def load(cls, filename, **kwargs):
        """Load a Spectrum1D from a given filename.
        
        :param filename:
            The path of the filename to load. Can be either simple 1D FITS files
            or an ASCII filename.

        :type filename:
            str
        """
        
        if not os.path.exists(filename):
            raise IOError("filename {0} does not exist" .format(filename))
        
        if filename.lower().endswith(".fits") \
        or filename.lower().endswith(".fits.gz"):
            image = fits.open(filename, **kwargs)
            
            header = image[0].header
            
            # Check for a tabular data structure
            if len(image) > 1 and image[0].data is None:

                names = [name.lower() for name in image[1].data.names]
                dispersion_key = 'wave' if 'wave' in names else 'disp'
                
                disp, flux = image[1].data[dispersion_key], image[1].data['flux']

                if 'error' in names or 'variance' in names:
                    variance_key = 'error' if 'error' in names else 'variance'
                    variance = image[1].data[variance_key]

            else:

                # According to http://iraf.net/irafdocs/specwcs.php ....
                #li = a.headers['LTM1_1'] * np.arange(a.headers['NAXIS1']) + a.headers['LTV1']
                #a.headers['CRVAL1'] + a.headers['CD1_1'] * (li - a.headers['CRPIX1'])

                if np.all([key in header.keys() for key in ('CDELT1', 'NAXIS1', 'CRVAL1')]):
                    disp = header['CRVAL1'] + (np.arange(header['NAXIS1']) \
                        - header.get("CRPIX1", 0)) * header['CDELT1']
            
                if "LTV1" in header.keys():
                    disp -= header['LTV1'] * header['CDELT1']

                #disp -= header['LTV1'] if header.has_key('LTV1') else 0
                flux = image[0].data

                # Check for an input_variance array
                extnames = [ext.header.get("EXTNAME", None) for ext in image[1:]]
                if "input_variance" in extnames:
                    index = 1 + extnames.index("input_variance")
                    variance = image[index].data
                    
                else:
                    variance = None
            
                # Check for logarithmic dispersion
                if "CTYPE1" in header.keys() and header["CTYPE1"] == "AWAV-LOG":
                    disp = np.exp(disp)

            # Add the headers in
            headers = {}
            for row in header.items():
                key, value = row
                
                # Check the value is valid
                try:
                    str(value)

                except TypeError:
                    logger.debug("Skipping header key {0}".format(key))
                    continue

                if len(key) == 0 or len(str(value)) == 0: continue
    
                if key in headers.keys():
                    if not isinstance(headers[key], list):
                        headers[key] = [headers[key]]
                    
                    headers[key].append(value)

                else:
                    headers[key] = value

            for key, value in headers.iteritems():
                if isinstance(value, list):
                    headers[key] = "\n".join(map(str, value))

        else:
            headers = {}
            try:
                disp, flux, variance = np.loadtxt(filename, unpack=True, **kwargs)
            except:
                disp, flux = np.loadtxt(filename, unpack=True, **kwargs)
            
        return cls(disp, flux, variance=variance, headers=headers)