Software Modifications

The MIDAS release 95NOV is the 10th official release of portable MIDAS. A number of new applications have been added to this version. Given below is a overview of the changes and improvements compared with the previous release:

1. The Problem Report form of the XHelp GUI has been simplified to make it easier to send us e-mail. After one year of working with the GNATS problem report database, new PR categories have been created, in particular for GUIs and for each context.

2. The Echelle package has been refurbished to allow calibration in world coordinates. The 94NOV version of the package is still available under the package name echellec. Documentation for the EMMI calibration is provided with the command INITIALIZE/EMMI. A MOTIF GUI for the new version of the Echelle package is provided and can be activated with create/gui echelle.

3. Several new commands have been included in the Spec package related to spectral analysis:
   • CONTINUUM/SPEC is a new command for the determination of spectra continuum using smoothing spline interpolation. This command comes in complement of NORMALIZE/SPEC, based on standard polynomials.
   • DEBLEND/LINE allows to fit up to 6 multiple-gaussian components in spectral lines (contributed by Goettingen University)
   • REFRACTION/LONG provides the correction for differential atmospheric dispersion (contributed by P.W.A. Goerdt, Goettingen University).
   • COMPUTE/PARALLACTIC allows to compute the parallactic angle (contributed by A. Smette, Groningen Observatory).

4. The MOS context has been developed by the Observatory of Heidelberg in the context of the FORS data reduction software development. The context includes a tutorial ( TUTORIAL/MOS).

5. Different search paths for Midas procedures, data and executables are now possible.
6. A first set of 3-dim functions has been implemented.
7. An upgrade of the CCD context (now called CCDRED) that now also includes tools for mosaicing ccds.
8. A separate context CCDTEST containing an updated version of the CCD testing commands.
9. A new context IRAC2 containing on- and off-line commands to support processing of the IRAC2 data.

For a more complete list of all updates/additions use the MIDAS command HELP [NEWS] after having installed this release. A hardcopy of it can be obtained via PRINT/HELP [NEWS].