diff --git a/sci-astronomy/wcstools/Manifest b/sci-astronomy/wcstools/Manifest
index 9208fb3e8c484..e377077e11f60 100644
--- a/sci-astronomy/wcstools/Manifest
+++ b/sci-astronomy/wcstools/Manifest
@@ -1 +1,2 @@
 DIST wcstools-3.9.5.tar.gz 8538612 BLAKE2B 79e1c544408595a3147c7a6c4e86ca18f8a1851b8e036fa87e34d1979cbb04e9fe13db1a3ec8b18689a00d726d85131cd2c90add5e2685f80a8dcb5b20981065 SHA512 aa48081b6f5dc12ed8d64eae5275c27aaa279856f588a3eb429ec0a4943dc482788cb7f84820233f0e2ee4fefeda7ab9bb85c4513a9942c48f5d97a0bde1581d
+DIST wcstools-3.9.7.tar.gz 8652114 BLAKE2B 8e61d141bd4df5b72e1bf362e9b1a3ca1533888559ccd955929204655c3f0e8f383e98ec329d4d3b457e326ba0fed8dc2f602bd0e5576eab2a8e4e9b5b46612b SHA512 b731d21b34d7f914465083ba0545516f8e8bbca3b3a8b1c987264b66225a813af2a6acd78ebc67c6869f774e40d6845f0eaddfe93f1b20d25335df22da180450
diff --git a/sci-astronomy/wcstools/files/Makefile.3.9.7.am b/sci-astronomy/wcstools/files/Makefile.3.9.7.am
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..8610812e5fd91
--- /dev/null
+++ b/sci-astronomy/wcstools/files/Makefile.3.9.7.am
@@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
+SUBDIRS = libwcs
+INCLUDES = -I$(top_srcdir)/libwcs
+
+pkgconfigdir = $(libdir)/pkgconfig
+pkgconfig_DATA = wcstools.pc
+
+bin_SCRIPTS = wcstools
+
+EXTRA_DIST = wcstools COPYING Readme NEWS Programs
+
+bin_PROGRAMS = \
+	cphead delwcs delhead edhead fixpix gethead i2f imcat imhead immatch \
+	imrot imsize imstar imwcs scat sethead addpix getpix setpix sky2xy \
+	keyhead skycoor subpix xy2sky wcshead conpix gettab newfits getfits \
+	imstack imextract sumpix wcsremap getcol wcsgetdate imfill imsmooth imresize \
+	fileroot filename filext char2sp sp2char wcscrlf isnum isrange isfits \
+	isfile simpos bincat fixhead
+
+# these ones don't need libwcs
+wcscrlf_SOURCES = crlf.c
+filename_SOURCES = filename.c
+filedir_SOURCES = filedir.c
+fileroot_SOURCES = fileroot.c
+filext_SOURCES = filext.c
+isrange_SOURCES = isrange.c
+
+LDADD = $(top_builddir)/libwcs/libwcstools.la
+
+bincat_SOURCES = bincat.c
+getcol_SOURCES = getcol.c
+wcsgetdate_SOURCES = getdate.c
+gethead_SOURCES = gethead.c
+getfits_SOURCES = getfits.c
+getpix_SOURCES = getpix.c
+gettab_SOURCES = gettab.c
+imcat_SOURCES = imcat.c
+imsize_SOURCES = imsize.c
+imstar_SOURCES = imstar.c
+imwcs_SOURCES = imwcs.c
+immatch_SOURCES = immatch.c
+scat_SOURCES = scat.c
+setpix_SOURCES = setpix.c
+skycoor_SOURCES = skycoor.c
+sumpix_SOURCES = sumpix.c
+xy2sky_SOURCES = xy2sky.c
+simpos_SOURCES = simpos.c
+
+addpix_SOURCES = addpix.c
+char2sp_SOURCES = char2sp.c
+conpix_SOURCES = conpix.c
+cphead_SOURCES = cphead.c
+delwcs_SOURCES = delwcs.c
+delhead_SOURCES = delhead.c
+edhead_SOURCES = edhead.c
+fixpix_SOURCES = fixpix.c
+i2f_SOURCES = i2f.c
+imfill_SOURCES = imfill.c
+imresize_SOURCES = imresize.c
+imsmooth_SOURCES = imsmooth.c
+imhead_SOURCES = imhead.c
+imrot_SOURCES = imrot.c
+imstack_SOURCES = imstack.c
+imextract_SOURCES = imextract.c
+isfile_SOURCES = isfile.c
+isnum_SOURCES = isnum.c
+keyhead_SOURCES = keyhead.c
+newfits_SOURCES = newfits.c
+wcsremap_SOURCES = remap.c
+sethead_SOURCES = sethead.c
+sky2xy_SOURCES = sky2xy.c
+sp2char_SOURCES = sp2char.c
+subpix_SOURCES = subpix.c
+wcshead_SOURCES = wcshead.c
+fixhead_SOURCES = fixhead.c
