Alternative Astronomical FITS imaging

TL;DR

This paper proposes a method for embedding and preserving metadata within astronomical radio maps in FITS and other lossless formats, ensuring valuable observational information remains accessible after format conversions.

Contribution

It introduces a novel data hiding technique that maintains metadata integrity across different image formats and transformations, enhancing data sharing and reproducibility.

Findings

Metadata remains intact after format conversion.

The method is compatible with lossless image formats.

Preserves crucial observational information for astronomers.

Abstract

Astronomical radio maps are presented mainly in FITS format. Astronomical Image Processing Software (AIPS) uses a set of tables attached to the output map to include all sorts of information concerning the production of the image. However this information together with information on the flux and noise of the map is lost as soon as the image of the radio source in fits or other format is extracted from AIPS. This information would have been valuable to another astronomer who just uses NED, for example, to download the map. In the current work, we show a method of data hiding inside the radio map, which can be preserved under transformations, even for example while the format of the map is changed from fits to other lossless available image formats.