From fitsbits-request Wed Mar 1 06:32:20 1995 X-VM-Message-Order: (1 2 3 4 8 9 11 10 12 13 14 15 5 6 7 16 17 18 19 20) X-VM-Summary-Format: "%n %*%a %-17.17F %-3.3m %2d %4l/%-5c %I\"%s\"\n" X-VM-Labels: nil X-VM-VHeader: ("Resent-" "From:" "Sender:" "To:" "Apparently-To:" "Cc:" "Subject:" "Date:") nil X-VM-Bookmark: 20 X-VM-v5-Data: ([nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil] ["405" "" "1" "March" "1995" "09:55:19" "GMT" "Andrew Loan" "aloan at mail.ast.cam.ac.uk" "<3j1ga7$job at lyra.csx.cam.ac.uk>" "13" "Re: combining FITS images" "^From:" nil nil "3" "1995030109:55:19" "combining FITS images" (number " " mark " Andrew Loan Mar 1 13/405 " thread-indent "\"Re: combining FITS images\"\n") ""] nil) Received: by fits.cv.nrao.edu (4.1/DDN-CV/1.8) id AA00669; Wed, 1 Mar 95 06:32:20 EST Return-Path: Message-Id: <3j1ga7$job at lyra.csx.cam.ac.uk> Organization: Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge Path: solitaire.cv.nrao.edu!hearst.acc.Virginia.EDU!concert!gatech!howland.reston.ans.net!pipex!lyra.csx.cam.ac.uk!mail.ast.cam.ac.uk!aloan References: Newsgroups: sci.astro.fits From: aloan at mail.ast.cam.ac.uk (Andrew Loan) Sender: fitsbits-request at fits.cv.nrao.edu To: fitsbits at fits.cv.nrao.edu Subject: Re: combining FITS images Date: 1 Mar 1995 09:55:19 GMT It is certainly possible to do this using IRAF: use "rfits" to convert the FITS files into IRAF files, and then use "rgbsun" (in the "color" package) to convert the three separate IRAF images into one colour image in Sun 24-bit RGB rasterfile format. Then you can use, for example, xv to read in the colour image and convert it into other formats (PS, jpeg, etc). I hope, this helps... Andy... From fitsbits-request Wed Mar 1 12:04:58 1995 X-VM-v5-Data: ([nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil] ["517" "" "1" "March" "1995" "09:18" "EDT" "Barry M. Schlesinger" "bschlesinger at nssdca.gsfc.nasa.gov" "<1MAR199509180669 at nssdca.gsfc.nasa.gov>" "15" "Re: combining FITS images ..." "^From:" nil nil "3" "1995030113:18:00" "combining FITS images ..." (number " " mark " Barry M. Schlesin Mar 1 15/517 " thread-indent "\"Re: combining FITS images ...\"\n") "<3iugu1$4su$1 at mhadg.production.compuserve.com>"] nil) Received: by fits.cv.nrao.edu (4.1/DDN-CV/1.8) id AA01755; Wed, 1 Mar 95 12:04:58 EST Return-Path: Message-Id: <1MAR199509180669 at nssdca.gsfc.nasa.gov> Organization: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center -- Greenbelt, Maryland USA Path: solitaire.cv.nrao.edu!hearst.acc.Virginia.EDU!caen!uwm.edu!lll-winken.llnl.gov!ames!newsfeed.gsfc.nasa.gov!nssdca.gsfc.nasa.gov!bschlesinger References: <3im4gh$25f at smarty.smart.net> <3iugu1$4su$1 at mhadg.production.compuserve.com> Newsgroups: sci.astro.fits From: bschlesinger at nssdca.gsfc.nasa.gov (Barry M. Schlesinger) Sender: fitsbits-request at fits.cv.nrao.edu To: fitsbits at fits.cv.nrao.edu Subject: Re: combining FITS images ... Date: 1 Mar 1995 09:18 EDT In article <3iugu1$4su$1 at mhadg.production.compuserve.com>, A.G. Lovejoy <76504.3571 at CompuServe.COM> writes... >DOS based NASA image data viewer...called IMDISP >...is available from Compuserve in one of it's Space related forums. > [...] >It allows for some very good buffer-based filters and processors, >also exports to GIF! > IMDISP 7.9 by Archie Warnock and Ron Baalke is available at ftp://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/pub/ in the ADC/software/imdisp subdirectory. Barry Schlesinger FITS Support Office From fitsbits-request Wed Mar 1 21:45:45 1995 X-VM-v5-Data: ([nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil] ["154" "Wed" "1" "March" "1995" "13:18:20" "GMT" "Linas Petras" "linas at hparc0.aus.hp.com" "<1995Mar1.131820.22830 at hparc0.aus.hp.com>" "4" "IRAF for Linux ??" "^From:" nil nil "3" "1995030113:18:20" "IRAF for Linux ??" (number " " mark " Linas Petras Mar 1 4/154 " thread-indent "\"IRAF for Linux ??\"\n") nil] nil) Received: by fits.cv.nrao.edu (4.1/DDN-CV/1.8) id AA00520; Wed, 1 Mar 95 21:45:45 EST Return-Path: Message-Id: <1995Mar1.131820.22830 at hparc0.aus.hp.com> Organization: HP Australasian Response Centre (Melbourne) Path: solitaire.cv.nrao.edu!hearst.acc.Virginia.EDU!caen!sdd.hp.com!hplabs!hplntx!hparc0.aus.hp.com!linas Newsgroups: sci.astro.fits From: linas at hparc0.aus.hp.com (Linas Petras) Sender: fitsbits-request at fits.cv.nrao.edu To: fitsbits at fits.cv.nrao.edu Subject: IRAF for Linux ?? Date: Wed, 1 Mar 1995 13:18:20 GMT I hear that their is a version of IRAF available for PC's running the Linux unix clone. Can anyone provide further details ? Where can I get a copy :-) From fitsbits-request Thu Mar 2 14:05:21 1995 X-VM-v5-Data: ([nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil] ["506" "Thu" "2" "March" "1995" "14:18:27" "GMT" "Dominique Beauchamp" "beaucham at phy.ulaval.ca" "" "19" "Re: IRAF for Linux ??" "^From:" nil nil "3" "1995030214:18:27" "IRAF for Linux ??" (number " " mark " Dominique Beaucha Mar 2 19/506 " thread-indent "\"Re: IRAF for Linux ??\"\n") "<1995Mar1.131820.22830 at hparc0.aus.hp.com>"] nil) Received: by fits.cv.nrao.edu (4.1/DDN-CV/1.8) id AA03473; Thu, 2 Mar 95 14:05:21 EST Return-Path: Message-Id: Organization: CRAPUL Path: solitaire.cv.nrao.edu!hearst.acc.Virginia.EDU!concert!news-server.ncren.net!news.duke.edu!news.mathworks.com!newshost.marcam.com!uunet!in1.uu.net!newsflash.concordia.ca!news.mcgill.ca!DMI.USherb.CA!clouso.crim.ca!athena.ulaval.ca!astro!beaucham References: <1995Mar1.131820.22830 at hparc0.aus.hp.com> Reply-To: beaucham at phy.ulaval.ca Newsgroups: sci.astro.fits From: beaucham at phy.ulaval.ca (Dominique Beauchamp) Sender: fitsbits-request at fits.cv.nrao.edu To: fitsbits at fits.cv.nrao.edu Subject: Re: IRAF for Linux ?? Date: Thu, 2 Mar 1995 14:18:27 GMT In article 22830 at hparc0.aus.hp.com, linas at hparc0.aus.hp.com (Linas Petras) writes: > I hear that their is a version of IRAF available for PC's running the Linux > unix clone. Can anyone provide further details ? Where can I get a copy :-) > We are a couple of guys here runing Linux on our PC and we are looking for IRAF too. I would be interested to know where to get it too. Dominique Beauchamp, for the "Linux gang" Labo. d'astrophysique dep. de physique, U. Laval, Quebec beaucham at phy.ulaval.ca From fitsbits-request Thu Mar 2 21:32:54 1995 X-VM-v5-Data: ([nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil] ["277" "" "2" "March" "1995" "11:45:28" "-0800" "Ion-Alexis George Yadigaroglu" "iony at leland.stanford.edu" "<3j578o$stb at elaine56.Stanford.EDU>" "11" "Wavelet filter." "^From:" nil nil "3" "1995030219:45:28" "Wavelet filter." (number " " mark " Ion-Alexis George Mar 2 11/277 " thread-indent "\"Wavelet filter.