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Sample FITS Files
This page contains links to sample FITS files from various sources. These files do not necessarily conform to all the latest FITS format recommendations, as can be determined by testing the file with the FITS File Verifier.

Individual Sample FITS files
Most of the following sample FITS files were obtained from the MAST data archive.

Telescope/Inst Description

HST WFPC II WFPC II 800 x 800 x 4 primary array data cube containing the 4 CCD images, plus a table extension containing world coordinate parameters. This sample file has been trimmed to 200 x 200 x 4 pixels to save disk space.

HST WFPC II WFPC II 1600 x 1600 primary array mosaic constructed from the 4 individual CCD chips. (Image has been trimmed to 100 x 100 pixels to save disk space).

HST FOC FOC (1024 x 1024) primary array image, plus a table extension containing world coordinate parameters.

HST FOS FOS 2 x 2064 primary array spectrum containing the flux and wavelength arrays, plus a small table extension.

HST HRS HRS 2000 x 4 primary array spectrum, plus a small table extension.

HST NICMOS NICMOS null primary array plus 5 image extensions (270 x 263) containing the science, error, data quality, samples, and time images

HST FGS FGS file with a 89688 x 7 2-dimensional primary array and 1 table extension. The primary array contains a time series of 7 astrometric quantities.

Astro UIT Astro1 Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (512 x 512) primary array image

IUE LWP IUE spectrum contained in vector columns of a binary table.

EUVE EUVE sky image and 2D spectra, contained in multiple image extensions, with associated binary table extensions. The 1st image extension has been rebinned by a factor of 4 to save disk space.

Random Groups This example file illustrates the Random Groups FITS file format which has the keywords NAXIS1 = 0 and GROUPS = T. This format has been used almost exclusively for applications in radio interferometry and should not be used for applications outside of this field. It is recommended that new applications should use FITS binary tables to store this type of data. This example file comes from the Classic AIPS 'DDT' (Dirty Dozen Test) benchmarking suite.

Public Archives that provide astronomical data in FITS format:

Sample FITS files from NRAO - early sample FITS files collected from the NRAO FITS web site.
Sample World Coordinate System FITS Files have been prepared for each of the ~27 projections described in the "Representations of Celestial Coordinates in FITS" paper using the same projection parameters as in the paper (where applicable).
Anglo-Australian Telescope
ATNF Australia radio telescopes data archive
Canadian Astronomical Data Center (CADC) archive of observations taken with HST, Gemini, JCMT, CFHT, CGPS, and other archives and catalogues.
CASU, Cambridge (U.K.) Astronomical Survey Unit Data Center, including archives of the Isaac Newton Group of telescopes and other U.K. affiliated observatories
Chandra X-ray telescope data archive
Deep Extragalactic Evolutionary Probe (DEEP) survey of distant galaxies observed with Keck and HST
ESO/ST-ECF Science Archive contains non-proprietary data from the VLT, NTT, MPG/ESO 2.2m, and the ESO 3.6m telescopes, as well as the Hubble Space Telescope
HEASARC archive of X-ray and Gamma-ray observations from space. See also sample FITS files
IRSA NASA's archive node for infrared and sub-millimeter data
JIVE institute for Very Long Baseline Interferometry in Europe
LAMBDA archive of WMAP and COBE microwave background data
Multimission Archive at Space Telescope (MAST)
National Radio Astronomical Observatory (NRAO) Data Archive of observation with the VLA, VLBA, and GBT radio telescopes
Sloan Digital Sky Survey
Spitzer

Experimental FITS files
These files contain unusual features that may not conform to the current FITS standard.

testkeys.fits - this FITS image contains unorthodox header keywords that do not have an equals sign character in byte 9 of the header record.
testkeys2.fits - this FITS image contains a keyword that has an illegal '.' character in the name.

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Telescope/Inst	Description
HST WFPC II	WFPC II 800 x 800 x 4 primary array data cube containing the 4 CCD images, plus a table extension containing world coordinate parameters. This sample file has been trimmed to 200 x 200 x 4 pixels to save disk space.
HST WFPC II	WFPC II 1600 x 1600 primary array mosaic constructed from the 4 individual CCD chips. (Image has been trimmed to 100 x 100 pixels to save disk space).
HST FOC	FOC (1024 x 1024) primary array image, plus a table extension containing world coordinate parameters.
HST FOS	FOS 2 x 2064 primary array spectrum containing the flux and wavelength arrays, plus a small table extension.
HST HRS	HRS 2000 x 4 primary array spectrum, plus a small table extension.
HST NICMOS	NICMOS null primary array plus 5 image extensions (270 x 263) containing the science, error, data quality, samples, and time images
HST FGS	FGS file with a 89688 x 7 2-dimensional primary array and 1 table extension. The primary array contains a time series of 7 astrometric quantities.
Astro UIT	Astro1 Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (512 x 512) primary array image
IUE LWP	IUE spectrum contained in vector columns of a binary table.
EUVE	EUVE sky image and 2D spectra, contained in multiple image extensions, with associated binary table extensions. The 1st image extension has been rebinned by a factor of 4 to save disk space.
Random Groups	This example file illustrates the Random Groups FITS file format which has the keywords NAXIS1 = 0 and GROUPS = T. This format has been used almost exclusively for applications in radio interferometry and should not be used for applications outside of this field. It is recommended that new applications should use FITS binary tables to store this type of data. This example file comes from the Classic AIPS 'DDT' (Dirty Dozen Test) benchmarking suite.