This manual serves as a reference guide for the MIRIAD package. It is assumed that the reader has some familiarity with the underlying operating system. Before proceeding further you need to read Appendix A on how to set up your account in order to use MIRIAD .
The manual is split into three basic parts. The first part introduces you to the MIRIAD package and its general concepts. The second part, which uses a cookbook approach, takes you through the steps of putting your data on the local disk and reducing them. The third part contains a some miscellaneous topic, whereas finally contains appendices with a variety of details, often in tabular form.
If this is your first encounter with the MIRIAD package, we recommend that you read through Chapters 2 and 4 carefully.
For those interested, an overview of some of the history and design decisions of MIRIAD , the `standard reference' is: Sault R.J., Teuben P.J., Wright M.C.H., 1995, ``A retrospective view of Miriad'' in Astronomical Data Analysis Software and Systems IV, ed. R. Shaw, H.E. Payne, J.J.E. Hayes, ASP Conf. Ser., 77, 433-436.
Please send any comments or suggestions to
Bob Sault (rsault@atnf.csiro.au) or
Neil Killeen (nkilleen@atnf.csiro.au).