HEASARC Tips

1. The HEASARC has data from more than 26 missions, mostly in FITS format. Immediate online access to all our data and catalogs is available through our Browse web service and also via our FTP area.

2. FV is a useful, multi-platform FITS file Viewer. It works well with SAOImage DS9, a FITS image viewer supported by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory.

3. You can view the Browse tips archive to learn useful shortcuts and power search tools.

4. The HEASARC timeline tool provides pointing information for a number of space observatories.

5. When can my favorite satellite observatory view my favorite source? Find out using the Viewing Tool.

6. Wondering if your astronomical software and associated data are up-to-date? Check out Astro-Update!

7. The HEASARC site search has been upgraded - check it out, and check out the advanced features!

8. Wonder if your favorite source has been observed, or if new data for it are in the archive? Get Notified!

9. The Browse KML interface lets you view and request data from popular X-ray and gamma-ray missions in applications like Google Sky.

10. You can create responses for the Fermi Gamma-Ray Burst instrument using gbmrspgen from Hera.

11. Be sure to check out the Astronomy Picture of the Day.

12. You can run FTOOLS, CIAO, and XMM-SAS analysis tools at the HEASARC with only a single small download. See the remote analysis options for Hera.

13. You can join the High Energy Astrophysics Picture of the Week group on Facebook.

14. Useful XSPEC info can be had at the XSPEC Facebook Group. Also check out the XSPECTOR blog.

15. Here's how to acknowledge the use of HEASARC resources!

16. The HEASARC offers substantial educational resources for students and teachers.

17. The latest in cosmology can be found in LAMBDA.

18. Keep up-to-date with the latest High Energy Astrophysics happenings via the HEASARC's news feed.

19. Did you know that Browse is scriptable?

20. Try Xamin, the HEASARC's powerful new data discovery and retrieval system.

21. In the Xamin Quick Search Box you can enter the ADS bibcode of an astronomy paper, e.g., 2013A&A...553A..12N, to see if the tables from that paper are available in our or an external database.

22. Is there a published table that you'd like us to include in the Xamin/Browse database? You can ask us to add it from our feedback page.

23. For a concise summary of the basic capabilities of current and future X-ray observatories, look at the missions comparison chart.

24. heasoftpy is a python package which helps users better integrate HEASoft with native python code.

25. SciServer is a scientific platform that provides direct access to the entire HEASARC archive and access to HEASoft and other science analysis packages without installing software or downloading data.

26. You can install HEASoft with Docker!

27. Our Resources for Scientists include presentations describing high-energy astrophysics including basic X-ray astronomy analysis techniques from a dozen or more summer schools held between 2001 and 2013.

28. In the XSPEC PLT plot interface you can set the color of a displayed component to 0 to hide the component:

    XSPEC> iplot lda
    PLT> info
    PLT> color 0 on 3
    

    will hide the 3rd PLT plot component.

29. Try the position/name, date and energy converters on our Tools area.

30. You can build a customized software download of the HEASoft analysis package tailored to your computer architecture and the missions you are working with.

31. You can use the CALDB RSS newsfeed to keep up-to-date with new releases of calibration data.

32. The HEASARC provides a list of proposal deadlines and future mission launches and upcoming meeting announcements as a service to the science community.

33. Simple count rate simulations and conversions can be done with WebPIMMS. More complex simulations can be done using WebSpec.

34. You can easily add tips to the HEASARC tip archive! Submit your tips on the General HEASARC Feedback page.