HEASARC Software

The following software is supported by the HEASARC. Most of this software is designed for professional researchers and advanced students for the analysis of scientific astronomical observations in FITS format. The 'fv' program is also suitable for more general use by amateurs and educators for viewing astronomical image files. These software packages are to be downloaded to the users machine. Web-based tools are available on our tools page.

HEASARC Software Packages

  • FITSIO - A subroutine library for reading and writing FITS files for C and Fortran programmers.
  • FTOOLS - General FITS file utility programs and mission-specific data analysis tools.
  • FV - Interactive editor and viewer for astronomical data files in FITS format. Also provides access to Hera.
  • HEASoft - A unified release of the FTOOLS and XANADU packages.
  • HEASoft & Docker - Install HEASoft in a Docker container
  • HEASoftPy - A Python 3 interface to HEASoft
  • SciServer - Run the FTOOLS and XANADU software on the SciServer science platform, without having to install the software packages locally or download any data. Define your own collaboration groups, share code and results, etc.
  • Hera - Run the FTOOLS and XANADU software on the Hera servers at the HEASARC, without having to install the software packages locally.
  • Maki - Displays fields of view for various instruments on FITS images. Currently supports the Suzaku XIS & HXD, Chandra ACIS & HRC, XMM EPIC, and RXTE PCA detectors.
  • PIMMS - Program to estimate count rates from fluxes or vice versa, or to estimate count rates in one instrument from those measured in another.
  • Profit - GUI tool for visualizing and modeling high-resolution spectra.
  • SAOImage DS9 - Astronomical Imaging and Data Visualization Application: DS9 supports FITS images and binary tables, multiple frame buffers, region manipulation, and many scale algorithms and colormaps.
  • SkyView-In-A-Jar - Running SkyView on your own computer.
  • XANADU - Suite of spectral (xspec), timing (xronos), and image (ximage) analysis programs.
  • XSELECT - Multipurpose tool for filtering event files and generating images, spectra, and light curves. Distributed as part of the HEASARC package on the download page.
  • XSTAR - Program for calculating physical conditions and emission spectra in photoionized gases.

    ASTRO-Update - Latest Versions of Useful Multi-mission Software

    FITS - Data Formats, Standards and HEASARC Conventions for High-Energy Astrophysics Data

    LAMBDA Toolbox - Useful Software and Web Tools for Cosmic Microwave Backround and General Astronomy

  • Mission-Specific Software

    ASCA | BeppoSAX | CGRO | Chandra | EUVE | EXOSAT | Fermi | HEAO-1 | INTEGRAL | NuSTAR | OSO-8 | ROSAT | RXTE | Suzaku | Swift | XMM-Newton

    Latest News

  • Swift SC and BAT CALDB updated (12 Mar 2024)
    The Swift SC caldb has been updated to version 20240308, and the Swift BAT caldb has been updated to version 20230607 ...
  • HEASoft 6.33 released (27 Feb 2024)
    HEASoft 6.33 has been released. HEASoft 6.33 includes new and updated mission-specific data analysis software (IXPE and NICER). Please see the 6.33 release notes for details.
  • NICER XTI CALDB Updated (27 Feb 2024)
    The NICER XTI caldb has been updated to version 20240206.
  • eROSITA DR1 caldb installed at the HEASARC (08 Feb 2024)
    The DR1 version of the eROSITA CALDB has been installed at the HEASARC, and the HEASARC caldb.config file has been updated to include the eROSITA CALDB data.
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    Last modified: Tuesday, 25-Apr-2023 10:24:14 EDT