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SSON Telescopes and Pricing

 

Network Telescopes Available for Imaging


Currently there are three telescopes available to our users. The telescopes are housed in professional observatories located at excellent dark-sky sites in the northern and southern hemisphere.



Imaging Time Rates

You pay only for the actual imaging time used. In other words you are only paying for the actual time the shutter of the CCD cameras are open. There are no additional charges whatsoever.

We charge you for imaging time on the Sierra Stars Observatory Network using credits from your SSON account. Standard (non-discounted) SSON credits costs $1 (USD) per credit with a $50 minimum purchase. You purchase SSON credits through our online secure Paypal system. If your institution prefers to pay by check, bank transfer, or other methods, contact us to make arrangements.

We charge different rates for the SSON telescopes based on their size, instrumentation, and location. Rates are computed as a number of credits per hour. The cost of your images are calculated for the number of minutes of each exposure at the credit rate of the telescope used. For example, if you scheduled a 3-minute (180 second) image on a telescope with a base rate of 100 credits per hour (1.67 credits/minute), your account is charged 5 credits for the image. The minumum time charge for images is 30 seconds and images at shorter exposure times are charged at this rate.

We offer discounts to customers who purchase larger blocks of time in advance at the following savings:

Purchase Amount Percent Discount Credits/$100 Credits/Minute @
$100/hour base rate
$50 to $999 0% 100 1.67
$1,000 to $4,999 10% 110 1.50
$5,000 to $9,999 15% 115 1.42
$10,000+ 20% 120 1.34
Special Trial Rate for first-time users! We offer a special one-time rate for new customers using the Sierra Stars Observatory Network 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.  Click here to purchase time now.
Note: Universities and institutions seriously interested in using our services can contact us about a free test trial.

 

Individual Telescope Imaging Rates

 

1. Sierra Stars Observatory Telescope

Base Rate = 100 credits per hour

2. Rigel Telescope

Base Rate = 50 credits per hour

2. Grove Creek Observatory Telescope

Base Rate = 60 credits per hour

The SSON Commitment to Quality

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 Network optimizes observing requests to schedule your images as close to the meridian as practical for a given observing session. Customers 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.

The Sierra Stars Observatory Network 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
  • Costs are for actual imaging time only.
  • No travel expenses.
  • No on-site or maintenance issues.
  • Your data are available to you immediately after observing runs.

 

Copyright Sierra Stars Observatory Network