[fitsbits] Output array type when BZERO is an integer {External}

[Richard J. Mathar]

rs> Date: Tue, 12 Mar 2024 22:00:49 +0000
rs> From: "Seaman, Robert Lewis - (rseaman)" <rseaman at arizona.edu>
rs> To: "Dubois-Felsmann, Gregory P." <gpdf at ipac.caltech.edu>, "Barrett,
rs>         Paul" <pebarrett at email.gwu.edu>
rs> Cc: "fitsbits at listmgr.nrao.edu" <fitsbits at listmgr.nrao.edu>
rs> Subject: Re: [fitsbits] Output array type when BZERO is an integer
rs>         {External}
rs> ...
rs> As a matter of curiosity, do Rubin operations depend on 64-bit unsigned integers? What are example use cases for 64-bit integers (signed or unsigned) in the community?...
rs> 

It's difficult to imagine that any data taken from a real
instrument need 64 bits (20 decimal digits), i.e. more than 32 bits.
ADC's in the MHz range can produce 16bit data (10 decimal digits). 
We can measure temperatures to 0.01K or perhaps better.

The exception are time stamps, if "stamped" by computers
that can resolve milliseconds reliably and set the origin
at some arbitrary J2000-alike or MJD references. (But clock synchronization
is not easy, so in reality only time differences matter to resolve
GRBs etc...) See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_2038_problem .
Atomic clocks and frequency combs are high-resolution data.

Astronomers are the only group of physics to generate data in FITS 
(photographers/artists use the fact at PNG, TIFF etc also can store metadata); 
so that time stamp or 64bit representation has probably not surfaced
anywhere.

Richard Mathar