Frequently asked questions

  1. Is my data prophylactic on AstroBin?
  2. Is my privacy protected on AstroBin?
  3. Who is backside AstroBin?
  4. I've seen cute images on AstroBin. I'm non worthy of posting mine!
  5. Why was AstroBin created?
  6. Is AstroBin for free?
  7. Are there any limits on how large and how many images I can upload?
  8. How can I upgrade my current subscription to a college tier?
  9. Volition I lose my images if my subscription expires?
  10. What payment methods are accustomed?
  11. How can I cancel my subscription?
  12. How can I downgrade my subscription?
  13. If I brand donations, will that make me a Low-cal/Premium/Ultimate member?
  14. In what languages is AstroBin available?
  15. What are the supported prototype formats?
  16. What are the Staging and Public areas?
  17. Why is my image "awaiting moderation"?
  18. What is the Image Index?
  19. What is the Contribution Index (beta)?
  20. How is the Image of the Twenty-four hours selected?
  21. How are the Elevation Picks selected?
  22. What are the badges I see on images sometimes?
  23. How are the images on the front page sorted?

AstroBin'southward philosophy

# Is my data safe on AstroBin?

Absolutely. At that place are multiple ways in which AstroBin tin can shop your information very safely. First of all, the images you upload are stored on a highly durable, highly available provided past Amazon Web Services (S3), redundant backend. The durability of the storage backend is 99.999999999% over a given twelvemonth. This means that if you upload 10,000 images, you can expect to lose one epitome to data corruption one time in x,000,000 years.

The storage backend supports versioning, then anything that is accidentally deleted tin can be undeleted.

Additionally, about in real-fourth dimension, images uploaded to AstroBin are mirrored to a secondary information center. The secondary copy is at that place for disaster recovery.

The actual website, instead, is hosted on a Virtual Machine provided again by Amazon Spider web Services (EC2), so, in instance of astringent hardware failure, information technology can be redeployed to a different server in a matter of xv minutes.

Finally, the database that powers AstroBin, also powered by Amazon Web Services (RDS) is backed up daily. In case of astringent information loss, the website will be chop-chop restored to a snapshot that'due south never older than 24 hours.

That said, you lot should be aware that AstroBin is not technically a backup service, and although your data is very safe in our easily, we cannot legally take responsibility in the event of loss, however unlikely information technology is.

Always continue a copy of your prototype on your computer.

# Is my privacy protected on AstroBin?

Yes. Nosotros take privacy very seriously. AstroBin's information resides on an encrypted database and all passwords are encrypted likewise. Additionally, AstroBin does not share any information with advertisers or whatsoever 3rd party.

In addition to respecting your privacy, we respect your intellectual property also: all images that you lot upload to AstroBin remain your property.

# Who is behind AstroBin?

Although many people think that AstroBin is run by a company of people working in an role, the truth would have it that this is the result of the efforts of a single person (me, Salvatore Iovene).

Over the years, I received lots of help in making this website what it is: almost notably by the localization team, fabricated up of volunteers who offered their fourth dimension to interpret AstroBin to 13 languages, and of class by the IOTD squad, volunteers who assistance with the Paradigm of the Day selection every day.

In hopes of getting more help on the engineering aspects of AstroBin, I open up-sourced the project. But that only got me a few contributions, which I'g thankful for, but zippo major.

Starting from 2021, AstroBin is a total-time job, then I tin devote all my work time to this project, and improve it every twenty-four hour period.

On this website you volition often read that I utilise the term "we", but in all honesty, it's just to offer a semblance of professionalism. I hope you don't mind!

# I've seen beautiful images on AstroBin. I'1000 not worthy of posting mine!

Nonsense. AstroBin has not been fabricated to showcase cute images, but to requite everybody an opportunity to contribute to a vast and ever-growing try of centralization and indexing of important data. That 30-infinitesimal picture of M31 you took last night between the clouds belongs here! Don't be shy and post it!

# Why was AstroBin created?

AstroBin was born out of the want to stop something that had been going on for too long: the waste matter of incredible material to the sea of chaos that the Internet tin can be.

For years, fantastic astrophotographs take been uploaded to Internet Forums, ofttimes with footling or no data, or to general-purpose prototype hosting websites, invariably with no data attached. Such an image would be seen by some people, then quickly forgotten, and reduced to nothing more than a agglomeration of pixels in the giant wasteland of the Internet.

This should non be allowed to happen. AstroBin is the response: an effort to host, collect, index, and categorize the output of astrophotographers all over the earth and then that their precious information would serve a purpose, and accept a significant forever.

Subscriptions

# Is AstroBin for free?

No. A gratis account will let yous perform 10 uploads, to evaluate the service, and partake in all social activities. Some features will be restricted or limited. For more storage and features, check out our subscriptions!

