HST Data Handbook for STIS
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Version 5.0 July, 2007 HST Data Handbook for STIS Space Telescope Science Institute 3700 San Martin Drive Baltimore, Maryland 21218 [email protected] Operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration User Support For prompt answers to any question, please contact the STScI Help Desk. • E-mail: [email protected] • Phone: (410) 338-1082 (800) 544-8125 (U.S., toll free) World Wide Web Information and other resources are available on the STIS World Wide Web site: • URL: http://www.stsci.edu/hst/stis STIS Revision History Version Date Editor 5.0 July 2007 Linda Dressel, Sherie Holfeltz & Jessica Kim Quijano 4.0 January 2002 Thomas M. Brown, STIS Editor Bahram Mobasher, Chief Editor 3.1 March 1998 Tony Keyes 3.0, Vol. II October 1997 Tony Keyes 3.0, Vol. I October 1997 Mark Voit 2.0 December 1995 Claus Leitherer 1.0 February 1994 Stefi Baum Authorship This document is written and maintained by the COS/STIS Team in the Instruments Division of STScI with the assistance of associates in the Operations and Engineering Division. Contributions to the current edition were made by A. Aloisi, R. Diaz-Miller, L. Dressel, P. Goudfrooij, P. Hodge, S. Holfeltz, J. Kim Quijano, J. Maíz Apellániz, and C. Proffitt. In publications, refer to this document as: Dressel, L., et al. 2007, "STIS Data Handbook", Version 5.0, (Baltimore: STScI). Send comments or corrections to: Space Telescope Science Institute 3700 San Martin Drive Baltimore, Maryland 21218 E-mail:[email protected] Table of Contents Preface .....................................................................................xi Part I: Introduction to Reducing HST Data................................................................................. 1 Chapter 1: Getting HST Data............................. 1-1 1.1 Archive Overview ....................................................... 1-2 1.1.1 Archive Registration................................................. 1-3 1.1.2 Archive Documentation and Help ............................ 1-4 1.2 Getting Data with StarView...................................... 1-4 1.2.1 Downloading and Setting Up StarView.................... 1-4 1.2.2 Simple Use of StarView........................................... 1-5 1.2.3 Marking and Retrieving Data with StarView ............ 1-9 1.2.4 Using StarView to Retrieve Calibration Files and Proposal Information and for Duplication Checking .................................................................... 1-10 1.2.5 Advanced Features of StarView ............................ 1-12 1.2.6 StarView and the Visual Target Tuner................... 1-14 1.2.7 Quick Proprietary Data Retrieval with StarView .... 1-14 1.3 Getting Data with the World Wide Web .............. 1-15 1.3.1 WFPC2 Associations............................................. 1-17 1.3.2 High Level Science Products................................. 1-19 1.4 Reading HST Data Disks ....................................... 1-20 Chapter 2: HST File Formats............................. 2-1 2.1 FITS File Format ........................................................ 2-2 2.1.1 Working with FITS Image Extensions...................... 2-3 2.1.2 Working with FITS Table Extensions....................... 2-8 iii iv Table of Contents 2.2 GEIS File Format...................................................... 2-11 2.2.1 Converting FITS to GEIS....................................... 2-13 2.2.2 GEIS Data Groups................................................. 2-13 2.2.3 Working with GEIS Files........................................ 2-15 2.2.4 The “waiver” FITS Format...................................... 2-17 Chapter 3: Analyzing HST Data ...................... 3-1 3.1 Alternative Means of Accessing HST Data.......... 3-2 3.1.1 Interactive Data Language (IDL) ............................. 3-2 3.1.2 Python...................................................................... 3-2 3.1.3 Fortran and C........................................................... 3-3 3.1.4 Java ......................................................................... 3-3 3.1.5 PyRAF ..................................................................... 3-3 3.2 Navigating STSDAS .................................................. 3-4 3.2.1 STSDAS Structure................................................... 3-4 3.2.2 Packages of General Interest .................................. 3-6 3.3 Displaying HST Images ............................................ 3-7 3.3.1 The Display Task..................................................... 3-7 3.3.2 Working with Image Sections ................................ 3-10 3.4 Analyzing HST Images ........................................... 3-11 3.4.1 Basic Astrometry.................................................... 