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FITS Standard Document
The official reference document that defines the requirements for FITS format data files.
Version 4.0 (13 August 2018): Latest language-edited PDF version,
This latest version of the FITS Standard document was formally approved by the IAU FITS Working Group on 22 July 2016. The main difference from the previous Version 3 of the document is that a number of FITS conventions are now officially recognized, including conventions for representing Time world coordinates, and conventions for compressing FITS images and tables. A complete list of all the changes can be found in appendices H.3 and H.4 of the document.In addition, the language style in the document has been extensively edited to provide more consistent word capitalization, hyphenation, punctuation, and other typographical issues. (Thanks to Malcolm Currie and Lucio Chiappetti for performing these painstaking edits.) This final 'language-edited' version of the FITS Standard was formally approved on 13 August 2018. The change summary page describes the changes that were made during the editing process.
- Latex source files: fits_standard40aa-le.tex, WCSfig.eps, ascii.ps, aa.cls
Version 4 before the language editing (22 July 2016): PDF file
- Latex source file: fits_standard40aa.tex,
Version 3.0 (July 2008):
Published version: in Astronomy and Astrophysics, Volume 524 (December 2010)Latest PDF document maintained by the IAU FITS Working Group (November 2010)
Other related documents:
- Latex source files: fits_standard30aa.tex, fits_standard30aa.ind WCSfig.eps, aa.cls
- Formatted using the old NOST page style (131 pages long): PDF format, Postscript format
- Nost-style latex source files: fits_standard30.tex, fits_standard30.ind WCSfig.eps, iaufwg.sty , epsf.sty, deluxetable.sty,
- Annotated file showing the differences between Version 3.0 and 2.1b (not 100% complete): PDF format, postscript format
- Initial summary of the differences between Version 3.0 and 2.1b: PDF format, postscript format
Some of these recommendations were later modified in response to public comments.- Technical Panel's response to the public comments on the proposed changes: PDF format, postscript format
Version 2.1b (December 2005): PDF format, Postscript format
Main changes in version 2.1b compared to the previous NOST 100-2.0 version are:
- Added support for 64-bit integer primary arrays and image extensions with BITPIX = 64, for 64-bit integer columns in binary tables with TFORMn = 'K', and for 64-bit descriptor columns in binary tables with TFORMn = 'Q'. This was approved by the IAU FITS Working Group in December 2005.
- The description of the TDIMn keyword convention and the variable-length array convention that used to be in the unofficial appendices B.1 and B.2 have been moved into the main body of the document, to reflect the official approval of these 2 conventions by the IAU FITS Working Group in April 2005.
- A short 'Preface to Version 2.1b' has been added.
- A clarification on the meaning of the word 'deprecated' has been added to section 7.0 (Random Groups). This modification was approved by the IAU FWG in October 2000 when it adopted the NOST Standard as the IAU FITS Standard.
Other related documents:
- Annotated Postscript file that shows the differences between Version 2.1 and 2.1b
- Latex source files: fits_standard21b.tex, iaufwg.sty, fits_standard21b.ind
Version NOST 100-2.0 (March 1999): PDF format, Postscript format
Latex source files: fits_standard20.tex, nost.sty, ieee1.eps, ieee2.eps, fits_standard20.ind
This version of the Standard was published in the Astronomy & Astrophysics scientific journal in September 2001. This published version was endorsed by the IAU FITS Working Group in October 2000 and is identical to the original NOST document except for the addition of 2 introductory sections on the history of FITS and on the process that lead to the creation of the NOST document. There were also 2 minor clarifications on a) the interpretation of the word "deprecated" and b) the usage of the TDIMn keyword with variable length array columns.
Version NOST 100-1.2 (April 1998): PDF format, Postscript format
This version adds the Image and Binary Table standard extensions. List of changes between v1.1 and v1.2.Latex source files: fits_standard.tex, nost.sty, ieee1.eps, ieee2.eps, fits_standard.ind
Version NOST 100-1.1 (September 29 1995): Postscript format, latex source
Version NOST 100-1.0 (June 1993): PDF format, Postscript format, NOST announcement
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Last revised: Tuesday, 28-Aug-2018 23:41:26 EDT
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