\"\n") nil] nil) Received: by fits.cv.nrao.edu (4.1/DDN-CV/1.8) id AA04419; Thu, 2 Mar 95 21:32:54 EST Return-Path: Message-Id: <3j578o$stb at elaine56.Stanford.EDU> Organization: Stanford University, CA 94305, USA Path: solitaire.cv.nrao.edu!hearst.acc.Virginia.EDU!caen!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!news.mindlink.net!agate!news.Stanford.EDU!not-for-mail Newsgroups: sci.image.processing,comp.graphics,sci.astro.fits From: iony at leland.Stanford.EDU (Ion-Alexis George Yadigaroglu) Sender: fitsbits-request at fits.cv.nrao.edu To: fitsbits at fits.cv.nrao.edu Subject: Wavelet filter. Date: 2 Mar 1995 11:45:28 -0800 Is there a package out there that will do some form of wavelet filtering on a 2D image? I have astro pictures that will need an adaptive filter to yield their info. I have all the usual astro software (iraf with packages, xanadu, etc). Thanks in advance for any help, Ion From fitsbits-request Fri Mar 3 19:49:13 1995 X-VM-v5-Data: ([nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil] ["351" "" "4" "March" "1995" "00:25:33" "GMT" "Michael A. Phillips" "maphilli at libws4.ic.sunysb.edu" "<3j8c1t$3et at adam.cc.sunysb.edu>" "13" "DOS/Windows FITs viewer" "^From:" nil nil "3" "1995030400:25:33" "DOS/Windows FITs viewer" (number " " mark " Michael A. Philli Mar 4 13/351 " thread-indent "\"DOS/Windows FITs viewer\"\n") nil] nil) Received: by fits.cv.nrao.edu (4.1/DDN-CV/1.8) id AA01524; Fri, 3 Mar 95 19:49:13 EST Return-Path: Message-Id: <3j8c1t$3et at adam.cc.sunysb.edu> Organization: State University of New York at Stony Brook Path: solitaire.cv.nrao.edu!hearst.acc.Virginia.EDU!concert!gatech!howland.reston.ans.net!news.sprintlink.net!adam.cc.sunysb.edu!libws4!maphilli Newsgroups: sci.astro.fits From: maphilli at libws4.ic.sunysb.edu (Michael A Phillips) Sender: fitsbits-request at fits.cv.nrao.edu To: fitsbits at fits.cv.nrao.edu Subject: DOS/Windows FITs viewer Date: 4 Mar 1995 00:25:33 GMT I tried to find this viewer at both ftp sites, and one i coudn't get to and the other (at ames.arc.nasa.gov) didn't have the sub directory, much less the file! if anyone has the zip file or know where it can be obtained, could you please post or send mail to me, or even better post it to the group! thanks - mike (maphilli at mathlab.sunysb.edu) From fitsbits-request Fri Mar 3 20:17:03 1995 X-VM-v5-Data: ([nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil] ["1215" "Fri" "3" "March" "1995" "20:20:55" "-0500" "Nick White" "white at adhoc.gsfc.nasa.gov" "<9503040120.AA08624 at adhoc.gsfc.nasa.gov>" "30" "junk mail (fwd)" "^From:" nil nil "3" "1995030401:20:55" "junk mail" (number " " mark " Nick White Mar 3 30/1215 " thread-indent "\"junk mail (fwd)\"\n") nil] nil) Received: by fits.cv.nrao.edu (4.1/DDN-CV/1.8) id AA01544; Fri, 3 Mar 95 20:17:03 EST Return-Path: Message-Id: <9503040120.AA08624 at adhoc.gsfc.nasa.gov> X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.4 PL24alpha3] Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Length: 1214 From: Nick White Sender: fitsbits-request at fits.cv.nrao.edu To: fitsbits at fits.cv.nrao.edu Subject: junk mail (fwd) Date: Fri, 3 Mar 1995 20:20:55 -0500 (EST) I'm of the opinion that fits-bits should become a restricted listserv with postings limited to subscribers to the list and that the list of subscribers be limited to people truely interested in discussing FITS format issues. Aside from the following advertisement, the constant questions asking where to find software to display fits images is getting on my nerves. Nick White HEASARC *********************************ADVERTISEMENT******************************** Atlas Computer Systems is pleased to announce the arrival of the Western Digital Caviar AC31000 1.08 GB EIDE hard drive for the unbelievably low price of $389 plus $10 shipping and handling. Call Atlas Computer Systems at (904) 694-2900 Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST with your credit card ready to place an order. All orders placed within the continental United States will be shipped via UPS Second Day Air. Ask your ACS sales representative for information on international shipping. If you're interested in having our current price list e-mailed to you, send a request to us001663 at interramp.com. We look forward to hearing from you. *********************************ADVERTISEMENT******************************** From fitsbits-request Sun Mar 5 17:08:25 1995 X-VM-v5-Data: ([nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil] ["553" "Sun" "5" "March" "1995" "17:08:15" "EST" "Bill Cotton" "bcotton at gorilla.cv.nrao.edu" "<9503052208.AA10692 at gorilla.cv.nrao.edu>" "17" "Re: DOS/Windows FITs viewer" "^From:" nil nil "3" "1995030522:08:15" "DOS/Windows FITs viewer" (number " " mark " Bill Cotton Mar 5 17/553 " thread-indent "\"Re: DOS/Windows FITs viewer\"\n") "<3j8c1t$3et at adam.cc.sunysb.edu>"] nil) Received: by fits.cv.nrao.edu (4.1/DDN-CV/1.8) id AA09146; Sun, 5 Mar 95 17:08:25 EST Return-Path: Message-Id: <9503052208.AA10692 at gorilla.cv.nrao.edu> Newsgroups: sci.astro.fits In-Reply-To: <3j8c1t$3et at adam.cc.sunysb.edu> References: <3j8c1t$3et at adam.cc.sunysb.edu> From: bcotton at