diff --git a/core/include/core/G3Quat.h b/core/include/core/G3Quat.h
index 37c3769d..86558655 100644
--- a/core/include/core/G3Quat.h
+++ b/core/include/core/G3Quat.h
@@ -17,11 +17,11 @@ class Quat
 	double c() const { return c_; }
 	double d() const { return d_; }
 
-	Quat versor() const;
 	double real() const;
 	Quat unreal() const;
 	Quat conj() const;
 	double norm() const;
+	double vnorm() const;
 	double abs() const;
 	double dot3(const Quat &b) const;
 	Quat cross3(const Quat &b) const;
@@ -67,6 +67,7 @@ inline double real(const Quat &q) { return q.real(); };
 inline Quat unreal(const Quat &q) { return q.unreal(); };
 inline Quat conj(const Quat &q) { return q.conj(); };
 inline double norm(const Quat &q) { return q.norm(); }
+inline double vnorm(const Quat &q) { return q.vnorm(); }
 inline double abs(const Quat &q) { return q.abs(); }
 
 Quat pow(const Quat &, int);
diff --git a/core/src/G3Quat.cxx b/core/src/G3Quat.cxx
index c378f34d..93fbd665 100644
--- a/core/src/G3Quat.cxx
+++ b/core/src/G3Quat.cxx
@@ -45,15 +45,6 @@ G3Quat::serialize(A &ar, unsigned v)
 	ar & cereal::make_nvp("value", value);
 }
 
-Quat
-Quat::versor() const
-{
-	double n = norm();
-	if (fabs(n - 1.0) > 1e-6)
-		return *this / sqrt(n);
-	return *this;
-}
-
 double
 Quat::real() const
 {
@@ -80,6 +71,12 @@ Quat::norm() const
 	return a_ * a_ + b_ * b_ + c_ * c_ + d_ * d_;
 }
 
+double
+Quat::vnorm() const
+{
+	return b_ * b_ + c_ * c_ + d_ * d_;
+}
+
 double
 Quat::abs() const
 {
@@ -978,8 +975,8 @@ PYBINDINGS("core")
 	     .def("__str__", quat_str)
 	     .def("__repr__", quat_repr)
 	     .def("norm", &Quat::norm, "Return the Cayley norm of the quaternion")
+	     .def("vnorm", &Quat::norm, "Return the Cayley norm of the unreal (vector) part of the quaternion")
 	     .def("abs", &Quat::abs, "Return the Euclidean norm of the quaternion")
-	     .def("versor", &Quat::versor, "Return a versor (unit quaternion) with the same orientation")
 	     .def("dot3", &Quat::dot3, "Dot product of last three entries")
 	     .def("cross3", &Quat::cross3, "Cross product of last three entries")
 	;
diff --git a/maps/src/pointing.cxx b/maps/src/pointing.cxx
index 05409f2b..86c1051a 100644
--- a/maps/src/pointing.cxx
+++ b/maps/src/pointing.cxx
@@ -25,6 +25,15 @@
  * the z coordinate = -sin(elevation) = sin(declination)
  */
 
+static Quat
+unit_vector(const Quat &q)
+{
+	double n = q.vnorm();
+	if (fabs(n - 1.0) > 1e-6)
+		return q / sqrt(n);
+	return q;
+}
+
 static Quat
 project_on_plane(const Quat &plane_normal, const Quat &point)
 {
@@ -34,27 +43,27 @@ project_on_plane(const Quat &plane_normal, const Quat &point)
 
 	Quat out_q(point);
 	//ensure unit vec
-	auto un = plane_normal.unreal().versor();
+	auto un = unit_vector(plane_normal);
 	out_q -= un * dot3(un, point);
-	return out_q.versor();
+	return unit_vector(out_q);
 }
 
 Quat
 ang_to_quat(double alpha, double delta)
 {
 	double c_delta = cos(delta / G3Units::rad);
-	return Quat(0, 
+	return Quat(0,
 		    c_delta * cos(alpha/G3Units::rad),
 		    c_delta * sin(alpha/G3Units::rad),
-		    sin(delta / G3Units::rad)).versor();
+		    sin(delta / G3Units::rad));
 }
 
 void
 quat_to_ang(const Quat &q, double &alpha, double &delta)
 {
-	auto uq = q.unreal().versor();
+	auto uq = unit_vector(q);
 	delta = ASIN(uq.d()) * G3Units::rad;
-	alpha = ATAN2(uq.c(), uq.b())*G3Units::rad;
+	alpha = ATAN2(uq.c(), uq.b()) * G3Units::rad;
 	if (alpha < 0)
 		alpha += 360 * G3Units::deg;
 }
@@ -71,8 +80,8 @@ py_quat_to_ang(const Quat &q)
 double
 quat_ang_sep(const Quat &a, const Quat &b)
 {
-	auto ua = a.unreal().versor();
-	auto ub = b.unreal().versor();
+	auto ua = unit_vector(a);
+	auto ub = unit_vector(b);
 
 	double d = dot3(ua, ub);
 	if (d > 1)
@@ -89,12 +98,11 @@ coord_quat_to_delta_hat(const Quat &q)
 	// specified by q
 	// 
 	// (The delta hat is equal to -alpha hat)
-	auto uq = q.unreal().versor();
-	double st = sqrt(1 - (uq.d()*uq.d()));
-	return Quat(0,
-		     -1 * (uq.b() * uq.d())/st,
-		     -1 * (uq.c() * uq.d())/st,
-		     st).versor();
+	auto uq = unit_vector(q);
+	double st = sqrt(1 - uq.d() * uq.d());
+	double ct = -1.0 * uq.d() / st;
+	Quat qd(0, uq.b() * ct, uq.c() * ct, st);
+	return unit_vector(qd);
 }
 
 static double
@@ -135,10 +143,10 @@ get_transform_quat(double as_0, double ds_0, double ae_0, double de_0,
 	auto aede_1 = ang_to_quat(ae_1, de_1);
 
 	auto tquat = cross3(asds_0, aede_0);
-	double mag = sqrt(dot3(tquat, tquat));
+	double mag = sqrt(tquat.vnorm());
 	double ang = quat_ang_sep(asds_0, aede_0);
 	tquat *= sin(ang/2.0) / mag;
-	tquat += Quat(cos(ang/2.0),0,0,0);
+	tquat += Quat(cos(ang/2.0), 0, 0, 0);
 
 	// trans_asds_1 and aede_1 should now be the same up to a rotation
 	// around aede_0
@@ -147,7 +155,7 @@ get_transform_quat(double as_0, double ds_0, double ae_0, double de_0,
 	// Project them on to a plane and find the angle between the two vectors
 	// using (ae_0, de_0) as the normal since we are rotating around that
 	// vector.
-	auto p_asds1 = project_on_plane(aede_0, trans_asds_1);	
+	auto p_asds1 = project_on_plane(aede_0, trans_asds_1);
 	auto p_aede1 = project_on_plane(aede_0, aede_1);
 
 	double rot_ang = quat_ang_sep(p_asds1, p_aede1);
@@ -159,9 +167,7 @@ get_transform_quat(double as_0, double ds_0, double ae_0, double de_0,
 		     sin_rot_ang_ov_2 * aede_0.b(),
 		     sin_rot_ang_ov_2 * aede_0.c(),
 		     sin_rot_ang_ov_2 * aede_0.d());
-	auto final_trans = rot_quat * tquat;
-
-	return final_trans;
+	return rot_quat * tquat;
 }
 
 Quat