AstroPhotoGuru Terms of Use

Last Updated: September 2, 2026

Acceptance of These Terms

Welcome to AstroPhotoGuru.

These Terms of Use (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of AstroPhotoGuru.com, the AstroPhotoGuru Imaging Planner, and related features, content, tools, and services provided by AstroPhotoGuru (“AstroPhotoGuru,” “we,” “us,” or “our”).

By accessing or using AstroPhotoGuru or the AstroPhotoGuru Imaging Planner, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree to these Terms, please do not use the website or Planner.

Our Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, and protect information associated with these services.

About AstroPhotoGuru

AstroPhotoGuru provides educational content, equipment information, reviews, astronomical planning tools, and other resources related to astrophotography and astronomy.

The AstroPhotoGuru Imaging Planner is designed to help users evaluate equipment combinations, astronomical targets, framing, image sampling, target observability, and other factors that may be useful when planning an astrophotography session.

AstroPhotoGuru is intended as a planning and educational resource. Results should be considered estimates and recommendations rather than guarantees of actual observing or imaging conditions.

Eligibility and Accounts

Some AstroPhotoGuru features may be used without an account. Other features, including certain Imaging Planner features, may require you to create an account.

You are responsible for providing accurate information when creating an account and for maintaining the security of your account credentials.

You are responsible for activity occurring through your account unless that activity results from circumstances reasonably outside your control.

You should notify us if you believe your account has been compromised.

We may offer authentication through third-party services such as Google. Your use of a third-party authentication service is also subject to that provider’s applicable terms and policies.

AstroPhotoGuru Imaging Planner

The Imaging Planner performs calculations and generates recommendations based on information such as:

telescope specifications;
camera specifications;
accessories and optical configurations;
astronomical target information;
observing location;
observing date and time;
estimated astronomical visibility;
field of view;
image scale and sampling; and
other planning factors.

Although we work to make this information accurate and useful, astronomical planning involves variables that cannot always be predicted or represented by the Planner.

Actual results may differ because of factors including weather, atmospheric transparency, seeing, light pollution, local obstructions, equipment tolerances, equipment configuration, tracking performance, focus, sensor characteristics, target data, user-entered information, and other conditions.

The Planner should therefore be used as a planning aid rather than as a guarantee that a target will be visible, imageable, properly framed, or capable of producing a particular photographic result.

Astronomical and Equipment Information

AstroPhotoGuru attempts to provide accurate equipment specifications, astronomical data, calculations, and recommendations.

However, equipment manufacturers may revise products or specifications, published specifications may contain errors, and astronomical catalogs and external data sources may differ.

You should verify critical equipment specifications and compatibility with the manufacturer or other authoritative sources before purchasing, modifying, or connecting equipment.

Images, field-of-view simulations, framing previews, sky-survey imagery, and similar visualizations are illustrative planning tools and may not precisely represent what your equipment will capture.

Observability and Sky Conditions

Observability information generated by the Imaging Planner is based on astronomical calculations and available planning information.

A result indicating that a target is observable does not guarantee that it will actually be visible or imageable from your physical observing location.

The Planner may not know about local conditions such as buildings, trees, mountains, temporary obstructions, weather, smoke, clouds, local lighting, or other circumstances.

You remain responsible for evaluating actual observing conditions and determining whether it is appropriate and safe to operate your equipment.

External Astronomical Services

Some AstroPhotoGuru features may use information or imagery supplied by external astronomical services.

For example, Live Sky View may use Aladin or services associated with the Centre de Données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS).

Availability, imagery, color presentation, catalog information, and performance of external services are outside AstroPhotoGuru’s control. These services may occasionally be unavailable, delayed, modified, or discontinued.

AstroPhotoGuru does not guarantee the continued availability of any third-party astronomical service.

Saved Setups and Sessions

Registered users may be able to save equipment configurations, observing sessions, targets, notes, locations, and other planning information.

You are responsible for information you choose to save.

