From fitsbits-request Tue Feb 6 19:55:26 1996 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: 10 X-VM-v5-Data: ([nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil] ["726" "" "5" "February" "1996" "14:05" "EDT" "Barry M. Schlesinger" "bschlesinger at nssdca.gsfc.nasa.gov" nil "20" "ANNOUNCE: Text version 1.1 NOST Definition of FITS available" "^From:" nil nil "2" nil nil (number " " mark " Barry M. Schlesin Feb 5 20/726 " thread-indent "\"ANNOUNCE: Text version 1.1 NOST Definition of FITS available\"\n") nil] nil) Received: by fits.cv.nrao.edu (5.x/S2.3/NRAO-CV/2.4) id AA04485; Tue, 6 Feb 1996 19:55:26 -0500 Return-Path: Message-Id: <5FEB199614052532 at nssdca.gsfc.nasa.gov> Organization: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center -- Greenbelt, Maryland USA Path: solitaire.cv.nrao.edu!hearst.acc.Virginia.EDU!caen!hookup!newsfeed.internetmci.com!news.msfc.nasa.gov!pendragon!ames!newsfeed.gsfc.nasa.gov!nssdca.gsfc.nasa.gov!bschlesinger Newsgroups: sci.astro.fits content-length: 724 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: ANNOUNCE: Text version 1.1 NOST Definition of FITS available Date: 5 Feb 1996 14:05 EDT An ASCII text version of the Definition of FITS, version 1.1, is now available on line at ftp://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/pub/fits/fits_standard.txt It can also be accessed through the FITS Support Office World Wide Web home page at http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/astro/fits/fits_home.html. Click on `Definition of FITS' and then, in the second paragraph of the description that will come up, on `ASCII text' (quotes not on the Web pages). The ASCII text copy of the NOST standard is formatted to be conveniently readable on screens that are 80 characters wide. The content is the same as that of the LaTeX and PostScript copies, but it lacks typeface formatting. Barry Schlesinger FITS Support Office GSFC/ADF From fitsbits-request Wed Feb 21 20:43:25 1996 X-VM-v5-Data: ([nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil] ["6548" "" "21" "February" "1996" "14:42" "EDT" "Barry M. Schlesinger" "bschlesinger at nssdca.gsfc.nasa.gov" nil "183" "Sources of FITS Information" "^From:" nil nil "2" nil nil (number " " mark " Barry M. Schlesin Feb 21 183/6548 " thread-indent "\"Sources of FITS Information\"\n") nil] nil) Received: by fits.cv.nrao.edu (5.x/S2.3/NRAO-CV/2.4) id AA19063; Wed, 21 Feb 1996 20:43:25 -0500 Return-Path: Message-Id: <21FEB199614425652 at nssdca.gsfc.nasa.gov> Organization: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center -- Greenbelt, Maryland USA Path: solitaire.cv.nrao.edu!hearst.acc.Virginia.EDU!maui.cc.odu.edu!news.larc.nasa.gov!ames!newsfeed.gsfc.nasa.gov!nssdca.gsfc.nasa.gov!bschlesinger Reply-To: fits at nssdca.gsfc.nasa.gov Newsgroups: sci.astro.fits,sci.answers,news.answers content-length: 6546 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: Sources of FITS Information Date: 21 Feb 1996 14:42 EDT Archive-name: astronomy/fits/info-sources Last-modified: 1996/02/21 -------- Sources of FITS Information (corrected FITS Support Office home page URL) Preface This material on sources of Flexible Image Transport System (FITS) information is posted and updated periodically by the FITS Support Office at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). It discusses where general FITS information, including some answers to frequently asked questions, can be found, and provides sources for detailed information on FITS software and documentation. ------- FITS Support Office (Note the new URL for the hypertext World Wide Web pages; ssdoo... rather than www.... The old www.... address will work for some - indefinite - time yet, but links to the FITS Support Office pages should be changed to the new URL.) The FITS Support Office maintains a library of FITS information accessible from http://ssdoo.gsfc.nasa.gov/astro/fits/fits_home.html