CONVERT
FITS → PNG
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Fast, secure FITS to PNG conversion. No registration required.
Setup: FITS is a raster image format with its own balance of compression, colour depth, and software support. Goal: an interchangeable PNG. A FITS → PNG operation is one of the simplest image jobs there is: same pixel grid, different wrapper. What genuinely changes is how lossy the codec is, whether alpha survives, and how large the final file ends up. KaijuConverter picks safe defaults for each of those and lets you override them under Advanced. Context: FITS is a raster image format with its own balance of compression, colour depth, and software support. PNG is the lossless image standard with alpha-channel transparency and deflate compression.
FITS Astronomical Image
Source formatFITS (Flexible Image Transport System) is the standard digital file format in astronomy for storing images, tables, and metadata from telescopes and satellites. It supports multi-dimensional arrays and extensive header metadata for scientific observation records.
PNG Image
Target formatPNG is a lossless image format that supports transparency. It is ideal for graphics, logos, screenshots, and any image where preserving exact pixel data is important.
Why convert FITS to PNG
The real reason to move from FITS to PNG is almost never picture quality — both raster formats store essentially the same pixels. It is about the tools downstream: which editors open the file natively, which CMSes upload it without transcoding, which social platforms accept it. Picking PNG solves those edge cases at the cost of a short conversion step.
HOW TO CONVERT
FITS → PNG
Provide the FITS
Click or drag to upload. We accept a single FITS file per job, with an optional queue of additional images for batch mode.
Encode to PNG
The conversion decodes the FITS, resolves the colour space to sRGB and writes the PNG container around the pixel data.
Save the PNG
The download is streamed back over HTTPS. If you uploaded multiple files, a ZIP with all PNG outputs is produced instead.
Common Use Cases
Share across platforms
Send PNG files to anyone without worrying about whether they have the right software for FITS.
Embed in documents
Drop PNG output into Word, Google Docs, PowerPoint, Notion or a website without conversion warnings.
Optimize size
PNG often produces smaller files than FITS for web, email and storage.
Archive & future-proof
Store in a widely-supported format that will still open on future operating systems without legacy plugins.
FITS vs PNG — Strengths and limitations
What each format does best, and where it falls short.
FITS Strengths
- Self-documenting — every file carries complete observational metadata.
- Lossless — bit-exact storage of detector readouts.
- Stable since 1981 with zero breaking changes.
- Mandatory for professional astronomy — every research publication uses it.
- Open standard endorsed by IAU.
Limitations
- Niche — used almost exclusively in astronomy.
- File sizes are large (no default compression).
- Not a display format outside specialized viewers (DS9, AstroBin).
PNG Strengths
- Lossless compression — every save preserves the original pixels perfectly.
- Full 8-bit alpha channel for smooth transparency.
- Excellent for text, UI screenshots, logos, and line art.
- Royalty-free and an ISO standard (ISO/IEC 15948).
- Supports 16-bit color depth for high-fidelity work.
Limitations
- Much larger than JPEG for photographs (no perceptual compression).
- No native animation in most software (APNG support is inconsistent).
- No CMYK support — web and screen only, not print.
FITS vs PNG — Technical specifications
Side-by-side comparison of the technical details.
FITS
- MIME type
- image/fits
- Extensions
- .fits, .fit, .fts
- Standard
- IAU-endorsed FITS 4.0 (latest revision)
- Header records
- 80-character ASCII cards
- Encoding
- IEEE big-endian integers and floats
PNG
- MIME type
- image/png
- Standard
- ISO/IEC 15948:2004
- Compression
- Lossless — DEFLATE (zlib)
- Color depth
- 1, 2, 4, 8 or 16 bits per channel
- Max dimensions
- 2^31 − 1 pixels per side (2.1 billion)
- Transparency
- Full 8-bit alpha channel
| Specification | FITS | PNG |
|---|---|---|
| MIME type | image/fits | image/png |
| Extensions | .fits, .fit, .fts | — |
| Standard | IAU-endorsed FITS 4.0 (latest revision) | ISO/IEC 15948:2004 |
| Header records | 80-character ASCII cards | — |
| Encoding | IEEE big-endian integers and floats | — |
| Compression | — | Lossless — DEFLATE (zlib) |
| Color depth | — | 1, 2, 4, 8 or 16 bits per channel |
| Max dimensions | — | 2^31 − 1 pixels per side (2.1 billion) |
| Transparency | — | Full 8-bit alpha channel |
FITS vs PNG — Typical file sizes
Approximate file sizes for common scenarios.
FITS
- Backyard-telescope CCD shot (5 MP) 10-30 MB
- Hubble WFC3 single exposure ~65 MB
- JWST NIRCam full detector ~650 MB
PNG
- Icon or small logo 2–20 KB
- UI screenshot (1920×1080) 200–800 KB
- High-res photo (12 MP) 10–30 MB
- Print-ready illustration 5–50 MB
Quality & Compatibility
FITS-to-PNG conversion does not change the visible content. Quality is capped by the FITS decode; re-encoding a lossy source at high quality cannot recover detail that was already discarded. For archival masters, keep the original FITS alongside the PNG copy.
Tips for Best Results
- Large FITS files may look identical to small PNG files for photographic content; pick quality based on end use, not headline megapixels.
- For print, export PNG at 300 DPI minimum and check that the colour profile embedded matches the print shop specification.
- Batch-convert related FITS images in one pass so they share identical encoder settings and look consistent side-by-side.
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on the codecs involved. If both FITS and PNG are lossy, the pixels are re-encoded and a small amount of detail is discarded — invisible at default quality settings on photographs. If PNG is lossless (PNG, TIFF, BMP) the output keeps every pixel of the decoded FITS exactly, but cannot recover detail that FITS had already compressed away.
Often yes, especially when PNG is lossless. FITS tuned for efficient web delivery will usually produce smaller files than PNG's default settings. If file size matters, drop the quality in Advanced or pick a more compressed target format instead.
KaijuConverter uploads over HTTPS, processes the image in an isolated container and deletes both the source and the output within two hours. No account is required, file contents are never logged, and we do not use uploads to train any model. For confidential material, the paid plan includes a data-processing agreement.
Related comparisons
See these formats side by side to understand which fits your use case best.
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Read guideSecure & Private Conversion
Your files are encrypted during transfer, processed in isolated containers, and automatically deleted within 60 minutes. We never read, share, or store your data.