GINGA(1)

📦
version 7.0.0 · 6 versions
, in ubuntu stonking

GINGA(1) 💫

okay so bestie, you opened the User Commands section of the manual and landed on GINGA(1) — congrats, you're in the right place 🎀

✨ NAME ✨

ginga — Astronomical FITS Image Viewer 🦋

🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

Here's the whole vibe, straight up, no filter:

usage: ginga [-h] [--basedir NAME] [--bufsize NUM] [-c CHANNELS]
       [--disable-plugins NAMES] [--display HOST:N] [--fitspkg NAME] [-g
       GEOM] [--minthreads NUM] [--modules NAMES] [--norestore]
       [--nosplash] [--numthreads NUM] [--task-pool KIND] [--opengl]
       [--plugins NAMES] [--rcport NUM] [--sep]
       [--suppress-fits-warnings] [-t NAME] [--wcspkg NAME] [--log FILE]
       [--loglevel LEVEL] [--lognull] [--logsize NUMBYTES] [--logbackups
       NUM] [--pidfile FILE] [--rmlog] [--stderr] [-V]

And what does that actually do?? It runs the Ginga reference viewer. That's it. That's the whole job description 💅

🎀 options: 🎀

Every single flag, accounted for, not one skipped, periodt:

  • -h, --help — shows this help message and dips out, iconic.
  • --basedir NAME — tells Ginga where your config area lives.
  • --bufsize NUM — sets the buffer length to NUM.
  • -c, --channels CHANNELS — hand it the list of channels you want created.
  • --disable-plugins NAMES — names the plugins that should be disabled, bye bestie 🙈
  • --display HOST:N — use the X display over on HOST:N.
  • --fitspkg NAME — says "pls prefer this FITS I/O module", by name.
  • -g, --geometry GEOM — the X geometry for the initial size and placement, so she arrives looking right ✨
  • --minthreads NUM — start a minimum of NUM threads in the thread pool.
  • --modules NAMES — extra modules to load, your call.
  • --norestore — don't restore the GUI from a saved layout.
  • --nosplash — no splash screen, straight to business 💀
  • --numthreads NUM — maximum NUM threads in the thread pool.
  • --task-pool KIND — task pool implementation: 'thread' (that's the default) or 'async' (single event loop, e.g. for Pyodide).
  • --opengl — use OpenGL acceleration, zoom zoom 🔥
  • --plugins NAMES — extra plugins to load, go off.
  • --rcport NUM — use PORT for the Ginga Remote Control plugin.
  • --sep — load files in separate channels.
  • --suppress-fits-warnings — suppresses FITS verify warnings, shhh 🤫
  • -t, --toolkit NAME — "prefer this GUI toolkit pls" (gtk|qt).
  • --wcspkg NAME — prefer this WCS module, by name.
  • --log FILE — write the logging output into FILE.
  • --loglevel LEVEL — set the logging level to LEVEL.
  • --lognull — use a null logger, silence era 🌈
  • --logsize NUMBYTES — set maximum logging level to NUMBYTES.
  • --logbackups NUM — set the max number of backups to NUM.
  • --pidfile FILE — write the pid of the process into FILE.
  • --rmlog — remove the log if it's present, aka don't append, fresh start 🫶
  • --stderr — copy logging to stderr too.
  • -V, --version — shows the program's version number and exits, main character exit 👑
real talk: --logsize NUMBYTES is literally described as setting the max logging level to NUMBYTES in this manual. Not me fixing it, not me guessing — that's what it says, so that's what you get 💖

okay that's a wrap, you're fully caught up on the manual page GINGA(1) 💜 this one's from ginga 7.0.0, dated July 2026 (yes, July 2026, she's from the future, we don't ask questions). go run the reference viewer and slay 🧚✨

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