From adam@csi.jpl.nasa.gov Fri Dec 9 20:54:34 1994 Path: solitaire.cv.nrao.edu!hearst.acc.Virginia.EDU!caen!newsxfer.itd.umich.edu!gatech!newsfeed.pitt.edu!hudson.lm.com!netline-fddi.jpl.nasa.gov!grover.jpl.nasa.gov!grover.jpl.nasa.gov!adam From: adam@csi.jpl.nasa.gov (Adam Bernstein) Newsgroups: sci.astro Subject: Re: Looking for a FITS displaying package Date: 8 Dec 1994 18:18:51 GMT Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory Lines: 26 Distribution: world Message-ID: <3c7imb$c70@grover.jpl.nasa.gov> References: <3c5cka$q08@biner.horizon.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: dragon.jpl.nasa.gov In article <3c5cka$q08@biner.horizon.com>, reynolds@biner.horizon.com (Andy Reynolds) writes: |> |> I'm looking for a FITS displaying package under SunOS on a Sparcstation |> running X windows. I've heard of a patch for the XV program that allows it |> to do FITS, but haven't been able to find it. Anybody know where to find |> this patch or any other program to display FITS? |> You can get the patches at csi.jpl.nasa.gov (128.149.29.4) in /pub/users/adam/xv3fits.tar.Z. However, if you're most interested in displaying and astronomy-related manipulation, your best bet is probably SAOimage, which you can get from aeneas.mit.edu in /pub/gnu/saoimage-1.08.tar.gz, or from the IRAF archives at iraf.noao.edu in /contrib/saoimage.sparc. And, of course, if you want to do some serious astronomical reduction and analysis, you could get the whole 60 meg IRAF package, which uses SAOimage as a display facility. Adam -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Adam Bernstein Phone: 818 354-9784 Jet Propulsion Lab Guidance & Control / FAX: 818 393-6105 MS 198-235 Optical Tracking Group 4800 Oak Grove Dr. adam@dragon.jpl.nasa.gov Pasadena, CA 91109 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ From awootten@slacktide.cv.nrao.edu Fri Dec 9 20:55:16 1994 Path: solitaire.cv.nrao.edu!news.cv.nrao.edu!awootten From: awootten@slacktide.cv.nrao.edu (Al Wootten) Newsgroups: sci.astro Subject: Re: Looking for a FITS displaying package Date: 9 Dec 94 14:29:56 Organization: nrao Lines: 46 Distribution: world Message-ID: References: <3c5cka$q08@biner.horizon.com> <3c7imb$c70@grover.jpl.nasa.gov> NNTP-Posting-Host: slacktide.cv.nrao.edu In-reply-to: adam@csi.jpl.nasa.gov's message of 8 Dec 1994 18:18:51 GMT In article <3c5cka$q08@biner.horizon.com>, reynolds@biner.horizon.com (Andy Reynolds) writes: |> |> I'm looking for a FITS displaying package under SunOS on a Sparcstation |> running X windows. I've heard of a patch for the XV program that allows it |> to do FITS, but haven't been able to find it. Anybody know where to find |> this patch or any other program to display FITS? |> A small FITS capable program with excellent functionality is Harvey Liszt's DRAWSPEC package, available from polaris.cv.nrao.edu via anon ftp in directory /hliszt For viewing, try Bill Cotton's FITSview for Windows via anon ftp as ftp://fits.cv.nrao.edu/fits/os-support/ms-windows/fitsview/fitsview031.zip with installation described in ftp://fits.cv.nrao.edu/fits/os-support/ms-windows/fitsview/fitsview031.txt Clear skies, Al +-------------------------------------------------------+ | Alwyn Wootten (http://www.cv.nrao.edu/~awootten/) | | National Radio Astronomy Observatory | | 520 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903-2475, USA| | (804)-296-0329 voice Let's build The Millimeter Array| | (804)-296-0278 FAX {> {> {> {> | +------------------------------^-----^-----^-----^------+ -- Alwyn Wootten From midnighta@aol.com Sat Dec 17 15:00:32 1994 Path: solitaire.cv.nrao.edu!hearst.acc.Virginia.EDU!concert!gatech!swrinde!howland.reston.ans.net!news.sprintlink.net!pipex!uunet!newstf01.news.aol.com!newsbf01.news.aol.com!not-for-mail From: midnighta@aol.com (Midnight A) Newsgroups: sci.astro Subject: Fits Formats Date: 9 Dec 1994 15:45:22 -0500 Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364) Lines: 78 Sender: news@newsbf01.news.aol.com Message-ID: <3cafl2$66p@newsbf01.news.aol.