Representing Celestial Coordinate Systems - 10

Gnomonic projection: pixel grid with pixel, linear, native,
& celestial coordinates

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What aspects of the WCS proposal are specific to FITS, and what would we do differently if starting again from scratch (e.g. XML)?

  • All angles in degrees?

    OK, suits astronomy and software.


  • Left-handed (X, Y) coordinates?

    Required for but can be very confusing.


  • Define the Euler angles by specifying the celestial coordinates at the reference point (CRVALi)?

    Also necessary for first-order behaviour but complicates non-zenithal projections.


  • Require at all?

    Yes, it ties the celestial coordinate system to a particular point in the image.


  • Encode the algorithm type in CTYPEi?

    No, too restrictive.