Obtaining HUT data

The HUT Archive is maintained at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) as part of MAST, the Multi-mission Archive at STScI. The data are stored in gzipped compressed format on-line. Data may be obtained in any of three ways: searching the HUT database, browsing the HUT catalog, or anonymous ftp.

Normally web users will search the HUT database for particular files using the HUT search page. The returned table of found entries allows the user to mark the images to be downloaded. A request for data begins a retrieval job. Once the requested files are located, they are written to a data distribution disk area on the system, bundled into a tar, zipped format file, and downloaded to the disk area specified by the user in the "save as..." pop-up window. The files have finished downloading when the pop-up window disappears.

Alternatively, one may proceed to the HUT catalog, Pick an object category and click on object names or datasets. Clicking on the object name brings up a preview window containing a preview plot and some additional information. Clicking on datasets initiates a pop-up window and the data can be downloaded to the desired area in your computer.

Primary access is via the web although FTP access is also possible using either a web browser (i.e. ftp://archive.stsci.edu/pub/astro/hut/data/), or, as explained below, using anonymous ftp from an ordinary terminal with network access. As no file conversions are currently available via ftp, returned files are sent individually, in gzipped compressed mode. All files for a specific observation are grouped in a subdirectory named by the dataset name. The HUT file naming convention includes the target name so users should be able to determine which subdirectories and files are of interest.

As an example, a typical interactive ftp session to retrieve files for Z And would be: