fits

What is a .fits file?

application/fits

FITS (.fits, Flexible Image Transport System) is the standard binary format in astronomy. It pairs human-readable 80-character header cards (in 2880-byte blocks) with binary image or table data, storing pixel arrays, coordinates, and instrument metadata. It has been the astronomical archive format for decades.

How to use a .fits file

Use an example .fits file to test FITS readers (astropy, CFITSIO, DS9), header-card parsing, and image or table extraction, or to verify block-alignment handling.

Download example .fits file

FITS Image (.fits)A minimal but valid FITS image — a primary header of 80-character cards padded to a 2880-byte block, followed by a 16x16 unsigned-byte pixel gradient — for testing FITS readers and header-card parsers.

Convert a .fits file to another format

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