Python module and command-line utilities for cutting and pasting small "stamp" images from astronomical FITS image files. WCS coordinate systems will be correctly included in the stamp files if they are present in the original image. Stamp cutting locations can be defined in one of two ways:
- SAOImage DS9 region files, including composite regions consisting of multiple included/excluded parts by giving multiple regions a common text label
- A FITS-format label image where each individual object's pixels are flagged with a unique non-zero integer (e.g. sextractor segmentation map)
Several additional options are available, including the ability to blank out non-object pixels by setting them to a fixed value.
A module function and command-line utility are also included for pasting stamps back into their source image. This can be used, for example, to cut out individual objects, model them out with software such as galfit, then paste the "cleaned" sections back into the original image.
The module relies upon:
- numpy
- astropy, for FITS file I/O and WCS transforms
- pyregion, for parsing and manipulating SAOImage DS9 region files
To install, simply run:
python setup.py install
To install in a non-standard location (e.g. a Dropbox folder)
python setup.py install --prefix=~/Dropbox/Python
WCS propagation has only been tested for tangential projections in RA/Dec 2-dimensional data.