Software for reading fits images and tables

SDSS data are distributed as fits images and binary tables (see definition of the fits format). Here is a selection of programs and libraries which are able to read these files. If you know of a good tool that isn't listed, please submit it to the SDSS helpdesk.

Astronomical analysis packages

• ESO-MIDAS (distributed under the GNU General Public License)
• NOAO IRAF and PyRAF, which allows to script IRAF in Python (all available for free)
• IDL (commercial software) and IDL Astronomy User's Library (free collection of astronomical IDL routines)
• SuperMongo (SM) focuses more on publication-quality plotting and data analysis and less on image processing than the other packages (commercial software)

Tools and libraries for reading fits files

• SAOImage ds9
• HEASARC's FTOOLS, A general package of software to manipulate fits files, among them
  • fv for viewing and editing images and tables
  • futils and fimage, command-line tools for manipulating fits files
• fitsio, a collection of C and Fortran routines to link into your own code
• SpecView is a Java application for 1-D spectral visualization and analysis of astronomical spectrograms provided by STScI.
• Starlink is a collection of astronomical software, including software to read fits files.
• TOPCAT is a widely-used GUI for visualizing astronomical FITS files.
• STILTS is a command-line version of TOPCAT