or ftp://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/pub/fits/. The material available includes o "Definition of FITS," a codification of FITS for the NASA/Science Office of Standards and Technology (NOST), available in LaTeX, uncompressed PostScript, compressed PostScript and (usually) ASCII text (The ASCII text version may not be available for a short while after the announcement of a new version.) o "A User's Guide to FITS", published by the FITS Support Office, in LaTex, and compressed and uncompressed PostScript o Revisions to version 1.0 of the "Definition of FITS" covering the specification of units, that were incorporated into version 1.1 (text) o A current list of the extension type (structure) names registered with the International Astronomical Union FITS Working Group (IAUFWG) (text) o Rules for physical blocking on various media adopted by the IAUFWG (text) In the same directory, but accessible directly via http://ssdoo.gsfc.nasa.gov/astro/fits/basics_info.html is the FITS Basics and Information that used to be regularly posted to sci.astro.fits and sci.data.formats under the heading of FITS Basics and Information. It continues to be revised to reflect current FITS developments. It contains the following material: o An overview of FITS o A list of FITS documents o A list of software packages that support FITS, including FITS-image converters for various platforms o A list of on-line FITS resources o A description of the FITS Support Office The hypertext version provides links to many of the documents, software, and network locations listed. The text version provides information on how to obtain much of this material. There is also a hypertext version of the List of Registered Extensions. Links from the Web page and subdirectories of the ftp directory contain o Software developed by the FITS Support Office. o Error test files, primary HDUs useful for testing the ability of software designed to read FITS files to cope with files that have errors or are non-standard. These files should be downloaded in binary form. Printed copies of the material in the FITS directory can be obtained from the Coordinated Request and User Support Office (CRUSO): (Postal) Coordinated Request and User Support Office Code 633 National Space Science Data Center NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt MD 20771 USA (Electronic mail) request at nssdca.gsfc.nasa.gov (Telephone) +1-301-286-6695 8:00 A. M. - 4:30 P.M. U. S. Eastern Time (-0500 from the last Sunday in October through the first Saturday in April; -0400 the remainder of the year) When no one is available, messages can be left on voice mail. (FAX) +1-301-286-1635 ------- National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) A FITS Archive can be found at URL http://fits.cv.nrao.edu/ or at ftp://fits.cv.nrao.edu/fits, located at NRAO. This machine supports a WAIS server named nrao-fits which has an index of all of the FITS-related text files in the archive; the file nrao-fits.src is available at think.com and at ftp://fits.cv.nrao.edu/fits/wais-sources/nrao-fits.src. Some of the more noteworthy materials in this archive are o Drafts of proposed additions to the FITS standard and other drafts that may in the future be formally proposed o Text of any detailed proposals currently being discussed by the FITS committees o A collection of documents on World Coordinate Systems, including the current draft proposal o Conventions specific to particular projects or disciplines o Software packages for display of FITS images on Windows, Macintosh, and Unix/X-Windows o Other code for various environments and Usenet postings about code o Sample data and special test files designed to measure the ability of a FITS reader to handle a wide variety of FITS files o Archives of traffic on FITS-related newsgroups and exploders ------- HEASARC The NASA/Goddard High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center (HEASARC) Web server at http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/heasarc/fits.html and the anonymous ftp access through ftp://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/fits_info/ provide FITS material. HEASARC has developed a the FITSIO package of software routines for easily reading and writing FITS files, in FORtRAN with a C interface available, portable to a wide variety of machines. There is also the FTOOLS collection of software tools and the VERIFITS FITS conformance verifier. HEASARC software is available directly through http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/heasarc/tech_res_software.html or ftp://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/fits_info/software/ . The HEASARC server also provides information from the OGIP/HEASARC FITS Working Group, (HFWG) the internal legislative body on FITS-related matters within the Office of Guest Investigator Programs (OGIP) at NASA/GSFC, at http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/heasarc/ofwg/ofwg_intro.html or ftp://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/fits_info/ . The HFWG has developed a number of FITS conventions that are more specific than the requirements of the FITS standards. Proposed conventions are publicized to the FITS community as a whole, with the goal of collaborative development of a set of conventions that will be accepted throughout the community as well as within OGIP/HEASARC. ------- Direct questions about this posting to Barry M. Schlesinger Coordinator, FITS Support Office Electronic mail: fits at nssdca.gsfc.nasa.gov Telephone: +1-301-441-4205 The FITS Support Office is operated under the guidance of the NASA/GSFC Astrophysics Data Facility. From fitsbits-request Thu Feb 22 05:55:09 1996 X-VM-v5-Data: ([nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil] ["78" "Wed" "21" "February" "1996" "19:44:57" "GMT" "John Oliver" "oliver at astro.ufl.edu" nil "4" "Windows FITS Viewer" "^From:" nil nil "2" nil nil (number " " mark " John Oliver Feb 21 4/78 " thread-indent "\"Windows FITS Viewer\"\n") nil] nil) Received: by fits.cv.nrao.edu (5.x/S2.3/NRAO-CV/2.4) id AA23173; Thu, 22 Feb 1996 05:55:09 -0500 Return-Path: Message-Id: <4gfsq0$468 at no-names.nerdc.ufl.edu> Organization: University of Florida Path: solitaire.cv.nrao.edu!hearst.acc.Virginia.EDU!caen!usenet.cis.ufl.edu!usenet.ufl.edu!astro Reply-To: oliver at astro.ufl.edu (John Oliver) Newsgroups: sci.astro.fits content-length: 76 From: oliver at astro.ufl.edu (John Oliver) Sender: fitsbits-request at fits.cv.nrao.edu To: fitsbits at fits.cv.nrao.edu Subject: Windows FITS Viewer Date: Wed, 21 Feb 1996 19:44:57 GMT Is there an app that will let me view FITS images under Windows 3.1 or 95? From fitsbits-request Thu Feb 22 10:11:51 1996 X-VM-v5-Data: ([nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil] ["462" "" "22" "February" "1996" "15:11:40" "GMT" "Don Wells" "dwells at nrao.edu" nil "12" "Re: Windows FITS Viewer" "^From:" nil nil "2" nil nil (number " " mark " Don Wells Feb 22 12/462 " thread-indent "\"Re: Windows FITS Viewer\"\n") nil] nil) Received: by fits.cv.nrao.edu (5.x/S2.3/NRAO-CV/2.4) id AA24931; Thu, 22 Feb 1996 10:11:51 -0500 Return-Path: Message-Id: Organization: nrao Path: solitaire.cv.nrao.edu!news.cv.nrao.edu!dwells References: <4gfsq0$468 at no-names.nerdc.ufl.edu> Newsgroups: sci.astro.fits content-length: 460 From: dwells at nrao.edu (Don Wells) Sender: fitsbits-request at fits.cv.nrao.edu To: fitsbits at fits.cv.nrao.edu Subject: Re: Windows FITS Viewer Date: 22 Feb 1996 15:11:40 GMT "JO" == John Oliver writes: JO> Is there an app that will let me view FITS images under Windows 3.1 or JO> 95? http://fits.cv.nrao.edu/os-support/ms-windows/fitsview/ -- Donald C. Wells Associate Scientist dwells at nrao.edu http://fits.cv.nrao.edu/~dwells National Radio Astronomy Observatory +1-804-296-0277 520 