By using the remote telescope rental services offered by our company High Atlas Window to the Cosmos, hereinafter HAWK, you agree to the following terms:
Reservation and payment:
All telescope usage time reservations must be made through our online platform or from our email address.
Full payment must be made at the time of booking to confirm the viewing slot.
Using the telescope:
Telescope usage time begins from nautical twilight on the day of booking, or 45 minutes after sunset.
The customer is responsible for the proper use of the telescope and should follow the safety and usage rules of the equipment.
In addition, it is desirable that the customer has sufficient knowledge to use the various software for controlling the telescope and its accessories, such as Nina software, PHD Guiding, SharpCap, etc., in order to optimize their useful connection time.
Paid introductory sessions on remote telescope control can be organized for customers interested in astrophotography, or wishing to deepen their knowledge of instrumentation.
Any abusive or dangerous use of the telescope will result in immediate cancellation of the session without refund.
Telescope control will end from the nautical dawn, or 45 minutes before sunrise.
Downloading images:
Downloading session images overnight is strictly prohibited to conserve our network bandwidth. Only a few framing and analysis images may be downloaded overnight.
HAWK will send the images, without compression, taken during the observation night to the client via the appropriate download platforms, in particular via a Dropbox or Wetransfer link.
Image transfer will be carried out during the day following the night of observation.
Raw or master calibration images (Darks, Bias and Flats) will be transferred free of charge with the session images following the same download procedures.
Weather conditions:
In the event of adverse weather conditions, we will apply the following rules:
- When the sky is clear for more than 50 % of the night, the rental amount is due in full.
- If the sky is partly cloudy for more than 50 minutes of the night, the rental amount is reduced by half, and a corresponding credit is created for the customer to use as needed.
- If adverse weather conditions prevent full use of the telescope, a credit corresponding to the total amount of the reservation is created for the customer who will use it as needed.
Pro rata payment of usage is not applicable.
Disputes and litigation:
For any dispute regarding the time of use of the telescope during a night due to weather conditions, consultation of the video recording from the AllSky camera installed on site will be deemed authoritative.
Cancellation and postponement:
Session cancellations made at least five (05) days before the observation slot will result in a full refund.
Any cancellation made less than five (05) days before the observation slot will not give rise to any refund.
Session postponements made at least two (02) days before the observation slot will be considered as a new reservation and will not incur additional costs.
Session postponements made less than two (02) days before the observation slot will result in a penalty equivalent to 50% of the reservation amount.
Intellectual property:
Images captured by customers from HAWK telescopes remain the mutual intellectual property of the customer and HAWK Company.
Modification of conditions:
HAWK reserves the right to modify these terms of use at any time. Users will be notified of any changes through our website or by email.
By using our remote telescope rental services, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agreed to these terms of use.
For any further information, please contact us at: contact@hawkobs.space