gorilla.cv.nrao.edu (Bill Cotton) Sender: fitsbits-request at fits.cv.nrao.edu To: maphilli at libws4.ic.sunysb.edu (Michael A Phillips) Cc: fitsbits at fits.cv.nrao.edu Subject: Re: DOS/Windows FITs viewer Date: Sun, 5 Mar 95 17:08:15 EST >I tried to find this viewer at both ftp sites, and one i coudn't get to >and the other (at ames.arc.nasa.gov) didn't have the sub directory, much >less the file! > >if anyone has the zip file or know where it can be obtained, could you please >post or send mail to me, or even better post it to the group! > >thanks > >- mike (maphilli at mathlab.sunysb.edu) There is a MS-Windows FITS viewer, FITS view available via anonymous ftp on fits.nrao.edu in fits/os-support/ms-windows/fitsview. You want files fitsv040.txt and fitsv040.txt. -Bill Cotton From fitsbits-request Mon Mar 6 10:52:49 1995 X-VM-v5-Data: ([nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil] ["1021" "" "6" "March" "1995" "10:07" "EDT" "Barry M. Schlesinger" "bschlesinger at nssdca.gsfc.nasa.gov" "<6MAR199510075869 at nssdca.gsfc.nasa.gov>" "22" "Re: junk mail (fwd)" "^From:" nil nil "3" "1995030614:07:00" "junk mail" (number " " mark " Barry M. Schlesin Mar 6 22/1021 " thread-indent "\"Re: junk mail (fwd)\"\n") "<9503040120.AA08624 at adhoc.gsfc.nasa.gov>"] nil) Received: by fits.cv.nrao.edu (4.1/DDN-CV/1.8) id AA12572; Mon, 6 Mar 95 10:52:49 EST Return-Path: Message-Id: <6MAR199510075869 at nssdca.gsfc.nasa.gov> Organization: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center -- Greenbelt, Maryland USA Path: solitaire.cv.nrao.edu!hearst.acc.Virginia.EDU!caen!night.primate.wisc.edu!news.larc.nasa.gov!ames!newsfeed.gsfc.nasa.gov!nssdca.gsfc.nasa.gov!bschlesinger References: <9503040120.AA08624 at adhoc.gsfc.nasa.gov> Newsgroups: sci.astro.fits From: bschlesinger at nssdca.gsfc.nasa.gov (Barry M. Schlesinger) Sender: fitsbits-request at fits.cv.nrao.edu To: fitsbits at fits.cv.nrao.edu Subject: Re: junk mail (fwd) Date: 6 Mar 1995 10:07 EDT In article <9503040120.AA08624 at adhoc.gsfc.nasa.gov>, Nick White writes... > >...the constant questions asking where >to find software to display fits images is getting on my nerves. The charter of the group at URL http://fits.cv.nrao.edu/traffic/sciastrofits/charter_sci_astro_fits.news states, "This group will provide a forum for all topics concerning the FITS (Flexible Image Transport System) data format." Such topics could include not only discussions on FITS extensions, conventions and designs but also how to use FITS. In that context, I would consider "How do I display FITS images?" posts consistent with that charter. In order to cut down the number of questions of that kind, an extensive discussion on this subject is included in the FITS basics and information, which is posted from time to time on the newsgroup. And the information is always available from ftp://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/pub/fits/basics_info.txt, to which people can be referred. Barry Schlesinger From fitsbits-request Tue Mar 7 11:54:51 1995 X-VM-v5-Data: ([nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil] ["5006" "Tue" "7" "March" "1995" "11:54:44" "-0500" "William Pence" "pence at tetra.gsfc.nasa.gov" "<199503071654.LAA06045 at tetra.gsfc.nasa.gov>" "95" "FTOOLS Version 3.3" "^From:" nil nil "3" "1995030716:54:44" "FTOOLS Version 3.3" (number " " mark " William Pence Mar 7 95/5006 " thread-indent "\"FTOOLS Version 3.3\"\n") nil] nil) Received: by fits.cv.nrao.edu (4.1/DDN-CV/1.8) id AA17085; Tue, 7 Mar 95 11:54:51 EST Return-Path: Message-Id: <199503071654.LAA06045 at tetra.gsfc.nasa.gov> From: William Pence Sender: fitsbits-request at fits.cv.nrao.edu To: fitsbits at fits.cv.nrao.edu Cc: pence at tetra.gsfc.nasa.gov Subject: FTOOLS Version 3.3 Date: Tue, 7 Mar 1995 11:54:44 -0500 FTOOLS Version 3.3 A new version of the FTOOLS package of programs to manipulate FITS files is now available. FTOOLS may be built either as a set of stand-alone executable programs or as a package of tasks under IRAF. Installers also have the option to build only the "core" set of FTOOLS that perform generic operations on FITS files, or the entire set of FTOOLS that includes more specialized tasks for X-ray and Gamma-ray data analysis. Information about FTOOLS is available on the WWW at http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/software/ftools/ftools_menu.html FTOOLS is available via Anonymous FTP from legacy.gsfc.nasa.gov in the software/ftools/release/FTools_3.3 directory. The source code and and reference data files are located in: ftools.v3.3.tar.Z - Source Code Distribution for all platforms refdata.v3.3.tar.Z - Minimal subset of Calibration Database (not needed for the 'core' FTOOLS) The compressed postscript documentation files are located in the software/ftools/release/doc directory: Develop.v3.3.ps.Z - Developer's Guide Install.v3.3.ps.Z - Installation Guide Users.v3.3.ps.Z - User's Guide TechRef.v3.3.ps.Z - Complete User's Guide and help pages FTOOLS is currently supported on the following platforms (See Installation Guide for details): unix ALPHA/OSF, DEC/ULTRIX, SUN/SunOS, SGI/IRIX vms ALPHA/VMS, VAX/VMS The FTOOLS package has been developed and is supported by programmers and scientists at the High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center (HEASARC). Any questions or comments regarding FTOOLS should be directed to ftoolshelp at ascasrv.gsfc.nasa.gov. ------------- List of some of the programs available in FTOOLS ----------------- General Purpose FITS Utilities: fappend - Append a FITS extension onto another FITS file fcalc - Calculates values for a column using an arithmetic expression fcatdiff - Compares columns of a fits file and reports row differences fcreate - Create a FITS table from ASCII input files fcurve - Make a light curve histogram from a column in a table fdump - Dump contents of a FITS table to an ASCII file fextract - Copy a FITS extension from a file into a new