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: newsbf01.news.aol.com Since each pixel of an image have to be represented by a couple of letters (1 letter = 8 bits = 1 byte), imagine the length of a message consisting of an image being transformed into characters (UUencoded). That is why images will not be tolerated in this echo as in most others. FITS is the "defacto" standard among astronomers for exchanging information. Not only images but catalogs also! Look at the following paragraphs that are from the ADC (Astronomical Data Center): The ADC is currently working on a second ADC CD-ROM. The first CD-ROM has been very successful, with over a thousand copies distributed to date. The first ADC CD-ROM contained both ascii and FITS versions of catalogs. The FITS headers were designed to be homogeneous over the CD-ROM. In particular, the labels of the fields, and the comments were used to insure that uniformity. Since the creation of the first ADC CD-ROM, the ADC has worked with the CDS in Strasbourg to come to a common way of documenting the (tabular) catalog data. The advantages of that approach are many since the CDS and ADC regularly exchange their catalogs and try to maintain mirror archives. The approach adopted was designed by Francois Ochsenbein at CDS. The basic documentation allows the user to read a simple document description and the automatic creation of FITS files from the catalog files. The data and documentation can therefore be archived as flat ascii files. This removes the requirement to keep both ascii and FITS versions in the archive. Only one data file has to be maintained (thus simplifying error corrections etc.), and premium disk space is saved. The easy readability of the basic documentation files means that a browse capability through the World Wide Web is easily implemented using wais-indexing, etc. (stuff deleted...) All catalogs will conform to the version 1.5 of the documentation standard. This means the basic documentation files (ReadMe) for each catalog will contain all information necessary to build a FITS file automatically. Currently, we need to decide whether to distribute the catalogs in FITS only, in ascii with fits headers separately, or both in ascii and FITS. We need some input from our user community -- that means you! We've included a short questionnaire with this article. Please take the time to fill it in and return it as indicated. (Stuff deleted...) We plan to include Lee Brotzman's Fits Table Browser software. Is there any other FITS table browser that should be included ? We would like to hear from you. We are considering putting files in hypertext markup language on the CD-ROM so that the Mosaic client can be used to browse the disk. We are not able to distribute the NSCA clients on the CD-ROM because of licensing agreements of the UoI. Any suggestions in this area are also very welcome. See? In the last paragraph, they talk about a Fits Table Browser software... It is the same for images. You will need a software built to handle such files. Personnally, i use MiPS (the Microcomputer Image Processing System) and PRISM that are used in professionnal observatories. Expect to pay 300-400$ for each. Also, i don't know much other softwares that can handle Fits format. That is why most of amateur astronomers distribute their images in the proprietary format of their CCDs or in TIFF format that is a second choice after FITS because it loose less information than the GIF format that drops information for compression purposes. For example, the CCD-Quebec magazine (w/disks) distribute images in their native format and frequently suggest enhancing methods to apply to these just as you mentioned. So, as you said, it is really a possible thing to do and a good way to go because that way, no one is stuck with a "badly" transformed image and it is possible to enhance details the way he/she wants. Midnighta@aol.com From willner@cfa183.harvard.edu Sat Dec 17 15:01:20 1994 Newsgroups: sci.astro Path: solitaire.cv.nrao.edu!hearst.acc.Virginia.EDU!caen!newsxfer.itd.umich.edu!ncar!hsdndev!cfanews!cfa183!willner From: willner@cfa183.harvard.edu (Steve Willner) Subject: Re: Looking for a FITS displaying package Message-ID: Sender: news@cfanews.harvard.edu Organization: Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA, USA References: <3c5cka$q08@biner.horizon.com> Date: Mon, 12 Dec 1994 17:26:24 GMT Lines: 16 In article <3c5cka$q08@biner.horizon.com> reynolds@biner.horizon.com (Andy Reynolds) writes: >I'm looking for a FITS displaying package under SunOS on a Sparcstation >running X windows. The program saoimage is available from sao-ftp.harvard.edu in directory /pub/saoimage. The manual is separate, so you can ftp it first to see if the program is what you want. There are three versions of the program available, but I don't know why you would want anything other than version 1.07, the latest. There seem to be executables as well as source files, but I have no experience building the program myself. -- Steve Willner Phone 617-495-7123 swillner@cfa.harvard.edu Cambridge, MA 02138 USA member, League for Programming Freedom; contact lpf@uunet.uu.net From adam@csi.jpl.nasa.gov Sat Dec 17 15:01:35 1994 Path: solitaire.cv.nrao.edu!hearst.acc.Virginia.EDU!caen!newsxfer.itd.umich.edu!gatech!newsfeed.pitt.edu!hudson.lm.com!netline-fddi.jpl.nasa.gov!grover.jpl.nasa.gov!grover.jpl.nasa.gov!adam From: adam@csi.jpl.nasa.gov (Adam Bernstein) Newsgroups: sci.astro Subject: Re: Looking for a FITS displaying package Date: 8 Dec 1994 18:18:51 GMT Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory Lines: 26 Distribution: world Message-ID: <3c7imb$c70@grover.jpl.nasa.gov> References: <3c5cka$q08@biner.horizon.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: dragon.jpl.nasa.gov In article <3c5cka$q08@biner.horizon.com>, reynolds@biner.horizon.com (Andy Reynolds) writes: |> |> I'm looking for a FITS displaying package under SunOS on a Sparcstation |> running X windows. I've heard of a patch for the XV program that allows it |> to do FITS, but haven't been able to find it. Anybody know where to find |> this patch or any other program to display FITS? |> You can get the patches at csi.jpl.nasa.gov (128.149.29.4) in /pub/users/adam/xv3fits.tar.Z. However, if you're most interested in displaying and astronomy-related manipulation, your best bet is probably SAOimage, which you can get from aeneas.mit.edu in /pub/gnu/saoimage-1.08.tar.gz, or from the IRAF archives at iraf.noao.edu in /contrib/saoimage.sparc. And, of course, if you want to do some serious astronomical reduction and analysis, you could get the whole 60 meg IRAF package, which uses SAOimage as a display facility. Adam -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Adam Bernstein Phone: 818 354-9784 Jet Propulsion Lab Guidance & Control / FAX: 818 393-6105 MS 198-235 Optical Tracking Group 4800 Oak Grove Dr. adam@dragon.jpl.nasa.gov Pasadena, CA 91109 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ From awootten@slacktide.cv.nrao.edu Sat Dec 17 15:01:41 1994 Path: solitaire.cv.nrao.edu!news.cv.nrao.edu!awootten From: awootten@slacktide.cv.nrao.edu (Al Wootten) Newsgroups: sci.astro Subject: Re: Looking for a FITS displaying package Date: 9 Dec 94 14:29:56 Organization: nrao Lines: 46 Distribution: world Message-ID: References: <3c5cka$q08@biner.horizon.com> <3c7imb$c70@grover.jpl.nasa.gov> NNTP-Posting-Host: slacktide.cv.nrao.edu In-reply-to: adam@csi.jpl.nasa.gov's message of 8 Dec 1994 18:18:51 GMT In article <3c5cka$q08@biner.horizon.com>, reynolds@biner.horizon.com (Andy Reynolds) writes: |> |> I'm looking for a FITS displaying package under SunOS on a Sparcstation |> running X windows. I've heard of a patch for the XV program that allows it |> to do FITS, but haven't been able to find it. Anybody know where to find |> this patch or any other program to display FITS? |> A small FITS capable program with excellent functionality is Harvey Liszt's DRAWSPEC package, available from polaris.cv.nrao.edu via anon ftp in directory /hliszt For viewing, try Bill Cotton's FITSview for Windows via anon ftp as ftp://fits.cv.nrao.edu/fits/os-support/ms-windows/fitsview/fitsview031.zip with installation described in ftp://fits.cv.nrao.edu/fits/os-support/ms-windows/fitsview/fitsview031.txt Clear skies, Al +-------------------------------------------------------+ | Alwyn Wootten (http://www.cv.nrao.edu/~awootten/) | | National Radio Astronomy Observatory | | 520 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903-2475, USA| | (804)-296-0329 voice Let's build The Millimeter Array| | (804)-296-0278 FAX {> {> {> {> | +------------------------------^-----^-----^-----^------+ -- Alwyn Wootten