Never lose a night to corrupted headers.
The set-and-forget guardian for your astrophotography data. Automatically detects and repairs malformed FITS headers from ZWO, QHY, and other FITS-producing setups, including common PixInsight WBPP FITS error and ZWO incomplete FITS header failures.
Why do your files fail?
It's not your fault. USB disconnects, driver timeouts, and power fluctuations corrupt FITS headers silently.
USB Dropouts
A momentary voltage drop on your hub can cause the camera to write an incomplete end-of-file marker.
Driver Hangs
Native drivers for ZWO and QHY sometimes hang during download, leaving the header meta-data empty.
The "PixInsight Crash"
PixInsight's WBPP script is notoriously intolerant of bad headers. One bad file kills the whole stack.
The Sentinel Workflow
Zero interaction required once configured.
1. Watch
Monitors your NINA/SGP sequence folder in real-time.
2. Detect
Normalizes required FITS header keys (including BITPIX and NAXIS).
3. Repair
Normalizes malformed headers with rule-based mapping and safe defaults.
4. Save
Saves fixed files immediately to your configured output flow.
Pricing
Amateur Edition
For the backyard imager.
- One-time payment
- Valid for personal use
- Supports ZWO & QHY
- Standard Support
- All future updates included (no repurchase)
Pro Edition
For observatories & remote hosts.
- Linux / Docker Container Support
- Headless Mode (CLI)
- Priority Email Support
- 1 License per Active Device
- All new features included while subscription is active
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this work with DSLR/Mirrorless RAW files?
No. FITS Sentinel is specifically engineered for the FITS container format used by dedicated astronomy cameras. Canon CR2/CR3 and Nikon NEF files are not supported.
Can I run this on a Raspberry Pi?
Yes, if you purchase the Pro Edition. We provide an ARM64 Docker container optimized for Raspberry Pi 4/5 running Astroberry or StellarMate.
What happens if a file is unrepairable?
If the image data itself (the pixel array) is corrupted, Sentinel cannot invent data. The app logs the processing failure and continues monitoring new files. Most 2 AM failures people search for (like PixInsight WBPP FITS error or ZWO incomplete FITS header) are header-level issues, which Sentinel is designed to repair.
Is FITS Sentinel limited to ZWO and QHY cameras?
No. ZWO and QHY are common examples, but Sentinel works on FITS files from other compatible capture setups too.
Which FITS headers are currently normalized?
Current list: EXPTIME, DATE-OBS, IMAGETYP, BITPIX, NAXIS, BAYERPAT, ROWORDER, FOCALLEN, TELESCOP, XPIXSZ, YPIXSZ, GAIN, FILTER.