Working with FITS Format

FITS format, or the "Flexible Image Transport System", is a file format standardized and maintained by NASA that allows data to be transported between systems and interpreted according to exact specifications. A FITS format file consists of a data array (pixel data for an image) and a header containing metadata describing the pixel data and providing other documentation about the file. The FITS header and data follow a rigid structure defined in the standard. It is critical to note that FITS format is a file format, not an image format, as other types of data may be encoded in a FITS file.

Beyond opening, saving, and displaying FITS format images, Mira provides numerous tools for showing and modifying the FITS header metadata. Note that Mira does not save all of the FITS header metadata to TIFF and other graphics format files.

FITS Format definition	Defines and describes the FITS format and Mira's implementation.
FITS Keywords	Defines the standard FITS keywords and additional keywords used by Mira.
Editing the FITS Header	Describes the general procedure for editing or modifying the FITS header information.
FITS Header Editor	Displays the FITS header information and permits the information to be edited. The header is opened in an independent window, separate from the image window.
FITS Header Pane	Displays the FITS header information and permits the information to be edited. The header is opened in a docking pane owned by the image window.
FITS Image Orientation	Defines the coordinate orientation used by FITS format images.
WCS Keywords	Displays the keywords used for describing a World Coordinate System attached to the image.
Comment Keywords	Describes how comments are stored in the FITS image header.
History Keywords	Describes how the image processing history is stored in the FITS image header.
Modify Keywords	Changes keyword values in the FITS image header.
Add Metadata	Changes (adds, replaces, and renames) keyword metadata when the image is opened or is saved to a FITS format file. This command configures the metadata changes but the changes are actually committed based on global settings in the General Properties (Ctrl+R) dialog.
Create Image Keyword List	Creates a table of keyword values in a collection of images.
Search Keyword Values	Creates a table of keyword values meeting numerical criteria in a collection of images.
View FITS File Header	Shows the raw FITS file header in a Text Editor without opening the file for display or processing.
MIRAPROC Keyword	Encodes calibration information into the image header. Mira uses this to prevent repeating the specific steps of calibration.

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