{"categories":[{"label":"Astronomy","url":"https://skillfed.io/packages/category/scientific-engineering-astronomy"}],"enrichment":{"capability":"fitsio reads and writes FITS (Flexible Image Data Format) files, the standard format for astronomical data, into and from NumPy arrays with support for image, binary table, and ASCII table extensions.","skillfed_tags":["astronomy","fits-format","scientific-data"],"use_cases":["Load astronomical survey data (images, catalogs) from FITS files into NumPy for analysis without reading entire files into memory.","Extract specific columns and row ranges from large FITS binary tables for statistical or machine-learning pipelines.","Write processed astronomical data back to FITS format with proper headers and metadata for archival or sharing with collaborators.","Iterate over rows in a FITS table with buffering for efficient streaming processing of large catalogs.","Read and modify FITS header keywords (e.g., WCS, photometric calibration metadata) for data reduction workflows."],"what_it_does":"fitsio is a Python wrapper around cfitsio that provides direct, efficient access to FITS files\u2014the standard data format in astronomy. It reads and writes image arrays, binary tables, and ASCII tables into NumPy arrays, with support for partial reads (subsets of rows and columns) without loading entire files into memory. The library handles variable-length columns, compressed images, multiple HDU extensions, header keyword manipulation, and row filtering.\n\nThe package bundles its own cfitsio library, so no external system dependency is required. It supports slice notation similar to NumPy arrays and memmap, making it natural for Python users familiar with NumPy. Active maintenance and broad wheel availability (Python 3.10\u20133.13 on macOS, Linux, Windows) keep install friction moderate despite the C extension.","worth_installing":"Yes, if you work with FITS files in astronomy or related fields. The package is actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, and provides efficient partial-read access that astropy.io.fits does not. The GPL-2.0-or-later license is a blocker only if your project is proprietary and cannot adopt copyleft terms. For academic and open-source astronomy work, it is a solid, well-established choice."},"id":"fitsio","links":{"html":"https://skillfed.io/packages/fitsio","md":"https://skillfed.io/packages/fitsio.md","pypi":"https://pypi.org/project/fitsio/"},"maintenance":{"status":"active"},"meta":{"latest_release":"2026-07-16","license_spdx":"GPL-2.0-or-later","license_treatment":"copyleft","name":"fitsio","python_support":"supports_current","summary":"A full featured python library to read from and write to FITS files."},"popularity":{"monthly_downloads":87043,"position":13817,"tier":"top_15000"},"security":{"n_vulnerabilities":0},"version":"1.4.2"}