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The current rate at the the Sierra Stars observatory is $100 per hour,
or 1.67 credits per minute. You can purchase credits in increments of 100.
$100 purchases 100 credits.
Purchases over $1,000 buys credits at the rate of 1.1 credits per dollar.
Purchases over $10,000 buys credits at the rate of 1.2 credits per dollar.
Special Trial Rate for first-time users! For
a limited time we are promoting a special one-time rate for new customers using
the Sierra Stars Observatory for the first time. For $50 you get 50 minutes (83
credits) of imaging time. That's more than a 40 percent discount below our base
price.
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Cost |
Credits Purchased |
Imaging Hours |
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$100 (USD) |
100 credits |
1 hour |
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$1000 (USD) |
1,100 credits |
11 Hours |
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$10,000 (USD) |
12,000 credits |
120 Hours |
You pay only for the actual imaging time used.
For example, if you purchased a 1-hour block of time (100 credits) and scheduled two 5-minute exposures and three 2-minute exposures in a given observing session (night), you use 27 credits (1.67
credits/minute) of your account and have 73 credits (equalling 44 minutes) remaining in your account for use in the future. The minimum exposure time charged for any image is one minute. We guarantee that you receive high-quality image data. If an image is corrupted due to weather (cloud cover) or equipment failure, your account is not charged for the time used.
The Sierra Stars Observatory software optimizes observing requests to schedule your
images as close to the meridian as practical for a given observing session. Clients
who purchase large time blocks have priority for scheduling conflicts. You can also
schedule images for specific times during an observing run.
The data you acquire belongs to you and is strictly confidential for use as you choose.
Our only request is that if you publish a paper using data acquired with the Sierra
Stars Observatory that you cite this fact in your paper.
For complete information on how to schedule observing time, see our
Operations Guide for SSO Clients and the Frequently Asked Questions
page.
Note: Universities and institutions seriously interested in using our services can
contact us about a free test trial.
One of our main goals for the Sierra Stars Observatory is to foster astronomy education
and research for talented students and researchers who do not have access to a professional observatory facility. While there are many organizations that offer basic astronomy education online to students and teachers, only a few organizations offer any observatory time at a serious research-quality facility.
Because this resource is so scare and valuable, we decided to dedicate most of the
time available for education and research to people with specific research projects
that merit the use of the limited observatory time. To be accepted for observatory
time, you must apply using the guidelines and format specified in the
Sierra Stars Observatory Grant Program.
We expect the proposals to be very competitive and projects will be accepted based on a review by an advisory board made up of professional astronomers, educators, and our staff.
A small portion of our education time will also be allocated to a few K through
12 schools to benefit our local community.
The Sierra Stars Observatory Advantage
Sierra Stars Observatory offers a level of freedom and affordability not available
elsewhere for your convenience Some of the advantages include:
- Flexibility of observatory access at your convenience and discretion
- No travel expenses.
- No on-site or maintenance issues.
- Your data are available to you immediately.
- Excellent weather conditions throughout the year without the predictable summer monsoonal season typically experienced farther south in Arizona
and New Mexico.
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