file ffilecat - Copies keyword values from a list of FITS file to FITS Table fhelp - Display help pages for an FTOOL task fhisto - Make a histogram of a column in a table findex - Create an index file for a FITS table column fkeypar - Copy a FITS header keyword to a parameter fkeyprint - Display keyword(s) in FITS header(s) fkeytab - Copy a FITS header keyword to a FITS table element flcol - List column information in a FITS table extension flist - List contents of a FITS table to an ASCII file flookup - Filter a FITS file from selection based on a lookup table fmemsort - Fast memory sort of a FITS table fmerge - Merge rows from several FITS tables into one FITS table fmodhead - Modify the header keywords in a FITS file fparkey - Copy a parameter value to a FITS header keyword fpartab - Copy a parameter value to a FITS table element fplot - Plot columns in a FITS file using QDP/PLT package fselect - Create a new table from selected rows of a table fsort - Sort a FITS table in place fstatistic - Calculate mean, standard deviation, min, and max for a column fstruct - List a description of the structure of a FITS file ftabcopy - Copy specified columns of a FITS table to a new table ftabkey - Copy a FITS table element to a FITS header keyword ftabpar - Copy a FITS table element to a parameter value fverify - Verify that a FITS file conforms to the FITS Standard FITS Image Tasks: fadapt - Convolve a FITS image with an adaptive top hat filter farith - Perform arithmetic on 2 FITS images fboxcar - Convolve a FITS image with a rectangular boxcar filter fcarith - Perform arithmetic on FITS image with a constant fgauss - Convolve a FITS image with an elliptical Gaussian function fimgbin - Rebin a FITS image using a rectangular bin size fimconcat - Take 2 images and place them side by side as single image fimgdmp - Dump contents of a FITS image to an ASCII file fim2lst - Convert a 2D image to a pixel list (inverse of f2dhisto) florentz - Convolve a FITS image with an elliptical Lorentzian function fmaskfilt - Filter an event list based on an input mask image fmrgmsk - Merge 2 or more spatial masks fsaoi - Translate an SAOImage region file to an input file for fselect fvec2img - Create an image from a column of vectors f2dhisto - Make a 2-D image from 2 columns in a table ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From fitsbits-request Wed Mar 8 10:36:35 1995 X-VM-v5-Data: ([nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil] ["5268" "Wed" "8" "March" "1995" "10:36:26" "-0500" "William Pence" "pence at tetra.gsfc.nasa.gov" "<199503081536.KAA06615 at tetra.gsfc.nasa.gov>" "100" "FITS column names" "^From:" nil nil "3" "1995030815:36:26" "FITS column names" (number " " mark " William Pence Mar 8 100/5268 " thread-indent "\"FITS column names\"\n") nil] nil) Received: by fits.cv.nrao.edu (4.1/DDN-CV/1.8) id AA20757; Wed, 8 Mar 95 10:36:35 EST Return-Path: Message-Id: <199503081536.KAA06615 at tetra.gsfc.nasa.gov> From: William Pence Sender: fitsbits-request at fits.cv.nrao.edu To: fitsbits at fits.cv.nrao.edu Cc: pence at tetra.gsfc.nasa.gov Subject: FITS column names Date: Wed, 8 Mar 1995 10:36:26 -0500 Returning to the issue of FITS column names, Francois Ochsenbein wrote (on 01 Feb 1995): > The CDS has recently incorporated a possibility of "on-the-fly" > transformation of tabular data into FITS ascii tables in its > anonymous FTP server (node cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr). (...) > This facility concerns over 1,000 tables for which we don't require > to build and maintain FITS versions. We hope that the FITS generated > is standard --- however we have conventions for UNIT which differ > from the proposed OGIP ones, and we do allow column names with > non-alphanumeric characters. Just to make this clear, the recommendation to use only letters, digits, and the underscore in column names did not come from the OGIP, but was made in the original FITS paper defining the rules for table extensions. This recommendation is also repeated in the NOST FITS Standard and the FITS Users Guide, so personally, I think this should be strongly enforced unless a compelling case can be made to relax the rule in certain cases. The OGIP FITS Working Group recently adopted the following 6 rules for FITS column names. For the most part these rules just follow the extablished FITS recommendations except that we allow the names to be unique within up to 16 characters, instead of only 8 characters. We would like to propose that the various FITS committees consider endorsing these recommendations, and that the FITS Standard be revised to clarify and strengthen the current recommendations on column names. Note that the current Binary Table definition document places no restictions at all on the allowed column names, so one has to assume that the recommendations for ASCII tables also apply to binary tables. -Bill Pence, on behalf of the OFWG pence at tetra.gsfc.nasa.gov ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- FITS Table Column Naming Conventions 1 March 1995 It is often logical or convenient to refer to a column in a FITS table by its name as given by the TTYPEn keyword. The FITS Standard, however, does not require the TTYPEn keyword, nor does it provide unambiguous guidelines for the value of the TTYPEn keyword when it is present. In order to enforce some homogeneity within FITS tables and to provide guidelines for software that must read them, the following conventions are recommended (and required for all FITS tables produced by the HEASARC/OGIP): 1. Every column of a FITS table (either ASCII 'TABLE' or binary 'BINTABLE') must be given a unique name using the TTYPEn keyword. 