About AstroImageJ

AstroImageJ is open source software and is distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public License. It incorporates ImageJ components which are in the public domain.

Key Features

• General astronomical image and data analysis
• Interactive image display similar to DS9
• Reads and writes standard FITS images and tables, including FPACK compressed, and 3D image cubes
• TESS image (e.g. TESScut) and SPOC lightcurve analysis
• FITS header viewing and editing
• Plate solving via Astrometry.net web interface (local solver capability on Microsoft Windows)
• Displays astronomical coordinates at mouse pointer for images with WCS headers
• Provides object identification via an embedded SIMBAD interface
• Aligns image sequences using WCS headers or by using apertures to correlate stars
• Image calibration including bias, dark, flat, and non-linearity correction with option to run in real-time
• Interactive time-series differential photometry interface with option to run in real-time
• Various aperture options (fixed, auto-fixed, variable size; circular, elliptical, arbitrary shape)
• Comparison ensemble apertures can optionally be automatically selected in images
• Time-series photometry of moving objects (such as asteroids, etc.)
• Comparison star ensemble and detrend can be changed without re-running differential photometry
• Interactive multi-curve plotting tool streamlined for plotting light curves
• Automated plot titling capability (from FITS headers, measurements tables, filenames)
• Interactive light curve fitting interface with simultaneous detrending
• Automated comparison ensemble and detrend optimization and light curve outlier removal
• Non-destructive object annotations/labels using FITS header keywords
• Time and coordinate conversion with capability to update/enhance FITS header content (AIRMASS, BJD, etc.)
• Powerful photometry table (measurements table) editing
• Handling of debayering of color images
• Optionally enter reference star apparent magnitudes to calculate target star magnitudes automatically
• Optionally create Minor Planet Center (MPC) format for direct submission of data to the MPC
• Optionally create AAVSO formatted lightcurves
• Automated check for nearby eclipsing binary signals for TESS follow-up (thanks to Dennis Conti)

Documentation

• Open Access article from the Astronomical Journal (2017) -- AstroImageJ: Image Processing and Photometric Extraction for Ultra-Precise Astronomical Light Curves
• Expanded version of the AIJ article on astro-ph with explanations of many functions
• Legacy User Guide
• Nabble Forum for AIJ users
• Github Forum for AIJ users
• Dennis Conti's Practical Guide to Exoplanet Observing

Download

Contact & Support

Have questions or want to contribute? Reach out to us!

AstroImageJ User Technical Support: Nabble User Forum

GitHub Discussions: Github AIJ User Discussions

GitHub Issues: Report a confirmed bug or new development request

Windows Code Signing Policy

Free code signing provided by SignPath.io, certificate by SignPath Foundation.

Privacy Policy

This program will not transfer any information to other networked systems unless specifically requested by the user or the person installing or operating it.

Credits

Cite AstroImageJ

If you used AstroImageJ in your work, please cite the AstroImageJ Astronomical Journal open access paper Collins, Kielkopf, Stassun, and Hessman 2017, AJ, 153, 77.

Development Team

Karen A. Collins (Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory)

Kevin B. Eastridge (George Mason University)

John F. Kielkopf (University of Louisville)

Eric L. N. Jensen (Swarthmore College)

Code Contributors

Frederic V. Hessman (University of Göttingen) [initial "Astronomy" plugins]

John R. Thorstensen (Dartmouth College) [JSkyCalc routines]

Dennis Conti (AAVSO) [NEBcheck, AAVSO modules]

Gregor Srdoc [Periodograms]

Bill Tschumy [Stack combiner FITS header support]

Brian Hill (Saint Mary's College of California) [initial nom.tam.fits FITS I/O integration and other contributions]

Matthew Craig (Minnesota State University Moorhead) [Howell centroiding]

Han Kleijn (ASTAP) [color image debayering concepts]

Grant Support

Partial user support, code maintenance, and code development funding has been provided by NASA TESS Guest Investigator grants 80NSSC21K1056, 80NSSC23K1053, and 80NSSC24K1120.

Icons

AIJ icon

The AIJ icon is a modified version of this image from ESA/Hubble, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International

Credit: NASA, ESA, J. Clarke (Boston University, USA), and Z. Levay (STScI)

The image was modified to remove the planet shadow.

Other icons

Other icons are separately licensed. Please see the license files in the icon folders for more information.

Included libraries

ImageJ

A modified version of ImageJ, which is in the public domain.

Nom.tam.fits

Licensed in the public domain.

Nashorn

Licensed under GPL-2.0 with classpath exception.

Pdfbox-graphics2d

Licensed under Apache 2.0.

JNA

Licensed under Apache 2.0.

Sigstore-java

Licenced under Apache 2.0.

FastDoubleParser

Licensed under MIT license.

Hipparchus

Licensed under Apache 2.0.

JAMA

Licensed in the public domain.

BiSlider

All Rights Reserved, with permission to use, copy, modify and distribute this software and its documentation for educational, research and non-profit purposes. See the full license here.

For AstroImageJ, additional permission under GNU GPL version 3 section 7 is granted: If you modify this Program (AstroImageJ), or any covered work, by linking or combining it with BiSlider (or a modified version of that library), containing parts covered by the terms of BiSlider's license, the licensors of this Program (AstroImageJ) grant you additional permission to convey the resulting work.

See the GPL FAQ for details on use of GPL incompatible libraries in a GPL work.

Json Simple

Licensed under Apache 2.0.

Academic Citations

Transit Models

AstroImageJ uses transit model concepts that are based on Mandel & Agol 2002 and Eastman et al. 2019.

Periodograms

AstroImageJ uses periodogram concepts that are based on Kovács, Zucker & Mazeh 2002, Hippke & Heller 2019, Lomb (1976), Scargle (1982), and Zechmeister & Kürster (2009).

Photometric Uncertainty

AstroImageJ uses photometric uncertainty equations and concepts from Merline & Howell 1995, Exp. Astron., 6, 163.

Howell Centroiding

AstroImageJ uses centroiding concepts from the Handbook of CCD Astronomy, 2nd Edition, Steve B. Howell.