ASTSCRIPT-FITS-VIEW(1)

📦
version 0.24 · 4 versions
, in epel 10, epel 9, nixos 26.05, nixpkgs unstable, ubuntu resolute, ubuntu stonking

💖 astscript-fits-view — the manual, but make it make sense 💖

okay bestie, pull up a chair, because astscript-fits-view is genuinely one of those little GNU Astronomy Utilities gems that you're gonna be obsessed with. it's the script that opens your FITS images in DS9 and your tables in TOPCAT, and honestly? it's giving personal assistant energy. ✨

🌸 NAME 🌸

astscript-fits-view — View FITS images in DS9 and tables in TOPCAT

🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

astscript-fits-view [OPTION] FITS-file(s)

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

so this script is part of GNU Astronomy Utilities 0.24, no big deal, just iconic behavior.

here's the vibe: you hand it literally any number of FITS inputs, and it goes "say less" and passes them to TOPCAT or SAO DS9 depending on the first input FITS file. if that first file contains an image HDU, everything goes to SAO DS9. if not, it's TOPCAT o'clock. that's it. that's the whole decision tree. 💅

want more tea? run any of these:

  • Inputs/Outputs and options — the first one has a very comprehensive explanation of how to invoke this script: expected input(s), output(s), and a full description of all the options:
$ info astscript-fits-view
  • Full Gnuastro manual/book:
$ info gnuastro

and if the manual is not manual-ing and you couldn't find your answer there, you can get direct help from experienced Gnuastro users and developers (fr fr, real ones). for more info, run:

$ info help-gnuastro

✨ astscript-fits-view options ✨

📥 Input 📥

  • -h, --hdu=STR — Extension name or number of input data.
  • -g, --globalhdu=STR — Use this HDU for all inputs, and ignore --hdu.

📤 Output 📤

  • -G, --ds9geometry=INTxINT — Size of the DS9 window, e.g., for HD use 800x1000 and for 4K use 1800x3000. If you don't give it, the script will attempt to find your screen resolution and find a good match — otherwise, it uses the default size. it's out here trying its best for you. 🫶
  • -e, --ds9extra=STR — Extra options to pass to DS9 after the default ones.
  • -s, --ds9scale=STR — Custom value to the -scale option in DS9.
  • -c, --ds9center=FLT,FLT — Coordinates of center in the shown DS9 window.
  • -r, --ds9region=STR[,...] — DS9 region(s) to load.
  • -O, --ds9mode=img/wcs — Coord system to interpret --ds9center with (img/wcs).
  • -m, --ds9colorbarmulti — Separate color bars for each loaded image. one colorbar per image, because sharing is not always caring. 🌈
  • -k, --topcat4k — TOPCAT UI is scaled by double (for 4K displays).
  • -p, --prefix=STR — Directory containing the DS9 or TOPCAT executables.

🕹️ Operating mode 🕹️

  • -?, --help — Print this help list.
  • --cite — BibTeX citation for this program. cite your faves, it's the rules. 👑
  • -q, --quiet — Don't print any extra information in stdout.
  • -V, --version — Print program version.
heads up bestie: mandatory or optional arguments to long options are also mandatory or optional for any corresponding short options. the more you know. 💫

GNU Astronomy Utilities home page: http://www.gnu.org/software/gnuastro/

😭 REPORTING BUGS 😭

found a bug? not the cute kind? report it to bug-gnuastro@gnu.org. they want to hear about it, no cap.

Copyright © 2020-2025 Free Software Foundation, Inc. License GPLv3+: GNU General public license version 3 or later.

This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it. There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.

Written/developed by Mohammad Akhlaghi and Sepideh Eskandarlou 🌟

🌟 SEE ALSO 🌟

The full documentation for astscript-fits-view is maintained as a Texinfo manual. If the info and astscript-fits-view programs are properly installed at your site, the command

info astscript-fits-view

should give you access to the complete manual. iykyk 📖✨

and that's the whole page, bestie — brought to you by GNU Astronomy Utilities 0.24, dated November 2025, on the ASTSCRIPT-FITS-VIEW(1) manual page. go view some FITS files, you've earned it. 💖🎀🦋

📦 where this page comes from