2. Only upper or lower case letters, the digits from 0 to 9, and the underscore character may be used in the column name. This is similar to the restriction placed on FITS keyword names (with the exception of not allowing the hyphen character), which makes it possible to replace a column in a table with a keyword with the same name if the column values are identical in every row (the so-called 'Greenbank Convention'). Note that this specifically excludes ASCII blank characters within the name, except that non-significant trailing blanks are allowed (e.g., TTYPE1 = 'X '). In cases where the column name consists of several 'words', the words should be concatenated together or connected with the underscore character (e.g., 'Bright_Stars'). 3. While both upper and lower case letters may be used within a column name, the case is not significant when comparing names (e.g., 'COL_NAME', 'Col_Name', and 'col_name' are all considered the same name and are not unique). Software should be case insensitive when searching for a given name. 4. Column names must begin with a letter and not a digit or the underscore character. This allows the column name to be used as a variable name within processing software (many software languages do not allow a variable name to begin with a digit). This restriction also enables users or software to unambiguously refer to a column by its positional number instead of its name. The only possible exception to this rule is in the case of standard FITS keywords whose name begins with a digit (there are none in common use at the present), in which case these same names may be used as column names. 5. It is required that the column names in a given table be unique within the first 16 characters and strongly recommended that they be unique within the first 8 characters. If the names are unique within 8 characters then it is easier to construct a unique keyword name to refer to each column (e.g., when using the 'Greenback Convention'). This also maximizes the portability of the FITS table into existing data systems which may only match the first 8 characters when searching for a particular column name in the FITS table. It is recognized, however, that this 8 character restriction can be impractical in cases where the table contains many columns or where the preferred names for the columns are dictated by some external source, therefore, in general it is only strictly required that the names be unique within 16 characters. 6. The column names may be up to 68 characters in length (the maximum length of a FITS string-valued keyword) as long as the first 16 (and preferably the first 8) characters are unique. From fitsbits-request Wed Mar 8 13:31:09 1995 X-VM-v5-Data: ([nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil] ["423" "Wed" "8" "March" "1995" "15:58:31" "GMT" "tt1h at dv.st.dlr.de" "tt1h at dv.st.dlr.de" "" "18" "Skyview and AIX" "^From:" nil nil "3" "1995030815:58:31" "Skyview and AIX" (number " " mark " tt1h at dv.st.dlr.de Mar 8 18/423 " thread-indent "\"Skyview and AIX\"\n") nil] nil) Received: by fits.cv.nrao.edu (4.1/DDN-CV/1.8) id AA21182; Wed, 8 Mar 95 13:31:09 EST Return-Path: Message-Id: Organization: DLR (German Aerospace Research Establishment) Path: solitaire.cv.nrao.edu!hearst.acc.Virginia.EDU!caen!hookup!news.mathworks.com!newshost.marcam.com!zip.eecs.umich.edu!newsxfer.itd.umich.edu!gatech!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!math.ohio-state.edu!jussieu.fr!univ-lyon1.fr!swidir.switch.ch!scsing.switch.ch!news.dfn.de!news.dlr.de!dv.st.dlr.de!tt1h Newsgroups: sci.astro.fits From: tt1h at dv.st.dlr.de (Sasse) Sender: fitsbits-request at fits.cv.nrao.edu To: fitsbits at fits.cv.nrao.edu Subject: Skyview and AIX Date: Wed, 8 Mar 1995 15:58:31 GMT We have a problem! Have a good and working ST-6 and lousy software to handle the great FITS-images. We want to use Skyview but we don't have SUN. Our system is based on AIX 3.2 and Skyview (previously called 's.X'. SO: Does anybody out there know if someone has IPAC Skyview running in AIX-machine or do you have alternative image processing software for AIX or (miserable) DOS? Thank you for your help in advance. From fitsbits-request Tue Mar 14 06:39:12 1995 X-VM-v5-Data: ([nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil] ["1022" "" "13" "March" "1995" "22:51:41" "GMT" "Doug Tody" "tody at noao.edu" "<3k2i9t$1j8 at noao.edu>" "28" "Re: IRAF for Linux ??" "^From:" nil nil "3" "1995031322:51:41" "IRAF for Linux ??" (number " " mark " Doug Tody Mar 13 28/1022 " thread-indent "\"Re: IRAF for Linux ??\"\n") ""] nil) Received: by fits.cv.nrao.edu (4.1/DDN-CV/1.8) id AA12869; Tue, 14 Mar 95 06:39:12 EST Return-Path: Message-Id: <3k2i9t$1j8 at noao.edu> Organization: National Optical Astronomy Observatories, Tucson, AZ, USA Path: solitaire.cv.nrao.edu!hearst.acc.Virginia.EDU!concert!gatech!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!convex!news.duke.edu!zombie.ncsc.mil!admii!cmcl2!CS.Arizona.EDU!noao!tody References: <1995Mar1.131820.22830 at hparc0.aus.hp.com> Newsgroups: sci.astro.fits From: tody at noao.edu (Doug Tody NOAO/IRAF) Sender: fitsbits-request at fits.cv.nrao.edu To: fitsbits at fits.cv.nrao.edu Subject: Re: IRAF for Linux ?? Date: 13 Mar 1995 22:51:41 GMT In article <...> beaucham at phy.ulaval.ca (Dominique Beauchamp) writes: > In article ... linas at hparc0.aus.hp.com (Linas Petras) writes: > > I hear that their is a version of IRAF available for PC's running the Linux > > unix clone. Can anyone provide further details ? Where can I get a copy :-) > > > > > We are a couple of guys here runing Linux on our PC and we are looking for > IRAF too. I would be interested to know where to get it too. > > Dominique Beauchamp, > for the "Linux gang" > Labo. d'astrophysique > dep. de physique, > U. Laval, > Quebec > > beaucham at phy.ulaval.ca > Folks, we are working on a Linux version of IRAF here now (also versions for BSD and Solaris x86). A distribution should be available before long, i.e. in a matter of weeks. Test versions of xgterm/ximtool for Linux are available now if that helps. - Doug Tody -- Doug Tody, National Optical Astronomy Observatories, Tucson AZ 602 325-9217 Internet: tody at noao.edu SPAN: NOAO::TODY (NOAO=5355) FAX: 602 325-9360 From fitsbits-request Tue Mar 14 16:18:14 1995 X-VM-v5-Data: ([nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil] ["800" "" "14" "March" "1995" "19:35:25" "GMT" "Paul Repacholi" "prep at yarrow.wt.com.au" "" "20" "Re: IRAF for Linux ??" "^From:" nil nil "3" "1995031419:35:25" "IRAF for Linux ??" (number " " mark " Paul Repacholi Mar 14 20/800 " thread-indent "\"Re: IRAF for Linux ??