Flexible Image Transport System
image/fits
Released 1981
· by IAU FITS Working Group / NASA
FITS (Flexible Image Transport System) is an open standard and the most widely used digital file format in astronomy. Designed specifically for scientific data, it supports N-dimensional arrays (like 2D images or 3D data cubes) and multi-extension data tables, paired with extensive human-readable ASCII headers.
Technical Specifications
.fits.fit.fts
UncompressedRiceGZIPHcompress
application/fits
Magic Bytes & HTTP Headers
SIMPLE =
Browser Support Matrix
| Browser | Status | Min Version |
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Not Supported | — |
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Not Supported | — |
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Not Supported | — |
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Not Supported | Legacy |
Advantages & Limitations
- The undisputed global standard for archiving and sharing astronomical data
- Self-documenting: Headers are written in plain ASCII, ensuring data is readable decades later regardless of software
- Supports incredibly high dynamic range, N-dimensional arrays, and complex binary tables
- No support in standard consumer software or web browsers
- Uncompressed raw FITS files from modern telescopes can be excessively large
- Does not use standard metadata models like EXIF or XMP, requiring specialized parsers
Developer Code Snippets
File Detection Steps
How to programmatically detect a image/fits
file by reading its raw bytes:
- 1 Read the first 8 bytes and verify the string is exactly 'SIMPLE ' (padded with spaces).
- 2 FITS headers are always written in 2880-byte logical records containing 80-character ASCII card images.
Software Support
ImageMagick
Conversion Tools
Share & Embed
[](https://freewebptojpg.com/mime/image/fits)
<iframe src="https://freewebptojpg.com/mime/image/fits/embed" width="100%" height="280" style="border:1px solid #cbd5e1;border-radius:8px;" title="FITS Specs"></iframe>
JSON API
All data on this page is available as a free, open JSON API. Use it in your project, documentation, or tooling.
GET https://freewebptojpg.com/mime/image/fits.json
Open JSON
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the magic byte for a FITS file?
Every standard FITS file begins with the ASCII string 'SIMPLE = ' (including the spaces). In hex, this 10-byte signature is 53 49 4D 50 4C 45 20 20 3D 20.
Is image/fits or application/fits the correct MIME type?
Both are used in practice, but 'image/fits' was officially registered with IANA (RFC 4047). However, because FITS can contain complex binary tables and non-image data, many systems still default to 'application/fits'.
Can I view FITS files in a web browser?
No, FITS is a specialized scientific format with zero native browser support. Viewing FITS data on the web requires JavaScript libraries (like FITS.js) to parse the binary arrays and render them onto an HTML5 Canvas.