HST Data Handbook for WFPC2

Chapter 3:
STSDAS Basics

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3.1 Navigating STSDAS
    3.1.1 STSDAS Structure
    3.1.2 Packages of General Interest
3.2 Displaying HST Images
    3.2.1 The display Task
    3.2.2 Working with Image Sections
3.3 Analyzing HST Images
    3.3.1 Basic Astrometry
    3.3.2 Examining and Manipulating Image Data
    3.3.3 Working with STIS, ACS, and NICMOS Imsets
    3.3.4 Photometry
3.4 Displaying HST Spectra
    3.4.1 FOS and GHRS Spectra
    3.4.2 STIS Spectra
    3.4.3 Producing Hardcopy
3.5 Analyzing HST Spectra
    3.5.1 Preparing FOS and GHRS Data
    3.5.2 Preparing STIS Spectra for Analysis
    3.5.3 General Tasks for Spectra
    3.5.4 STSDAS fitting Package
    3.5.5 specfit
3.6 References
    3.6.1 Available from STScI
    3.6.2 Available from NOAO
    3.6.3 Other References Cited in This Chapter

The Space Telescope Science Data Analysis System (STSDA) is the software system for calibrating and analyzing data from the Hubble Space Telescope. The package contains programs-called tasks-that perform a wide range of functions supporting the entire data analysis process, from reading tapes, through reduction and analysis, to producing final plots and images. This chapter introduces the basics of STSDAS, showing you how to display your data, leading you through some simple data manipulations, and pointing you towards more sophisticated tasks, some of which are described in the instrument data handbooks.

STSDAS is layered on top of the Image Reduction and Analysis Facility (IRAF) software developed at the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO). Any task in IRAF can be used in STSDAS, and the software is portable across a number of platforms and operating systems. To exploit the power of STSDAS effectively, you need to know the basics of IRAF. If you are not already familiar with IRAF, consult the IRAF Primer in Appendix A before reading further.