Introduction to Reducing HST Data

Table of Contents

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Table of Contents

Preface

Chapter 1: Getting HST Data

1.1 Archive Overview

1.1.1 Archive Registration

1.1.2 Archive Documentation and Help

1.2 Getting Data with StarView

1.2.1 Downloading and Setting Up StarView

1.2.2 Simple Use of StarView

1.2.3 Marking and Retrieving Data with StarView

1.2.4 Using StarView to Retrieve Calibration Files and Proposal Information and for Duplication Checking

1.2.5 Advanced Features of StarView

1.2.6 StarView and the Visual Target Tuner

1.2.7 Quick Proprietary Data Retrieval with StarView

1.3 Getting Data with the World Wide Web

1.3.1 WFPC2 Associations

1.3.2 High Level Science Products

1.4 Reading HST Data Disks

Chapter 2: HST File Formats

2.1 FITS File Format

2.1.1 Working with FITS Image Extensions

2.1.2 Working with FITS Table Extensions

2.2 GEIS File Format

2.2.1 Converting FITS to GEIS

2.2.2 GEIS Data Groups

2.2.3 Working with GEIS Files

2.2.4 The "waiver" FITS Format

Chapter 3: Analyzing HST Data

3.1 Alternative Means of Accessing HST Data

3.1.1 Interactive Data Language (IDL)

3.1.2 Python

3.1.3 Fortran and C

3.1.4 Java

3.1.5 PyRAF

3.2 Navigating STSDAS

3.2.1 STSDAS Structure

3.2.2 Packages of General Interest

3.3 Displaying HST Images

3.3.1 The Display Task

3.3.2 Working with Image Sections

3.4 Analyzing HST Images

3.4.1 Basic Astrometry

3.4.2 Examining and Manipulating Image Data

3.4.3 Working with STIS, ACS, and NICMOS Imsets

3.4.4 Photometry

3.4.5 Combining Dithered HST Datasets with MultiDrizzle

3.5 Displaying HST Spectra

3.5.1 Specview

3.5.2 STIS Spectra

3.5.3 FOS and GHRS Spectra

3.5.4 Producing Hardcopy

3.6 Analyzing HST Spectra

3.6.1 Preparing STIS Spectra for Analysis in IRAF/STSDAS or Pyraf

3.6.2 Preparing FOS and GHRS Data

3.6.3 Photometry

3.6.4 General Tasks for Spectra

3.6.5 STSDAS Fitting Package

3.6.6 Specfit

3.7 References

3.7.1 Available from STScI

3.7.2 Available from NOAO

3.7.3 Other References Cited in This Chapter

Appendix A: IRAF Primer

A.1 Initiating IRAF

A.2 IRAF Basics

A.3 Getting IRAF and STSDAS

Appendix B: HST File Names

B.1 Rootnames

B.2 Suffixes of Files Common to All Instruments

B.3 Associations

Appendix C: Observation Logs

C.1 Observation Log Files

C.2 Retrieving Observation Logs

C.3 Using Observation Logs

Index