Although we use reasonable measures to maintain the service, AstroPhotoGuru should not be treated as the sole archival or backup location for information that is important to you.

Features, data formats, and storage capabilities may change as the service evolves.

User-Submitted Content and Information

AstroPhotoGuru may allow users to submit comments, feedback, equipment suggestions, notes, or other information.

You retain ownership of original content you submit.

By intentionally submitting content for publication or inclusion in AstroPhotoGuru’s public or shared resources, you grant AstroPhotoGuru a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to use, reproduce, edit, adapt, and display that content as reasonably necessary to operate, improve, and provide AstroPhotoGuru services.

This license does not give AstroPhotoGuru ownership of your content.

Information intended to remain private within your account, such as Saved Session notes, is not considered content submitted for public publication merely because it is stored using the Planner.

You agree not to submit content that:

violates applicable law;
infringes another person’s intellectual-property or privacy rights;
contains malicious software or code;
impersonates another person;
is intentionally false or misleading in a way that could harm others; or
interferes with the operation or security of AstroPhotoGuru.

We may remove submitted or publicly displayed content when reasonably necessary to operate or protect the service.

Equipment Suggestions and Feedback

Users may submit equipment suggestions, corrections, or feedback.

Submission does not guarantee that suggested equipment, corrections, features, or other changes will be incorporated into AstroPhotoGuru.

We may use suggestions and feedback to improve the website, Planner, databases, documentation, and related services without an obligation to compensate the person submitting the suggestion.

Acceptable Use

You may use AstroPhotoGuru for lawful personal, educational, and other legitimate purposes consistent with these Terms.

You may not:

attempt to gain unauthorized access to AstroPhotoGuru systems or another user’s account;
interfere with or disrupt the operation or security of the service;
attempt to bypass authentication, account restrictions, access controls, or other technical safeguards;
use automated systems to place unreasonable loads on the service;
scrape or systematically extract substantial portions of AstroPhotoGuru’s proprietary databases without permission;
use AstroPhotoGuru to distribute malware or other harmful material;
use the service for fraudulent or unlawful activity; or
falsely represent that you or another product or service is affiliated with or endorsed by AstroPhotoGuru.

Reasonable use of publicly available AstroPhotoGuru information for ordinary personal research and reference is permitted.

Intellectual Property

Unless otherwise indicated, the AstroPhotoGuru website, Imaging Planner, branding, original written content, original graphics, software interfaces, selection and organization of proprietary content, and other original materials are owned by or licensed to AstroPhotoGuru and are protected by applicable intellectual-property laws.

Third-party names, trademarks, product names, photographs, astronomical imagery, catalog information, and other third-party materials remain the property of their respective owners.

Nothing in these Terms transfers ownership of AstroPhotoGuru intellectual property to you.

You may link to AstroPhotoGuru pages and may quote limited portions of our written content for legitimate commentary, review, education, or reference when appropriately attributed and otherwise permitted by law.

You may not reproduce, republish, or commercially redistribute substantial portions of AstroPhotoGuru’s original content or proprietary databases without permission, except where permitted by applicable law.

Affiliate Relationships

AstroPhotoGuru may participate in affiliate programs.

Some links to products or services may be affiliate links. If you follow one of these links and make a qualifying purchase, AstroPhotoGuru may receive a commission at no additional cost to you.

Affiliate relationships do not determine the Imaging Planner’s astronomical suitability calculations or equipment/target recommendation rankings.

AstroPhotoGuru may also provide links to optional support services such as Buy Me a Coffee.

Advertising

AstroPhotoGuru may display third-party advertising, including advertising provided through Google AdSense.

The presence of an advertisement does not necessarily constitute an endorsement or recommendation of the advertiser, product, or service by AstroPhotoGuru.

Advertising and commercial relationships do not determine the Imaging Planner’s astronomical suitability calculations or recommendation rankings.

Product Reviews and Recommendations

AstroPhotoGuru publishes equipment reviews, comparisons, recommendations, and educational material.