# Are there whatsoever limits on how big and how many images I tin upload?

The lower subscription plans practise impose some limits, however you will notice them more than than reasonable. AstroBin's goal is to store astrophotography images in as much detail as possible, so nosotros exercise whatever nosotros tin to keep that accessible also to free accounts, and accounts in the lower subscription plans.

For a truly unlimited experience, we recommend the Ultimate subscription.

Continue in mind that at that place is a distinction for the purpose of the image you upload:

  1. You tin upload JPG/PNG/GIF/TIFF images for social sharing purposes, and we recommend you go along these files reasonably small, every bit others will want to download them to view them.

  2. AstroBin warns above 25 MB well-nigh the fact that some people might take a ho-hum Cyberspace connection. For files larger than 25 MB, the "click-and-drag" zoom feature is not available.

  3. Files larger than 200 MB put a lot of strain on the AstroBin servers due to the computational and memory cost of generating thumbnails from such large files. Additionally, for retention and security reasons, images cannot exceed a total pixel count of 273439296 (equivalent to 16536 x 16536 pixels) on all subscriptions. Please note that this is a total count, and it doesn't matter if one axis has more than pixels than the other.

  4. You can upload uncompressed data source files. These are private to you and for your records only: a way to prophylactic-keep your files long term. Uncompressed data source images may exist equally large as you want (upward to 4 GB), every bit they are not processed or manipulated by AstroBin in any way (east.g. thumbnails are not generated). This is a feature bachelor in the Ultimate subscription.

# How can I upgrade my current subscription to a college tier?

Unfortunately, an automated upgrade path is non currently offered. The easiest way to upgrade is to simply purchase the plan you want, and so drib us a message, and we will be happy to refund the unused time of the programme you upgraded from, or extend your new subscription with the adjusted time equivalency of the unused time on your previous subscription.

# Will I lose my images if my subscription expires?

Absolutely not! AstroBin is all near fairness, and that sounds quite unfair (although some competitors do exactly that!)

When your paid subscription expires, nothing happens to any of your data. They remain, unchanged, on AstroBin indefinitely. The only thing that happens is that you won't be able to upload new images until y'all renew (if you already have more the number of images allowed past the Free account).

That sounds fair, doesn't it?

# What payment methods are accepted?

AstroBin uses Stripe to deeply process payments automatically, and your credit carte or other payment information is not stored on AstroBin, as a prophylactic precaution.

You tin pay with Visa, MasterCard, American Express, S€PA Straight Debit, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and AliPay. If you don't have access to these payment methods, you lot tin make a bank deposit at ane of these depository financial institution accounts (please pay the amount you encounter on the pricing folio):

For payments in United states of america dollars:

Within the The states:

Account number 9600000000061714

Routing number 084009519

Outside the United states:

Account number 8310788830

SWIFT / BIC CMFGUS33

Address

TransferWise

xix Westward 24th Street

New York NY 10010

Usa


For payments in Canadian dollars:

Casher AstroBin

Account number 200110016315

Institution number 621

Transit number 16001

Address

TransferWise Canada Inc.

99 Banking concern Street, Suite 1420

Ottawa ON K1P 1H4

Canada

For payments in Euros:

Beneficiary AstroBin

IBAN BE76 9671 5599 8695

SWIFT / BIC TRWIBEB1XXX

Address

TransferWise Europe SA

Avenue Louise 54, Room S52

Brussels 1050

Belgium

For payments in British pounds:

Beneficiary AstroBin

Account number 52990073

Sort code 23-14-70

IBAN GB79 TRWI 2314 7052 9900 73

Accost

TransferWise

56 Shoreditch Loftier Street

London E1 6JJ

United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland

For payments in Australian dollars:

Beneficiary AstroBin

Account number 412756021

BSB code 802-985

Address

Transferwise

36-38 Gipps Street

Collingwood 3066

Australia

For payments in Swiss Francs:

Beneficiary Salvatore Iovene

IBAN CH97 0900 0000 6922 3618 4

SWIFT / BIC POFICHBEXXX

If y'all paid via bank transfer or credit card invoice. subsequently your payment (please check the prices on the subscriptions folio) please become in touch stating your AstroBin username or email address, and what you paid for, and so that we may update your account accordingly.

# How tin I cancel my subscription?

If you have purchased a recurring subscription before 2018, delight cancel it straight at your PayPal. For all new subscriptions purchased since 2018, there is no demand to abolish, considering you lot will not be charged automatically upon expiration. Additionally, AstroBin does not delete your images, or any of your content, if your subscription expires: this is non our philosophy and we're proud of it.

# How tin can I downgrade my subscription?

Unfortunately, a downgrade path is not offered at the moment. Simply wait until your current membership expires, then experience costless to purchase a lower tier if yous so wish!

# If I brand donations, volition that make me a Lite/Premium/Ultimate member?

No, donations are voluntary and on top of the regular subscription. It wouldn't actually be a donation if I gave something tangible in return. Information technology's a way to provide additional back up for me to proceed AstroBin up and running and work on improving it as much as possible. Please read more than about this here.

Practicalities

# In what languages is AstroBin available?

The following languages are officially supported on AstroBin, meaning that near all text is translated:

  • English language

  • French

  • German language

  • Italian

  • Chinese (Simplified)

  • Portuguese

Please notation that when new things are released on AstroBin, there might exist a gap of a few days or weeks when the new words are not translated still until the lodge comes in.

Boosted languages are community-supported and before long incomplete. If you lot like, you lot can contribute! Delight arrive touch if you need assistance with that.

# What are the supported image formats?

AstroBin will accept JPEG, PNG, GIF, and TIFF. Animated GIF is supported likewise. At this time, AstroBin does non back up any type of movie file (such as .mov, .mp4, .avi, and and so on).

TIFF back up is currently experimental, and sure types of TIFF files volition not work (e.one thousand. files with internal compressions, floating-point precision, or grey-scale 16-scrap). In whatever example, AstroBin will convert your TIFF file to JPEG in order to display it, and the original TIFF upload volition but exist available to you. For this reason, we recommend you upload a JPEG and shop the TIFF for safe-keeping as an uncompressed data source: members on the AstroBin Ultimate subscription plan can besides upload one XISF/FITS/TIFF/PSD file to acquaintance to each of their images. Learn more.

# What are the Staging and Public areas?

On AstroBin, you lot have two places for your images. The Staging Expanse is where yous tin can upload images that you want to chop-chop share on forums, mailing lists, or social networks. The days of scaling downwards and compressing your image so yous tin can upload it to a forum for feedback and critique are over! Just upload to AstroBin's Staging Surface area, and transport the link to anyone you want. The image will be visible only to the intended recipients, and won't appear on your profile, AstroBin's home page, or AstroBin's search engine.

The Public Expanse, instead, is for your finished products. Afterward you have received feedback on your favorite forum, you tin promote an prototype from the Staging Area to the Public Area, and it will appear on your profile. Remember that you can also move images dorsum and forth from one area to the other as many times as you want!

New uploads automatically go to the Staging Area and the image tin be promoted at the finish of the upload process.

# Why is my image "pending moderation"?

When new users on a Free membership uploads an image, a human volition need to review information technology to filter out spam. This limitation is lifted once the user reaches an AstroBin Alphabetize of ane.0 or above (information technology merely takes a few likes), or if the user purchases a paid membership.

The moderation queue is usually reviewed many times a day, and then if your image is there, the waiting time is usually no more than a few hours.

An image that is pending moderation will non be visible on the AstroBin front page or search results, simply everyone with a link will still be able to access it.

# What is the Image Index?

The Prototype Alphabetize is a system based on likes received on images, that incentivizes the about active and liked members of the community. Learn more than.

# What is the Contribution Index (beta)?

The Contribution Alphabetize (beta) is a system to reward informative, constructive, and valuable commentary on AstroBin. Learn more.

# How is the Prototype of the Twenty-four hours selected?

A staff of 200 volunteers goes thru a 3-stage process: 128 "submitters" propose images for IOTD; 64 "reviewers" advance some of them to the next stage; finally, any one of 8 judges can select an image from the pool of finalists as IOTD. There are limitations in place in the system to avoid abuse and monopoly. Read the full details here.

Simply users with a Light, Premium, or Ultimate subscription are eligible for the IOTD and Top Picks contests.

You do non demand to submit your image for review: all new images enter the contest automatically unless you specifically opted out in your preferences.

# How are the Top Picks selected?

Top Picks are images that are in the Epitome of the Twenty-four hour period selection queue (see previous question). They accept been submitted by submitters, and reviewers have avant-garde them to the last pace. However, they have not become Image of the Day. If a Top Pick does non get an Image of the Twenty-four hours inside the selection window, information technology retains the Superlative Pick status indefinitely. If it gets promoted to Prototype of the Day, it is as well removed from the Top Picks list.

# What are the badges I run into on images sometimes?

astrobin-badges.png

  • The lock means that the image is unlisted and in the user's staging surface area

  • The arrow pointing upwards on a bronze field means that the paradigm was nominated for Top selection

  • The star on a silver field means that the image was selected as a Elevation pick

  • The trophy on a gilded field means that the image was selected as Paradigm of the Day

# How are the images on the front page sorted?

Any time an paradigm receives a similar, a bookmark, or a comment, or a new revision, information technology gets pushed to the top of the forepart page. New uploads go to the top of the page as well. Depending on the time of the day (i.east. the current traffic conditions on AstroBin), images will be nigh the tiptop of the front page for a shorter or a longer time.

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