Terms & Conditions
Welcome to SmartScopeClub. By using this site you agree to these terms. They are short, and the spirit of all of them is: we’re here to help you enjoy the night sky, use your own judgment, and be kind.
What this site is
SmartScopeClub provides educational content about smart telescopes and stargazing, computed sky data for locations you choose, and curated equipment recommendations. Everything here is provided for general information and planning purposes.
Forecasts are forecasts
Astronomical timings (sunset, darkness, moon, object positions) are computed from published ephemerides and are as accurate as we can make them. Weather outlooks, transparency, and seeing estimates are forecasts and heuristics, never guarantees. Do not make travel, safety, or spending decisions on our data alone; always check current conditions and park guidance before you go. Stargazing at night, in remote places, carries its own risks that are yours to manage.
Recommendations and outbound links
Equipment recommendations reflect our honest opinions. We have no affiliate relationships, receive no commissions, and no manufacturer pays for placement. Links to retailers, NASA, the National Park Service, and other external sites are provided for convenience; we are not responsible for their content, prices, or availability.
Your submissions
When you submit a photo, you confirm that you took it or otherwise hold the rights to it. You keep ownership. You grant SmartScopeClub a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to display the photo on this site and in our newsletter, always with the credit name you provided. You can ask us to take a submission down at any time via the Community page. We may decline or remove any submission at our discretion.
Our content
Original text, graphics, and the Dark-Sky Engine’s outputs are © SmartScopeClub. Object imagery credited to NASA/ESA and park photography credited to the National Park Service remain subject to their respective terms. You may link to and quote our pages with attribution; wholesale reproduction requires permission.
The embeddable widget and API
Partner access to the Dark-Sky Engine (API keys, the embeddable widget) is governed by the individual partner agreement under which the key was issued, in addition to these terms.
No warranties, limited liability
The site is provided “as is”, without warranties of any kind. To the fullest extent permitted by law, SmartScopeClub is not liable for any damages arising from use of the site or reliance on its content or data.
Changes
We may update these terms; the current version will always be posted here. Continued use of the site after a change means you accept the updated terms.