\"\n") "<3k2i9t$1j8 at noao.edu>"] nil) Received: by fits.cv.nrao.edu (4.1/DDN-CV/1.8) id AA14194; Tue, 14 Mar 95 16:18:14 EST Return-Path: Message-Id: Organization: Winthrop Technology Path: solitaire.cv.nrao.edu!hearst.acc.Virginia.EDU!caen!night.primate.wisc.edu!news.larc.nasa.gov!lerc.nasa.gov!magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu!math.ohio-state.edu!uwm.edu!msunews!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!news.uwa.edu.au!news.uwa.edu.au!prep References: <1995Mar1.131820.22830 at hparc0.aus.hp.com> <3k2i9t$1j8 at noao.edu> Newsgroups: sci.astro.fits From: prep at yarrow.wt.com.au (Paul Repacholi) Sender: fitsbits-request at fits.cv.nrao.edu To: fitsbits at fits.cv.nrao.edu Subject: Re: IRAF for Linux ?? Date: 14 Mar 1995 19:35:25 GMT In article <3k2i9t$1j8 at noao.edu> tody at noao.edu (Doug Tody NOAO/IRAF) writes: > Folks, we are working on a Linux version of IRAF here now (also versions for > BSD and Solaris x86). A distribution should be available before long, i.e. > in a matter of weeks. Test versions of xgterm/ximtool for Linux are > available now if that helps. - Doug Tody What are you doing for a fortran compiler? f2c, or g77? With linux and bsd now available for the dec alpha, this will be a very hot item I think. -- ~Paul prep at yarrow.wt.com.au +61 (09) 257-1001 prep at yarrow.wt.uwa.edu.au ( old ) 1 Crescent Rd, Kalamunda, West Aust 6076 From fitsbits-request Thu Mar 16 04:02:26 1995 X-VM-v5-Data: ([nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil] ["1768" "" "15" "March" "1995" "23:13:43" "GMT" "Doug Tody" "tody at noao.edu" "<3k7sb7$b0a at noao.edu>" "35" "Re: IRAF for Linux ??" "^From:" nil nil "3" "1995031523:13:43" "IRAF for Linux ??" (number " " mark " Doug Tody Mar 15 35/1768 " thread-indent "\"Re: IRAF for Linux ??\"\n") ""] nil) Received: by fits.cv.nrao.edu (4.1/DDN-CV/1.8) id AA19562; Thu, 16 Mar 95 04:02:26 EST Return-Path: Message-Id: <3k7sb7$b0a at noao.edu> Organization: National Optical Astronomy Observatories, Tucson, AZ, USA Path: solitaire.cv.nrao.edu!hearst.acc.Virginia.EDU!caen!usenet.cis.ufl.edu!usenet.eel.ufl.edu!news.mathworks.com!uhog.mit.edu!nntp.club.cc.cmu.edu!cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!das-news2.harvard.edu!oitnews.harvard.edu!cmcl2!CS.Arizona.EDU!noao!tody References: <1995Mar1.131820.22830 at hparc0.aus.hp.com> Newsgroups: sci.astro.fits From: tody at noao.edu (Doug Tody NOAO/IRAF) Sender: fitsbits-request at fits.cv.nrao.edu To: fitsbits at fits.cv.nrao.edu Subject: Re: IRAF for Linux ?? Date: 15 Mar 1995 23:13:43 GMT In article , prep at yarrow.wt.com.au (Paul Repacholi) writes: > In article <3k2i9t$1j8 at noao.edu> tody at noao.edu (Doug Tody NOAO/IRAF) writes: > > > Folks, we are working on a Linux version of IRAF here now (also versions for > > BSD and Solaris x86). A distribution should be available before long, i.e. > > in a matter of weeks. Test versions of xgterm/ximtool for Linux are > > available now if that helps. - Doug Tody > > What are you doing for a fortran compiler? f2c, or g77? We use f2c/gcc for all platforms like Linux where a Fortran compiler is either unavailable or prohibitively expensive. This has worked very well for us. I haven't looked at g77 yet, although I doubt if it would be a better alternative than a gcc-based approach, at least in our case. > With linux and bsd now available for the dec alpha, this will > be a very hot item I think. Not sure what you mean by the Alpha in this context, but yes I do think that the PC platform will be a very popular one for IRAF. Our most popular and most asked about new platforms currently are the Alpha (running OSF/1) and the PC, usually running Linux. This discussion doesn't have anything to do with FITS. It might be more appropriate to move it to one of the adass.iraf newsgroups (e.g. adass.iraf.system), or if it is Linux specific to a mail exploder. sci.astro.fits is gatewayed to a mail exploder and we shouldn't be posting unrelated messages to this newsgroup. The adass newsgroups on the other hand, aren't getting very much traffic and postings there would be welcome. - Doug -- Doug Tody, National Optical Astronomy Observatories, Tucson AZ 602 325-9217 Internet: tody at noao.edu SPAN: NOAO::TODY (NOAO=5355) FAX: 602 325-9360 From fitsbits-request Mon Mar 20 06:45:39 1995 X-VM-v5-Data: ([nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil] ["279" "" "20" "March" "1995" "11:10:57" "GMT" "Anton Norup Soerensen" "norup at indigo" "<3kjns2$2m0 at hugin.aau.dk>" "11" "XV FITS patch" "^From:" nil nil "3" "1995032011:10:57" "XV FITS patch" (number " " mark " Anton Norup Soere Mar 20 11/279 " thread-indent "\"XV FITS patch\"\n") nil] nil) Received: by fits.cv.nrao.edu (4.1/DDN-CV/1.8) id AA03869; Mon, 20 Mar 95 06:45:39 EST Return-Path: Message-Id: <3kjns2$2m0 at hugin.aau.dk> Organization: Aarhus University, Denmark Path: solitaire.cv.nrao.edu!hearst.acc.Virginia.EDU!concert!gatech!howland.reston.ans.net!pipex!sunic!sunic.sunet.se!news.uni-c.dk!news.daimi.aau.dk!hugin.aau.dk!indigo!norup Newsgroups: sci.astro.fits From: norup at indigo (Anton Norup Soerensen) Sender: fitsbits-request at fits.cv.nrao.edu To: fitsbits at fits.cv.nrao.edu Subject: XV FITS patch Date: 20 Mar 1995 11:10:57 GMT Sorry for asking a question, I know has been answered here before: There is supposed to be a pacth that makes XV able to display FITS files - Could you please direct me to a ftp site for this? Thanks, Anton Norup Sorensen norup at obs.aau.dk http://bigcat.obs.aau.dk:80/~norup/ From fitsbits-request Sun Mar 26 05:10:39 1995 X-VM-v5-Data: ([nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil] ["346" "" "26" "March" "1995" "17:37:10" "+1000" "Glenn Durden" "alfa at werple.mira.net.au" "<3l35j6$5gv at werple03.mira.net.au>" "12" "fitspres problems." "^From:" nil nil "3" "1995032607:37:10" "fitspres problems." (number " " mark " Glenn Durden Mar 26 12/346 " thread-indent "\"fitspres problems.