diff --git a/sci-astronomy/wcstools/files/Makefile.libwcs.3.9.7.am b/sci-astronomy/wcstools/files/Makefile.libwcs.3.9.7.am
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..0d3b1564ab059
--- /dev/null
+++ b/sci-astronomy/wcstools/files/Makefile.libwcs.3.9.7.am
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+lib_LTLIBRARIES = libwcstools.la
+libwcstools_la_SOURCES = \
+	imsetwcs.c imgetwcs.c matchstar.c findstar.c daoread.c wcscon.c \
+	fitswcs.c wcsinit.c wcs.c ty2read.c webread.c tmcread.c \
+	gscread.c gsc2read.c ujcread.c uacread.c ubcread.c ucacread.c \
+	sdssread.c tabread.c binread.c ctgread.c actread.c catutil.c \
+	skybotread.c imrotate.c fitsfile.c imhfile.c \
+	hget.c hput.c imio.c dateutil.c imutil.c \
+	worldpos.c tnxpos.c zpxpos.c dsspos.c platepos.c \
+	sortstar.c platefit.c iget.c fileutil.c \
+	wcslib.c lin.c cel.c proj.c sph.c wcstrig.c distort.c poly.c
+
+wcsdir = $(includedir)/wcs
+wcs_HEADERS = \
+	wcscat.h wcslib.h wcs.h lwcs.h fitshead.h fitsfile.h imio.h
+
diff --git a/sci-astronomy/wcstools/wcstools-3.9.7.ebuild b/sci-astronomy/wcstools/wcstools-3.9.7.ebuild
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..00797d0e90cc6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/sci-astronomy/wcstools/wcstools-3.9.7.ebuild
@@ -0,0 +1,76 @@
+# Copyright 1999-2025 Gentoo Authors
+# Distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public License v2
+
+EAPI=8
+
+inherit autotools flag-o-matic
+
+DESCRIPTION="World Coordinate System library for astronomical FITS images"
+HOMEPAGE="http://tdc-www.harvard.edu/software/wcstools/"
+SRC_URI="http://tdc-www.harvard.edu/software/wcstools/${P}.tar.gz
+	http://tdc-www.harvard.edu/software/wcstools/Old/${P}.tar.gz"
+
+LICENSE="GPL-2 LGPL-2.1"
+SLOT="0"
+KEYWORDS="~amd64 ~ppc ~x86 ~amd64-linux ~x86-linux"
+
+DOCS=( Readme Programs NEWS )
+
+PATCHES=(
+	"${FILESDIR}"/${PN}-3.9.4-spelling.patch
+	"${FILESDIR}"/${PN}-3.9.4-haspm.patch
+	"${FILESDIR}"/${PN}-3.9.4-fix-tests.patch
+	"${FILESDIR}"/${PN}-3.9.4-compiler-warning.patch
+)
+
+src_prepare() {
+	default
+	einfo "Copying gentoo autotools files"
+	local f
+	for f in "${FILESDIR}"/{configure.ac,wcstools.pc.in}; do
+		cp -v ${f} "${S}"/ || die
+	done
+	cp -v "${FILESDIR}"/Makefile.${PV}.am "${S}"/Makefile.am || die
+	cp -v "${FILESDIR}"/Makefile.libwcs.${PV}.am "${S}"/libwcs/Makefile.am || die
+	# avoid colliding with fixdos, getdate and remap from other packages
+	sed -i \
+		-e 's/getdate/wcsgetdate/' \
+		-e 's/crlf/wcscrlf/' \
+		-e 's/remap/wcsremap/' \
+		-e "s/3.... Programs/${PV} Programs/" \
+		wcstools || die
+	eautoreconf
+}
+
+src_configure() {
+	# bug #943830
+	append-cflags -std=gnu17
+
+	default
+}
+
+src_test() {
+	einfo "Testing various wcstools programs"
+	./newfits -a 10 -j 248 41 -p 0.15 test.fits || die "test newfits failed"
+	./sethead test.fits A=1 B=1 ||  die "test sethead failed"
+	[[ "$(./gethead test.fits RA)" == "16:32:00.0000" ]] \
+		|| die "test gethead failed"
+	rm test.fits
+}
+
+src_install() {
+	default
+	doman man/man1/*
+	newdoc libwcs/NEWS NEWS.libwcs
+	newdoc libwcs/Readme Readme.libwcs
+
+	find "${ED}" -name '*.la' -delete || die
+}
+
+pkg_postinst() {
+	elog "The following execs have been renamed to avoid colliding"
+	elog "with other packages:"
+	elog " getdate -> wcsgetdate"
+	elog " crlf    -> wcscrlf"
+	elog " remap   -> wcsremap"
+}