These materials represent informational or editorial assessments based on the information available at the time of publication.

Product specifications, pricing, availability, firmware, software, and manufacturer offerings may change.

You should independently verify information that is important to a purchasing decision.

Any affiliate relationship associated with a product does not guarantee a favorable review or recommendation.

Third-Party Links

AstroPhotoGuru contains links to websites and services operated by third parties.

We do not control those websites and are not responsible for their content, availability, security, products, services, privacy practices, or terms.

When you leave AstroPhotoGuru, your interaction with the destination service is governed by that service’s terms and policies.

Account Deletion

You may delete your AstroPhotoGuru Imaging Planner account using the account-management features provided by the Planner.

Account deletion is permanent and may remove account-associated information such as your profile, Saved Setups, and Saved Sessions.

Certain information collected separately from your account may not automatically be deleted with the account. Additional information about this distinction and how to request deletion of other personal information is provided in our Privacy Policy.

Service Changes and Availability

We may modify, add, remove, suspend, or discontinue features of AstroPhotoGuru or the Imaging Planner as the service evolves.

We do not guarantee that every feature will always remain available or that the service will operate without interruption.

We may perform maintenance, correct errors, update databases, change third-party providers, or modify features when reasonably necessary.

Where practical, we will attempt to avoid unnecessary disruption to users.

Account Suspension or Termination

We may restrict, suspend, or terminate access to AstroPhotoGuru when reasonably necessary because of:

material violations of these Terms;
fraudulent, abusive, or unlawful use;
attempts to compromise the security or operation of the service;
circumstances creating material risk to AstroPhotoGuru or other users; or
legal requirements.

We may also take reasonable measures to protect the service while investigating suspected abuse or security problems.

Disclaimer of Warranties

To the extent permitted by applicable law, AstroPhotoGuru and the Imaging Planner are provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis.

We do not warrant that:

the service will always be available or error-free;
all equipment specifications or astronomical information will be completely accurate or current;
recommendations will be suitable for every user or observing situation;
a particular target will be visible or imageable;
a particular equipment combination will produce a particular result; or
third-party services will remain available.

Nothing in these Terms excludes warranties or rights that cannot lawfully be excluded.

Limitation of Liability

To the extent permitted by applicable law, AstroPhotoGuru will not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or similar damages arising from or related to your use of, or inability to use, the website, Imaging Planner, recommendations, third-party services, or information provided through AstroPhotoGuru.

This includes, where legally permitted, losses resulting from reliance on planning calculations, loss of saved information, equipment incompatibility, missed imaging opportunities, or actions taken based on information provided by the service.

AstroPhotoGuru’s services are informational and educational resources. You remain responsible for decisions concerning your equipment, purchases, observing activities, and imaging sessions.

Nothing in these Terms limits liability that cannot legally be limited or excluded.

Indemnification

To the extent permitted by applicable law, you agree to be responsible for claims, damages, or reasonable costs arising from your unlawful use of AstroPhotoGuru, your material violation of these Terms, or content you submit that infringes the rights of another person.

This provision does not apply to the extent a claim results from AstroPhotoGuru’s own unlawful conduct or where such an obligation is prohibited by applicable law.

Privacy

Your use of AstroPhotoGuru is also subject to the AstroPhotoGuru Privacy Policy, which explains how we collect, use, store, and disclose information.

The Privacy Policy should be read together with these Terms.

Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms as AstroPhotoGuru and the Imaging Planner evolve.

The current version will be posted on this page, and the “Last Updated” date will indicate when the Terms were most recently revised.

If we make material changes, we may provide additional notice where appropriate.

Your continued use of AstroPhotoGuru after revised Terms become effective constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms to the extent permitted by applicable law.

Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, United States, without regard to conflict-of-law principles, except where applicable consumer-protection law requires otherwise.

Nothing in these Terms deprives you of mandatory rights or protections available under the laws applicable to you.