\"\n") nil] nil) Received: by fits.cv.nrao.edu (4.1/DDN-CV/1.8) id AA27013; Sun, 26 Mar 95 05:10:39 EST Return-Path: Message-Id: <3l35j6$5gv at werple03.mira.net.au> Organization: werple public-access unix, Melbourne Path: solitaire.cv.nrao.edu!hearst.acc.Virginia.EDU!caen!msunews!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!news.mira.net.au!news Newsgroups: sci.astro.fits From: alfa at werple.mira.net.au (Glenn Durden) Sender: fitsbits-request at fits.cv.nrao.edu To: fitsbits at fits.cv.nrao.edu Subject: fitspres problems. Date: 26 Mar 1995 17:37:10 +1000 I've just gotten a copy of fitspres (to obviously decompress some fits files) - the ms-dos version, but when run on my 386-sx notebook, I get the lovely error message: CPU must be in REAL mode (not V86 mode) to run this program without VCPI. (If you are using an EMS emulator, make sure than EMS isnt disabled.) Well... whats the solution? From fitsbits-request Tue Mar 28 18:21:59 1995 X-VM-v5-Data: ([nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil] ["1686" "" "28" "March" "1995" "23:21:42" "GMT" "Don Wells" "dwells at nrao.edu" "" "35" "Happy Birthday, FITS!" "^From:" nil nil "3" "1995032823:21:42" "Happy Birthday, FITS!" (number " " mark " Don Wells Mar 28 35/1686 " thread-indent "\"Happy Birthday, FITS!\"\n") nil] nil) Received: by fits.cv.nrao.edu (4.1/DDN-CV/1.8) id AA06549; Tue, 28 Mar 95 18:21:59 EST Return-Path: Message-Id: Organization: nrao Path: solitaire.cv.nrao.edu!news.cv.nrao.edu!dwells Newsgroups: sci.astro.fits From: dwells at nrao.edu (Don Wells) Sender: fitsbits-request at fits.cv.nrao.edu To: fitsbits at fits.cv.nrao.edu Subject: Happy Birthday, FITS! Date: 28 Mar 1995 23:21:42 GMT Dear friends of FITS, I consider March 28th to be the birthday for FITS, because it was on March 28, 1979, that Eric Greisen and I completed the Basic FITS Agreement. FITS is 16 years old today; in most states of the USA, FITS could now apply for a drivers license. HISTORY: Those who would like to know about the early history (and pre-history) of FITS can consult the following URL: http://fits.cv.nrao.edu/documents/overviews/history.news (or ftp://fits.cv.nrao.edu/fits/documents/overviews/history.news) REPRINTS: I still have 21 reprints of the original Basic_FITS paper (A&A Suppl., June 1981, p.363). I have various numbers of reprints of three other early FITS papers. I will send sets of these reprints, in the order that requests are received, until the supply is exhausted. INCUNABULA: A small collection of early FITS files is located at http://fits.cv.nrao.edu/data/tests/incunabula/ (or ftp://fits.cv.nrao.edu/fits/data/tests/incunabula/) I will be very pleased to receive copies of other early FITS files which I can add to this collection. I will be especially pleased to receive any files with DATE values on or before June 1981, when the Basic_FITS paper was published. Please look around your offices and labs for _old_ FITS files and inform me of their existence, so that we can make arrangements for copying them to the incunabula directory. Don Wells (Chair, IAU FITS Working Group) -- Donald C. Wells Associate Scientist dwells at nrao.edu http://fits.cv.nrao.edu/~dwells National Radio Astronomy Observatory +1-804-296-0277 520 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville, Virginia 22903-2475 USA From fitsbits-request Wed Mar 29 19:35:12 1995 X-VM-v5-Data: ([nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil] ["1754" "" "29" "March" "1995" "18:29:24" "GMT" "Perry Greenfield" "perry at stsci.edu" "<3lc8u4$ove at marvel.stsci.edu>" "36" "Relation of Primary Header keywords to FITS image extensions" "^From:" nil nil "3" "1995032918:29:24" "Relation of Primary Header keywords to FITS image extensions" (number " " mark " Perry Greenfield Mar 29 36/1754 " thread-indent "\"Relation of Primary Header keywords to FITS image extensions\"\n") nil] nil) Received: by fits.cv.nrao.edu (4.1/DDN-CV/1.8) id AA10377; Wed, 29 Mar 95 19:35:12 EST Return-Path: Message-Id: <3lc8u4$ove at marvel.stsci.edu> Organization: Space Telescope Science Institute Path: solitaire.cv.nrao.edu!hearst.acc.Virginia.EDU!portal.gmu.edu!europa.chnt.gtegsc.com!news.mathworks.com!news.duke.edu!news-feed-1.peachnet.edu!gatech!nntp.msstate.edu!olivea!charnel.ecst.csuchico.edu!csusac!csus.edu!nic-nac.CSU.net!news.Cerritos.edu!news.Arizona.EDU!CS.Arizona.EDU!noao!stsci!perry Newsgroups: sci.astro.fits From: perry at stsci.edu (Perry Greenfield) Sender: fitsbits-request at fits.cv.nrao.edu To: fitsbits at fits.cv.nrao.edu Subject: Relation of Primary Header keywords to FITS image extensions Date: 29 Mar 1995 18:29:24 GMT STScI is adopting FITS with image extensions as the disk data format to be used with the two new instruments (STIS and NICMOS) that will be installed in the next HST servicing mission. A question has arisen in the implementation of this data format about the relation of the keywords in The Primary Header Unit (PDU) to subsequent Extension Header Units (EDU). We can see a reasonable need for two different interpretations, the first being that all subsequent headers are independent of the PHU and thus PHU keywords do not apply. The second interpretation would have the PHU keywords apply to some or all subsequent headers; a keyword-value pair in the PHU would be ignored only if it were superseded in the EHU (or would not make sense by its nature, e.g., mandatory keywords). We propose to handle both interpretations by means of a keyword in the primary header specifying which interpretation