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville, Virginia 22903-2475 USA From fitsbits-request Thu Feb 22 11:39:28 1996 X-VM-v5-Data: ([nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil] ["589" "" "22" "February" "1996" "08:52:51" "GMT" "Gerard Farrell" "gerard at mercury.ee.man.ac.uk" nil "19" "Re: Windows FITS Viewer" "^From:" nil nil "2" nil nil (number " " mark " Gerard Farrell Feb 22 19/589 " thread-indent "\"Re: Windows FITS Viewer\"\n") nil] nil) Received: by fits.cv.nrao.edu (5.x/S2.3/NRAO-CV/2.4) id AA25628; Thu, 22 Feb 1996 11:39:28 -0500 Return-Path: Message-Id: <4ghat3$ogs at yama.mcc.ac.uk> Organization: Manchester Scientific Instruments Ltd Path: solitaire.cv.nrao.edu!hearst.acc.Virginia.EDU!maui.cc.odu.edu!news.larc.nasa.gov!news.msfc.nasa.gov!newsfeed.internetmci.com!usenet.eel.ufl.edu!warwick!yama.mcc.ac.uk!usenet References: <4gfsq0$468 at no-names.nerdc.ufl.edu> Newsgroups: sci.astro.fits content-length: 587 From: gerard at mercury.ee.man.ac.uk (Gerard Farrell) Sender: fitsbits-request at fits.cv.nrao.edu To: fitsbits at fits.cv.nrao.edu Subject: Re: Windows FITS Viewer Date: 22 Feb 1996 08:52:51 GMT In article <4gfsq0$468 at no-names.nerdc.ufl.edu>, oliver at astro.ufl.edu says... > >Is there an app that will let me view FITS images under Windows 3.1 or >95? My Company has a freeware basic FITS viewer for Windows. There is a link to it on our web site at mercury.ee.man.ac.uk, of ftp to the same. -- ------------------ Dr. Gerard Farrell Manchester Scientific Instruments Ltd. Campus Ventures Centre, University of Manchester Oxford Rd, Manchester M13-9PL UK Tel: 0161 934 0004 | e-mail: gerard at mercury.ee.man.ac.uk Fax: 0161 273 5111 | WWW: http://mercury.ee.man.ac.uk/gpf.html From fitsbits-request Fri Feb 23 11:23:34 1996 X-VM-v5-Data: ([nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil] ["81" "Fri" "23" "February" "1996" "04:06:02" "-0500" "Louis Binder" "binder at onramp.net" nil "3" "Mac FIts Viewer" "^From:" nil nil "2" nil nil (number " " mark " Louis Binder Feb 23 3/81 " thread-indent "\"Mac FIts Viewer\"\n") nil] nil) Received: by fits.cv.nrao.edu (5.x/S2.3/NRAO-CV/2.4) id AA06968; Fri, 23 Feb 1996 11:23:34 -0500 Return-Path: Message-Id: <312D837A.2750 at onramp.net> Organization: On-Ramp; Individual Internet Connections; Dallas/Ft Worth/Houston, TX USA Path: solitaire.cv.nrao.edu!hearst.acc.Virginia.EDU!caen!uwm.edu!chi-news.cic.net!nntp.coast.net!zombie.ncsc.mil!news.mathworks.com!newsfeed.internetmci.com!news.msfc.nasa.gov!bcm.tmc.edu!newshost.convex.com!news.onramp.net!usenet Newsgroups: sci.astro.fits content-length: 79 From: "Louis Binder,O.D." Sender: fitsbits-request at fits.cv.nrao.edu To: fitsbits at fits.cv.nrao.edu Subject: Mac FIts Viewer Date: Fri, 23 Feb 1996 04:06:02 -0500 Can someone tell me where to find a Fits Viewer for a macintosh if one exists? From fitsbits-request Fri Feb 23 13:04:00 1996 X-VM-v5-Data: ([nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil] ["235" "Fri" "23" "February" "1996" "13:03:46" "EST" "Bill Cotton" "bcotton at gorilla.cv.nrao.edu" nil "7" "Re: Mac FIts Viewer" "^From:" nil nil "2" nil nil (number " " mark " Bill Cotton Feb 23 7/235 " thread-indent "\"Re: Mac FIts Viewer\"\n") nil] nil) Received: by fits.cv.nrao.edu (5.x/S2.3/NRAO-CV/2.4) id AA07843; Fri, 23 Feb 1996 13:04:00 -0500 Return-Path: Message-Id: <9602231803.AA11795 at gorilla.cv.nrao.edu> Newsgroups: sci.astro.fits In-Reply-To: <312D837A.2750 at onramp.net> References: <312D837A.2750 at onramp.net> content-length: 233 From: bcotton at gorilla.cv.nrao.edu (Bill Cotton) Sender: fitsbits-request at fits.cv.nrao.edu To: "Louis Binder,O.D." Cc: fitsbits at fits.cv.nrao.edu Subject: Re: Mac FIts Viewer Date: Fri, 23 Feb 96 13:03:46 EST There is a macintosh FITS viewer, MacFITSview, available free in ftp://fits.cv.nrao.edu/fits/os-support/mac-os/macfitsview/ The latest version supports Digitized Sky Survey (DSS) coordinates as well as standard WCS. -Bill Cotton From fitsbits-request Tue Feb 27 13:44:25 1996 X-VM-v5-Data: ([nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil] ["3586" "Mon" "26" "February" "1996" "14:54:55" "+0100" "Nicolas Devillard" "nDevil at eso.org" nil "89" "FITS header display in ANSI C" "^From:" nil nil "2" nil nil (number " " mark " Nicolas Devillard Feb 26 89/3586 " thread-indent "\"FITS header display in ANSI C\"\n") nil] nil) Received: by fits.cv.nrao.edu (5.x/S2.3/NRAO-CV/2.4) id AA26891; Tue, 27 Feb 1996 13:44:25 -0500 Return-Path: Message-Id: <3131BBAF.23E4 at eso.org> Organization: ESO - European Southern Observatory, Garching by Munich Path: solitaire.cv.nrao.edu!hearst.acc.Virginia.EDU!maui.cc.odu.edu!news.larc.nasa.gov!news.msfc.nasa.gov!newsfeed.internetmci.com!howland.reston.ans.net!Germany.EU.net!Frankfurt.Germany.EU.net!Munich.Germany.EU.net!eso.org!news Newsgroups: sci.astro.fits content-length: 3584 From: Nicolas Devillard Sender: fitsbits-request at fits.cv.nrao.edu To: fitsbits at fits.cv.nrao.edu Subject: FITS header display in ANSI C Date: Mon, 26 Feb 1996 14:54:55 +0100 Following is a ANSI C FITS header viewer. It should work/compile with any ANSI C compiler. You may have to replace by on your system. Let me know if you have problems with it. I usually use a bourne-shell script by Steve Allen, but seems like the dd options are not universal... This should work almost anywhere, I guess. Enjoy ! Nicolas /*--------------------------------------------------------------------------*/ /* European Southern Observatory */ /*--------------------------------------------------------------------------*/ /* File name : dfits.c */ /* Author : Nicolas Devillard */ /* Created on : Feb 26, 1996 */ /* Language : ANSI C */ /* Description : FITS header display */ /*--------------------------------------------------------------------------*/ #include #include #include #define LGTH 80 #define MAGIC "SIMPLE =" /* Just check for the presence of SIMPLE=, to allow all kind of files, even */ /* incorrect ones such as SIMPLE=T. */ /*--------------------------------------------------------------------------*/ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) { FILE *in ; char *buf ; int n_arg ; /* Give use */ if (argc<2) { printf("%s \n", argv[0]) ; return(1) ; } /* Allocate read buffer */ if ((buf = (char*)calloc(LGTH,sizeof(char))) == (char*)NULL) return(-2) ; /* loop on all file names given on command line */ /* this enables use of jokers like : dfits *.fits */ for (n_arg=1 ; n_arg2) printf("====> file %s <====\n", argv[n_arg]) ; /* Try to validate fits file type, should start with SIMPLE */ fread(buf, sizeof(char), LGTH, in) ; rewind(in) ; if (strncmp(buf, MAGIC, 9)!=0) printf("is not a FITS file\n") ; else /* Output FITS header */ do { fread(buf, sizeof(char), LGTH, in) ; /* This cuts lines, enabling tools as grep to work on */ /* the output. */ buf[LGTH-1] = (char)0 ; printf("%s\n", buf) ; } while (strncmp(buf, "END", 3) != 0) ; fclose(in) ; } free(buf) ; } /*--------------------------------------------------------------------------*/ -- ______________________________________________________________________ /\ \ \_| Nicolas Devillard | E-mail: nDevil at eso.org | | European Southern Observatory, | http://www.eso.org/~ndevilla | | Karl-Schwarzschild-Str. 2, | Phone: +49 89 320-06-340 | | D-85748 Garching, Germany | | | __________________________________________________________________|_ \_/____________________________________________________________________/ From fitsbits-request Wed Feb 28 16:32:58 1996 X-VM-v5-Data: ([nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil] ["1046" "" "24" "February" "1996" "15:48:11" "-0800" "Larry Hutchinson" "larryh at teleport.com" nil "29" "How lenient should a FITS reader be?" "^From:" nil nil "2" nil nil (number " " mark " Larry Hutchinson Feb 24 29/1046 " thread-indent "\"How lenient should a FITS reader be?