Munipack's Features

# Features

- Munipack is a free open source tool which aim is to be a software eye of an astronomer.
- Munipack's goal is to implement easy-to-use tools for all astronomical astrometry and photometry, access to Virtual observatory as well as FITS files operations and even more.
- Munipack provides a simple user interface along with a powerful processing engine.

## General

- All results are estimated by robust statistical methods. Mixed statistical distributions or random outliers does not matter in this robust approach.
- As the heart of optimisation methods, Minpack has been selected (source code by Netlib).

## Astrometry

Munipack has implemented the very complex astrometry module:

- Robust statistical estimators and algorithms are implemented.
- Mutual correspondence of an astrometric catalogue and processed images is determined by a developed matching algorithm on base of back-tracking.
- As the star position source, a catalogue or an already calibrated image can be provided.
- Astrometry calibration can be stored in FITS header.

## Photometry

Munipack provides the classical method detection of stars and the aperture photometry on base of DAOPHOT II.

- Automatic detection of stars
- Aperture photometry of stars
- Growth curve photometry of stars
- A novel approach on photometric calibration has been developed.
- The calibration on absolute fluxes is possible.
- Photometric System Transformation can be determined.

## Photometric Pre-corrections

A standard way to correct for all the bias, dark and flat-field frames is implemented.

- Averaging is implemented by robust statistical methods (eg. suppress defects like cosmic-ray events)
- Flat-fielding can be applied on series of twilight frames, including different levels of illumination.
- A very advanced algorithm for flat-fielding has been developed.

## Data Products

- Time-series (light curves)
- Deep fields and mosaics
- Universe in natural colours

## Colour Imaging

- Developed colour FITS convention
- Create of colour images in natural (not false!) colours from observations in astronomical Johnson BVR bands.

## Graphical Interface

Properties of Viewer:

- Analysis of FITS format structure
- Munipack is set as system default FITS images viewer.
- Basic (astronomical) operations with frames
- Advanced image processor supporting an infinite dynamic range
- Advanced colour management
- The image composition in false and natural colours
- Astrometric calibration of images

Properties of browser:

- A fast thumb-nailing tool
- Batch operations on large lists of files
- Recognition of structure of usual FITS files including tables and multi-HDU extensions
- Import of digital camera RAW photos (CR2, RAW, …) to colour FITS
- Common photometric reductions (dark, bias corrections, flat-fielding)
- Search of FITS headers

## Software Properties

- Munipack is designed as a multi-platform application. Developed and currently maintained only under GNU/Linux.
- Munipack is developed on top of wxWidgets, a C++ toolkit.
- Both graphical and command-line interfaces are available.
- All functionality can be scripted. Therefore, one is prepared for a batch processing of large amount of the astronomical data (for preparation of data pipelines).
- Munipack's functional core is split onto working modules. They are designed as independent routines written (mostly) in Fortran 95. They are available directly and can be controlled via standard input and output (possibly providing a network access, a scripting language wrapper, etc).

## See Also

- Getting started
- Introduction for command-line utilities
- ☺ User Guide
- ◈ Documentation