applies. We are proposing a local convention which consists of the following rules: 1) with no information to the contrary, the default interpretation is that the PHU keywords do not apply to EHU. 2) if the EHU contains the following keyword-value pair, it will inherit keyword-value pairs from the PHU as long as the same keyword is not specified in the EHU. INHERIT = T / Primary hdr keywords apply to extension hdrs 3) a FITS file with extensions could contain a mixture of EHUs that inherit keywords and those that don't. This scheme makes no assumptions about extensions added later as would placing the INHERIT keyword in the PHU. Has anyone already dealt with this problem? Are there any comments about this scheme? It seems that the FITS standard does not address this issue directly. Perry Greenfield From fitsbits-request Thu Mar 30 15:49:04 1995 X-VM-v5-Data: ([nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil] ["4193" "Thu" "30" "March" "1995" "15:48:57" "-0500" "William Pence" "pence at tetra.gsfc.nasa.gov" "<199503302048.PAA00476 at tetra.gsfc.nasa.gov>" "77" "Re: Relation of Primary Header keywords to FITS image extensions" "^From:" nil nil "3" "1995033020:48:57" "Relation of Primary Header keywords to FITS image extensions" (number " " mark " William Pence Mar 30 77/4193 " thread-indent "\"Re: Relation of Primary Header keywords to FITS image extensions\"\n") nil] nil) Received: by fits.cv.nrao.edu (4.1/DDN-CV/1.8) id AA14149; Thu, 30 Mar 95 15:49:04 EST Return-Path: Message-Id: <199503302048.PAA00476 at tetra.gsfc.nasa.gov> From: William Pence Sender: fitsbits-request at fits.cv.nrao.edu To: fitsbits at fits.cv.nrao.edu Cc: pence at tetra.gsfc.nasa.gov Subject: Re: Relation of Primary Header keywords to FITS image extensions Date: Thu, 30 Mar 1995 15:48:57 -0500 Perry Greenfield wrote: > STScI is adopting FITS with image extensions as the disk data format to > be used with the two new instruments (STIS and NICMOS) that will be > installed in the next HST servicing mission. A question has arisen in the > implementation of this data format about the relation of the keywords in > The Primary Header Unit (PDU) to subsequent Extension Header Units (EDU). > We can see a reasonable need for two different interpretations, the first > being that all subsequent headers are independent of the PHU and thus PHU > keywords do not apply. The second interpretation would have the PHU keywords > apply to some or all subsequent headers; ... > Has anyone already dealt with this problem? Are there any comments about this > scheme? It seems that the FITS standard does not address this issue directly. The HEASARC has dealt with this problem and decided to treat each HDU as an independent unit. We do often include a summary of all the globally applicable keywords in the primary array header, especially when it contains no data, but this is mainly so that a program (and humans) can quickly determine what type of file it is just by scanning the primary array. In general, however, we repeat all the relevant keywords in every HDU and our software does not assume that the primary array keywords also apply to the extensions. There are a number of reasons for this: - It is much simpler when extracting or appending extensions from one file to another. If one copied an extension which had the INHERIT = T keyword from one file to another, one would presumably also have to first copy any non-duplicated primary array keywords from the original file into the extension before copying it. Then one would have to reset INHERIT = F because one could not assume that the keywords in the new primary array now still apply to the copied extension. - It is much simpler when software tries to read the value of a particular keyword from an HDU. Under this proposed new scheme, if the software did not find the particular keyword in the extension header, it would then need to check if the INHERIT = T keyword was present, and if so, go back to the primary array and search for the keyword there. - If a program modifies the value of a keyword, or writes a new keyword, it is not always clear whether the keyword should be written in the primary array or in the particular extension. The programmer would have to specify whether it was a global keyword, and hence should be written in the primary array, or is a local keyword and should be written to the extension. - FITS often uses the absence of a keyword to imply a default value, so one would have to be very careful that a keyword explicitly given in the primary array doesn't inadvertently override the implied value in the extension. For example, an image extension might supply the set of celestial coordinate keywords, but might omit the CROTAn keyword if there was no image rotation (the absence of this keyword is taken to mean that CROTAn = 0.0). The image in the primary array, however, might have a rotation term and hence would have the CROTAn keyword, which would then be mistakenly inherited by the extension. So, from a practical point of view I think that this INHERIT keyword scheme would make the software more complicated and more difficult to write. It would be much simpler and straightforward to just duplicate the necessary keywords in every HDU. Finally, there is also the backward compatibility argument that the large body of existing FITS software would not support this INHERIT convention and would likely not be able to directly process these FITS files. Our FTOOLS package, alone, contains more than 140 programs and about a million lines of code. In order to make use of this resource, one would presumably have to run the STScI FITS files though a preprocessor to physically copy the inherited keywords from the primary array into each extension. Rather than have to deal with this, I suspect that the HST users would prefer to receive their data in a generic FITS format that any software package could deal with directly. -Bill Pence HEASARC/GSFC/NASA