The PyFITS module is a Python library providing access to FITS files. FITS (Flexible Image Transport System) is a portable file standard widely used in the astronomy community to store images and tables.
PyFITS requires Python version 2.3 or newer. PyFITS also requires the numpy module. Information about numpy can be found at:
To download numpy, go to:
PyFITS’s source code is pure Python. It can be downloaded from:
PyFITS uses Python’s distutils for its installation. To install it, unpack the tar file and type:
python setup.py install
This will install PyFITS in Python’s site-packages directory. If permissions do not allow this kind of installation PyFITS can be installed in a personal directory using one of the commands below. Note, that PYTHONPATH has to be set or modified accordingly. The three examples below show how to install PyFITS in an arbitrary directory <install-dir> and how to modify PYTHONPATH.
python setup.py install --home=<install-dir>
setenv PYTHONPATH <install-dir>/lib/python
python setup.py install --prefix=<install-lib>
setenv PYTHONPATH <install-dir>lib/python2.3/site-packages
In this guide, we’ll assume that the reader has basic familiarity with Python. Familiarity with numpy is not required, but it will help to understand the data structures in PyFITS.
The official PyFITS web page is:
If you have any question or comment regarding PyFITS, user support is available through the STScI Help Desk:
* E-mail: help@stsci.edu * Phone: (410) 338-1082