IRAF is the Image Reduction and Analysis Facility, a general purpose software system for the reduction and analysis of astronomical data.

• IRAF Links
  • IRAF home page
  • IRAF community page
  • IRAF release notes

• Installation Details

      NOAO/IRAFNET PC-IRAF Revision 2.14 Fri Nov 30 15:27:05 MST 2007
      This is the RELEASED version of IRAF V2.14 supporting PC systems.
  
     Joint Astronomy Centre IRAF installation - [Hilo|UKIRT|JCMT] site - 2008 Jan 5 - jk
     IRAF version 2.14, X11IRAF version 1.3.1, SAOImage DS9 version 5.0,
        STSDAS version 3.7, TABLES version 3.7, Gemini version 1.9.1, etc.
     image display: ds9 (24-bit), ximtool-alt (8-bit), ximtool (8-bit), etc.
     terminal emulation: xgterm, xterm, etc.
     questions/support: http://www.jach.hawaii.edu/software/iraf/,
        irafusers@jach.hawaii.edu, j.kemp@jach.hawaii.edu
  
    Welcome to IRAF.  To list the available commands, type ? or ??.  To get
    detailed information about a command, type `help '.  To run  a
    command  or  load  a  package,  type  its name.   Type  `bye' to exit a
    package, or `logout' to get out  of the CL.    Type `news' to find  out
    what is new in the version of the system you are using.  
  
    Visit http://iraf.net if you have questions or to report problems.
  
    The following commands or packages are currently defined:
  
        color.      gemini.     language.   obsolete.   stsdas.     
        dataio.     gmisc.      lists.      plot.       system.     
        dbms.       guiapps.    nmisc.      proto.      tables.     
        fitsutil.   images.     noao.       softools.   utilities.  
  

• Installation Sites
  • Hilo
  • UKIRT
  • JCMT
  • (for IRAF use at HP, please first SSH to a machine at a local installation site)

• Session Starting
  • quickly:
    • setenv USERIRAF /home/$USER/iraf (add to .cshrc for repeated use)
    • xiraf (xgterm/cd/mkiraf/ds9/cl)
  • normally:
    • xgterm (launch preferred IRAF terminal window)
    • cd /home/$USER/iraf (go to desired IRAF working directory)
    • mkiraf (configure if first time or after major upgrade)
    • ds9 (start image display tool)
    • cl (start IRAF)

• Session Failure

  All relevant machines should be configured for IRAF use, but if your machine is new or recenly underwent an operating system upgrade, it may need to again be configured for IRAF use. If IRAF fails to run and provides the following error, please let me know at j.kemp@jach.hawaii.edu and I will reconfigure your machine.

  task `cl' has no param file
  Fatal startup error.  CL dies.
  

• Image Display
  • ds9 (version 5.0) - only currently suitable option for 24-bit color displays
  • ximtool or ximtool-alt (version 1.3.1) - not currently supported due to 8-bit color display limitation
  • gaia - not currently supported due to lack of interoperability support

• External Packages
  • color (version 2002/May/07)- color composite/conversion tasks
  • fitsutil (version 2005/Dec/05)- FITS utilities
  • gemini (version 1.9.1) - Gemini reductions package
  • gmisc (version 2004/Apr/14)- Gemini misc utilities
  • guiapps (version 2003/Jun/13)- GUI applications package
  • nmisc (version 2003/May/06)- NOAO misc tasks
  • stsdas (version 3.7) - HST reducton/analysis
  • tables (version 3.7) - tables manipulation package
  • (some other packages discontinued due to lack of interest or lack of development)
  • (Starlink packages discontinued due to lack of interoperability support)