOSE: Close an Open ASCII Text File
    • READ: Read the Next Line of an ASCII Text File
    • SKIP: Mark Selected Lines to Skip in a File
    • REWIND: Rewind an Open File to the First Line
    • STAT: Compute Statistics of Data in a File

  • Image Display, Plotting, and Interaction
    • Introduction to the X11 Image Display
    • TV: Display an Image
    • ITV: Interact with the Image on the TV
    • COLOR: Load a Color Map into the Image Display
    • TVBOX: Draw a Box on the Image Display
    • TVPLOT: Draw Text and Graphics on the Image Display
    • IMPOST: Make a PostScript Hardcopy of an Image
    • PLOT: Plot a Row or Column of an Image or Spectrum
    • RPLOT: Radial Intensity Plot of an Object in an Image
    • TVRPLOT: Radial Intensity Plot of an Object on the Image Display
    • CONTOUR: Make Contour Maps Images
    • OVERLAY: Draw contours over a Greyscale Image (PostScript)
    • HISTOGRAM: Display a Histogram of Image Pixel Values
    • PLOT3D: Make a 3-D Perspective (mesh) Plot
    • CLEAR: Clear the Terminal or Image Display
    • TEXT: Embed Permanent Text on an Image

  • Marking Image Subsections or Pixels
    • Selecting Image Subsections for Computation
    • BOX: Define a Box or Image Subsection
    • MASK/UNMASK: Ignore (Mask) Specified Pixels
    • MASKTOIM: Create an Image Showing Masked Pixels

  • Image Arithmetic
    • Introduction to Image Arithmetic
    • ADD, SUBTRACT, MULTIPLY, and DIVIDE
    • SQRT: Square Root of an Image
    • LOG: Base-10 Logarithm of an Image
    • LN: Natural Logarithm of an Image
    • EXP: Exponentiate an Image
    • TAN: Tangent of an Image
    • ARCTAN: Arctangent of an Image
    • COS: Cosine of an Image
    • SIN: Sine of an Image
    • NINT: Nearest Integer of an Image
    • ONEOVER: Invert an Image

  • Basic Image Analysis
    • MN: Compute the Mean of the Pixel Values
    • SKY: Compute the Modal Sky/Background Level in an Image
    • ABX: Analyze Pixel Statistics in an Image
    • HISTOGRAM: Display a Histogram of Image Pixel Values
    • AXES: Compute the Centroid of an Object in an Image

  • Basic Image Processing
    • MERGE: Merge Overlapping Images or Spectra
    • WINDOW: Window (Crop) an Image to a Smaller Size
    • ROTATE: Rotate an Image
    • FLIP: Change the Orientation of an Image
    • BIN: Compress (bin) an Image or Spectrum
    • SHIFT: Shift an Image
    • CLIP: Replace Pixels Outside an Intensity Range
    • COLFIX: Fix Deferred Charge Columns in a CCD Image
    • SMOOTH: Smooth an Image or Spectrum
    • ZAP: Non-Interactive Image Median Filter
    • TVZAP: Interactively Remove Pixels by Median Filtering
    • MEDIAN: Compute Median of Several Images
    • BIGMEDIAN: Compute Median of a Large Number of FITS Images
    • PICCRS: Optimally Combine Frames with Outlier Rejection
    • SURFACE: Fit a Plane or Second-Order Surface to an Image
    • SPLINE: Replace Image or Spectrum by a Cubic Spline Fit
    • CROSS: Cross-Correlate Images or Spectra
    • INTERP: Interpolate Across Rows, Columns, or Masked Pixels
    • REGISTAR: Register Images Using Field Star Positions
    • DSSCOORD: Compute RA and Dec for Digitized Sky Survey Images
    • ATODSIM/ATODFIX: Simulate/Fix WF/PC1 A/D Conversion Errors
    • LINCOMB: Fit a Linear Combination of Images to an Image
    • BL: Correct an Image for Baseline Subtraction Noise

  • Fourier Transforms and Complex Arithmetic
    • FFT: Compute a Forward Fast-Fourier Transform
    • IFFT: Compute an Inverse FFT
    • POWERS: Generate a Power Spectrum (Periodogram Estimate)
    • CABS: Absolute Value of a Complex Image
    • Complex Image Arithmetic and Operators
    • CMUL/CDIV: Complex Image Multiplication
    • CMPLX/IMAG/REAL/CONJ: Complex Image Operators