\"\n") nil] nil) Received: by fits.cv.nrao.edu (5.x/S2.3/NRAO-CV/2.4) id AA10002; Wed, 28 Feb 1996 16:32:58 -0500 Return-Path: Message-Id: <4go83r$dci at linda.teleport.com> Organization: Teleport - Portland's Public Access (503) 220-1016 Path: solitaire.cv.nrao.edu!hearst.acc.Virginia.EDU!portal.gmu.edu!newsfeed.internetmci.com!usenet.eel.ufl.edu!psgrain!nntp.teleport.com!nntp.teleport.com!not-for-mail Newsgroups: sci.astro.fits content-length: 1044 From: larryh at teleport.com (Larry Hutchinson) Sender: fitsbits-request at fits.cv.nrao.edu To: fitsbits at fits.cv.nrao.edu Subject: How lenient should a FITS reader be? Date: 24 Feb 1996 15:48:11 -0800 The fits user's guide (3.1) says that a string value has a ' in column 11. However, in testing a FITS reader I am writing for Igor Pro 3.0, I have found a file that has certain strings starting in column 12. The file in question was obtained from the ncsa fits web site and has the name 95.ML.01.01. (A VLA image of Mercury.) Should the reader try to accommodate screwups or is this a rare bad file? Anything else I sould be aware of? -Larry Hutchinson -WaveMetrics (creator of Igor Pro) Voice: (503)-620-3001 FAX: (503)-620-6754 WWW site: http://www.wavemetrics.com/ Tech support: support at wavemetrics.com FTP site: ftp://d31rz0.stanford.edu/ Information: info at wavemetrics.com P.S. Igor Pro is a scientific graphing and data analysis program currently available only on the Macintosh. It's kinda like matlab or IDL but with an actual user interface. -- larryh at teleport.com Public Access User --- Not affiliated with TECHbooks Public Access UNIX and Internet at (503) 220-1016 (2400-14400, N81) From fitsbits-request Wed Feb 28 17:19:27 1996 X-VM-v5-Data: ([nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil] ["1523" "Wed" "28" "February" "1996" "17:17:39" "-0500" "William Pence" "pence at tetra.gsfc.nasa.gov" nil "43" "Re: How lenient should a FITS reader be?" "^From:" nil nil "2" nil nil (number " " mark " William Pence Feb 28 43/1523 " thread-indent "\"Re: How lenient should a FITS reader be?\"\n") nil] nil) Received: by fits.cv.nrao.edu (5.x/S2.3/NRAO-CV/2.4) id AA10403; Wed, 28 Feb 1996 17:19:27 -0500 Return-Path: Message-Id: <199602282217.RAA05750 at tetra.gsfc.nasa.gov> content-length: 1521 From: William Pence Sender: fitsbits-request at fits.cv.nrao.edu To: larryh at teleport.com, fitsbits at fits.cv.nrao.edu Cc: pence at tetra.gsfc.nasa.gov Subject: Re: How lenient should a FITS reader be? Date: Wed, 28 Feb 1996 17:17:39 -0500 > The fits user's guide (3.1) says that a string value has a ' in column 11. > However, in testing a FITS reader I am writing for Igor Pro 3.0, I have found a > file that has certain strings starting in column 12. > > The file in question was obtained from the ncsa fits web site and has the name > 95.ML.01.01. (A VLA image of Mercury.) > > > Should the reader try to accommodate screwups or is this a rare bad file? > > Anything else I sould be aware of? > > > -Larry Hutchinson There was a similar thread of messages on this topic in this news group last December. Those format rules you refer to only strictly apply to the 'required' FITS keywords. It is recommended that other FITS keywords also follow these format rules, but in fact any format that is consistent with list-directed read operations in Fortran-77 is allowed. Thus, for example, all of the following keywords are legal: STRING1 = 'DOG ' / It's an animal STRING2 = 'DOG ' / It's an animal STRING3 = 'DOG ' It's an animal STRING4 = 'DOG'It's an animal INTEGER1= -273 / absolute zero INTEGER2= -273 / absolute zero INTEGER3= -273 absolute zero LOGICAL1= T / a true value LOGICAL2= T /a true value LOGICAL3= T a true value FLOAT1 = 12345.67890123 / 10 times greater than expected FLOAT2 = 1.234567890123D+04 / 10 times greater than expected FLOAT3 = 1234.567890123 10 times greater than expected Bill Pence HEASARC, NASA/GSFC