You can download FITS files in three formats:
- individually in FITS format by clicking the links to individual files
- several files packed together in one of two formats:
- in ZIP format which can be unpacked in many programs including MS-Windows file explorer
- in 7z format which can be unpacked by the 7-Zip program
When choosing between the ZIP and 7z formats, consider the following pros and cons:
- 7z produces smaller files than ZIP, because ZIP compresses each file individually and
includes an index directory of stored files, while 7z compresses all files in one block and has no index
- ZIP file will be generated faster than 7z file, because ZIP uses all CPUs available on the server,
while 7z uses just 1 CPU
Thus, if you have a fast connection to the Internet, choose ZIP format, if your connection is slow, use 7z.
(click to enlarge map)