3-12 3.4.2 Examining and Manipulating Image Data.............. 3-14 3.4.3 Working with STIS, ACS, and NICMOS Imsets..... 3-16 3.4.4 Photometry ............................................................ 3-19 3.4.5 Combining Dithered HST Datasets with MultiDrizzle ......................................................... 3-22 3.5 Displaying HST Spectra ......................................... 3-24 3.5.1 Specview ............................................................... 3-24 3.5.2 STIS Spectra ......................................................... 3-25 3.5.3 FOS and GHRS Spectra........................................ 3-26 3.5.4 Producing Hardcopy .............................................. 3-27 3.6 Analyzing HST Spectra........................................... 3-29 3.6.1 Preparing STIS Spectra for Analysis in IRAF/STSDAS or Pyraf .......................................... 3-29 3.6.2 Preparing FOS and GHRS Data............................ 3-32 3.6.3 Photometry ............................................................ 3-35 3.6.4 General Tasks for Spectra..................................... 3-35 3.6.5 STSDAS Fitting Package ...................................... 3-38 3.6.6 Specfit.................................................................... 3-41 Table of Contents v 3.7 References ................................................................ 3-41 3.7.1 Available from STScI ............................................. 3-41 3.7.2 Available from NOAO ............................................ 3-42 3.7.3 Other References Cited in This Chapter ............... 3-42 Part II: STIS Data Handbook .......................................... 1 Introduction ......................................................................... 3 Chapter 1: STIS Overview.................................... 1-1 1.1 Instrument Capabilities and Design....................... 1-1 1.1.1 The STIS Detectors ................................................. 1-5 1.1.2 STIS Physical Configuration.................................... 1-6 1.2 Basic Instrument Operations................................... 1-7 1.2.1 Target Acquisitions and Peakups ............................ 1-7 1.2.2 Routine Wavecals.................................................... 1-7 1.2.3 Data Storage and Transfer ...................................... 1-8 1.2.4 Parallel Operations .................................................. 1-8 1.3 STIS Operations on Side 2 ...................................... 1-9 1.4 Failure of Side 2 ....................................................... 1-10 1.5 STIS Closeout........................................................... 1-10 1.6 STIS Operations and Calibration Timeline ........ 1-12 Chapter 2: STIS Data Structure....................... 2-1 2.1 Overview ...................................................................... 2-1 2.2 Types of STIS Files ................................................... 2-2 2.2.1 Trailer Files.............................................................. 2-4 2.2.2 Understanding Associations .................................... 2-5 2.3 STIS File Structures .................................................. 2-7 2.3.1 STIS FITS Image Extension Files............................ 2-7 2.3.2 STIS FITS Table Extension Files........................... 2-10 2.4 Headers, Keywords, and Relationship to Phase II..................................................................... 2-13 2.5 Error and Data Quality Array................................. 2-20 2.5.1 The Error Array...................................................... 2-20 2.5.2 Data Quality Flagging ............................................ 2-21 vi Table of Contents 2.6 STIS Coordinate Systems...................................... 2-22 2.6.1 Spacecraft, User, and Aperture Frames................ 2-22 2.6.2 CCD Binned Pixel and Sub-array Coordinates...... 2-24 2.7 STIS Paper Products .............................................. 2-25 Chapter 3: STIS Calibration................................ 3-1 3.1 Pipeline Processing Overview ................................ 3-1 3.2 Structure of calstis ..................................................... 3-4 3.3 Data Flow Through calstis ..................................... 3-10 3.4 Descriptions of Calibration Steps ......................... 3-16 3.4.1 ATODCORR: Analog to Digital Conversion Correction................................................................... 3-16 3.4.2 BACKCORR: 1-D Spectral Background Subtraction.... 3-17 3.4.3 BIASCORR: Small Scale Bias Subtraction............ 3-18 3.4.4 BLEVCORR: Large Scale Bias & Overscan Subtraction ................................................................. 3-19 3.4.5 CRCORR: Cosmic Ray Correction.......................