  • Spectroscopy
    • Introduction to Spectroscopy
    • MASH: Extract a Spectrum by Summing (mashing) Rows or Columns
    • SPECTROID: Map the Location of a Spectrum on an Image
    • EXTRACT: Optimal Spectrum Extraction (Horne's Method)
    • LINEID: Identify Lines in a Wavelength-Calibration Spectrum
    • WSCALE: Compute Wavelength Scale from Indentified Lines
    • COPW: Copy a Wavelength Scale onto a Spectrum
    • ALIGN: Linearize or Transform a Wavelength-Calibrated Spectrum
    • SKYLINE: Re-Calibrate Wavelengths Using Night-Sky Lines
    • EXTINCT: Correct a Spectrum for Atmospheric Extinction
    • SETUP: Set the Longitude and Latitude for VISTA
    • FLUXSTAR: Compute Flux Curves from a Standard-Star Spectrum
    • FLUX: Flux Calibrate a Spectrum
    • POLY: Fit a Polynomial to a Spectrum
    • STRETCH: Stretch a Spectrum into a 2-D Image
    • ISPLINE: Interactively Fit a Spline to a Spectrum
    • ROWFIT: Fit Each Row of an Image with a Function
    • FINDSHIFT: Compute Relative Shifts Between Two Spectra
    • FINDPEAK: Find the Location of a Spectrum along Rows or Columns
    • SPINDEX: Measure Equivalent Widths at each Row of an Image
    • FQUO: Fit a Broadening Function to a Fourier Quotient Spectrum
    • EWAVE: Wavelength Calibrate an Echelle Image
    • EXTSPEC: Copy an Order of an Echelle Image to a Spectrum

  • Surface Photometry
    • CUT: Extract a Brightness Profile Cut along any Position Angle
    • PROFILE: Compute Surface Brightness Profile by Elliptical Isophote Fitting
    • ANNULUS: Compute a Radial Profile by Azimuthal Averaging
    • RECON: Reconstruct an Image from a Surface Photometry Profile
    • APER: Aperture Photometry of an Extended Object
    • ROUND: Deproject Spirals or Elliptical Images
    • POLAR: Regrid an Image into Polar Coordinates
    • EGAL: Reconstruct a Galaxy from its PROFILE
    • SNUC: Surface Photometry of Multiple-Galaxy Systems
    • RENUC: Reconstruct Galaxies from Multiple-Galaxy Photometry
    • SECTOR: Surface Photometry of Star Clusters or Complex Objects
    • AEDIT: Edit Values in Selected Image Regions
    • CLPROF: Clear the Contents of the PROFILE Buffer
    • CPROF: Correct the Results of a PROFILE Calculation
    • EMAG: Aperture Photometry with Elliptical Apertures
    • EMARK: Interactively Specify Ellipse Parameters for Photometry with EMAG
    • RMARK: Interactively Set Maximum Radius for EMAG
    • ELLMAG: Compute Elliptical Magnitudes for PROFILE Ellipses
    • TVPROF: Display PROFILE Results on the Image Display
    • OPREP: Open a Batch Surface Photometry Preparation File
    • CLPREP: Close a Batch Surface Photometry Preparation File
    • RPREP: Read a Record from a Batch Surface Photometry Prep-File
    • WPREP: Write a Record into a Batch Surface Photometry Prep-File

  • Stellar Photometry
    • DAOPHOT: A Stellar Photometry Package
    • OPTIONS: Daophot OPTIONS Command
    • FIND: DAOPHOT FIND Command
    • PHOTOM: DAOPHOT APERTURE PHOTOMETRY Command
    • GROUP: DAOPHOT GROUP Command
    • PSF: DAOPHOT PSF Command
    • PEAK: DAOPHOT PEAK Command
    • NSTAR: DAOPHOT NSTAR Command
    • SUBSTAR: DAOPHOT SUBSTAR Command
    • MONITOR/NOMONITOR: DAOPHOT MONITORING COMMANDS
    • SORT: Sort Two DAOPHOT Files
    • OFFSET: Offset Positions in a DAOPHOT File
    • SELECT: DAOPHOT SELECT Command
    • APPEND: DAOPHOT APPEND Command
    • DAOSKY: DAOPHOT SKY Command
    • DUMP: DAOPHOT DUMP Command
    • AUTOMARK: Locate Stars Automatically in an Image
    • MARKSTAR: Locate Stars Interactively in an Image
    • APERSTAR: Measure Brightnesses by Circular Aperture Photometry
    • COORDS: Compute Celestial Coordinates for Stars
    • MODPHOT: Modify Entries in a VISTA Photometry File
    • SHORTAP: Convert DAOPHOT Aperture Photometry Files to NSTAR Files
    • COMBINE: Combine Photometry Files using Magnitudes and/or Distances
    • MAGAVER: Compute Weighted Means of Photometry from COMBINE
    • REGISTER: Compute a Linear Plate Solution Between Several Images
    • FITSTAR: Calculate Extinction and Transformation Coefficients
    • CORRECT: Correct Photometry for Extinction and/or Transformations
    • DAOFILES: Define Names of DAOPHOT Files for DAOPHOT Commands
    • AUTOCEN: Find the Center of an Extended Object

  • Image Simulation
    • PHOTONS: Add Artificial Stars and/or Noise to an Image
    • TEMPLATE: Generate an Image from a User-Supplied Profile
    • DEVAUC: Generate an Image with a DeVaucouleurs Profile

  • Miscellaneous Commands
    • $: Execute a Shell Command from VISTA
    • TIME: Time a Command
    • CLOCK: Turn on the Internal Clock for Timing Multiple Commands
    • BELL: Turn the Prompt Bell ON/OFF or Ring the Bell

  • Index