Legal
Terms & Conditions
Last updated: August 2026
This English version is provided for convenience. The German version (agb.html) is the legally binding text.
§ 1 Scope & contracting party
These Terms apply to all bookings of telescope observation time via the StarShare La Palma website. The contracting party is Jochen Fehmer, Camino Pista De Fatima 25L, 38789 Puntagorda, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain (hereinafter "Provider").
§ 2 Description of services
The Provider makes a ZWO SeeStar S30 Pro smart telescope at the La Palma (Spain) site available to the customer for remote use during the booked period. Control is via the ZWO SeeStar App; a prerequisite is the customer's own smartphone or tablet (iOS/Android) with the SeeStar App installed and a user account registered there. This is a consumer smart telescope; image quality corresponds to this device class.
Connection to the telescope: Access to the telescope session is established via an invitation within the SeeStar App. This invitation is sent to the email address used to complete the booking. The customer is obliged to register in the SeeStar App with exactly this email address. If the booking email does not match the SeeStar App account, the invitation cannot be delivered; in this case there is no entitlement to a replacement or refund for the missed session, provided the Provider sent the invitation correctly.
§ 3 Hourly rental, prices & payment
Telescope time is booked by the hour: €15 per hour, selectable between 1 and 10 hours per booking. FITS raw data can optionally be added for a surcharge of 10% of the booking price, minimum €10. All prices are final prices including statutory VAT.
After completing the booking, the customer receives an invoice with a payment link by email within 2 hours; the ticket number is automatically assigned to the transaction. The booking is confirmed once payment has been received.
Payment deadline: The amount must be received within 24 hours of booking. If payment is not received within this period, the ticket expires and the reserved slot is released again.
The total operating time of the telescope during the session is charged against the booked balance, i.e. the entire period during which the device is reserved and operated for the customer. The customer acknowledges that, as part of the automated process, the telescope must first slew to, focus on and align with the chosen target, during which frames are captured that are discarded by the system. The pure exposure time of usable images therefore cannot be equated with the billed operating time and is regularly shorter.
§ 3a Long-term rental (Seestar-03 & Seestar-04)
The telescopes Seestar-03 and Seestar-04 are rented exclusively for long-term projects, on request and by individual agreement. For these, the following payment terms apply instead of § 3: for an agreed remaining term of more than one month, the monthly rate is due one month in advance. For a remaining term of less than one month, the pro-rated rate is due one week in advance. The total operating time of the telescope is charged according to the individual agreement.
§ 3b Monthly subscription
As an alternative to hourly rental, a monthly subscription for a SeeStar S30 Pro can be booked, priced at €249 per month (final price including statutory VAT). The term is one month; there is no automatic renewal. Within the term, access to the telescope is available every evening, from the beginning to the end of astronomical twilight.
Weather risk: The subscription grants access to a fixed period, not a guaranteed amount of usable time. Bad weather during the term is at the customer's expense; there is no credit, no extension of the term, and no (partial) refund for nights lost to weather. Unused time is not carried over to the following month.
§ 4 Validity of the balance
The booked hour balance is valid for 12 months from receipt of payment and can be used across multiple targets and nights. A cash payout of unused time is excluded.
§ 5 Buffer times & availability
A technical buffer time of 30 minutes is scheduled after each session (sensor cooldown, repositioning); this is free of charge for the customer. Bookable times lie within the astronomical darkness at the site.
§ 6 Weather, force majeure & technical faults
Astronomical observation is weather-dependent. If a session cannot take place, or only partially, due to cloud cover, Calima, technical faults or loss of the internet connection at the site, the unusable time remains part of the customer's hour balance. Further claims (e.g. compensation for consequential damages) are excluded to the extent permitted by law. The Provider is liable without limitation for intent and gross negligence, and for injury to life, body or health.
§ 7 Connection interruptions
If the remote connection between the customer's device and the telescope is interrupted during an ongoing session, the SeeStar normally continues operating independently and carries on the exposure, as long as it remains registered on the local network at the site. A connection interruption therefore does not necessarily mean the loss of observation time. In the event of faults, evaluation can be carried out and traced the following day using server-side log files; the Provider makes corresponding evaluations available on request. The same conditions as for weather losses (§ 6) apply to the loss of observation time due to a connection interruption.
§ 8 Customer support
Customer support is available via Telegram or by email. For technical issues, questions about a booking, or the course of a session, the official StarShare La Palma Telegram channel is available; alternatively, contact is possible by email. A response is generally provided within 24 hours; outside European daytime hours, response times may be longer.
§ 9 Image data
The images produced belong to the customer for free private and commercial use. Download links are valid for 72 hours; the data is deleted 30 days after the session. The customer is responsible for timely backup.
§ 10 Right of withdrawal & withdrawal instructions
Statutory right of withdrawal: Consumers generally have a 14-day right of withdrawal under statutory provisions (§§ 312 et seq. BGB, German Civil Code). The right of withdrawal expires early under § 356(4) BGB if the Provider has fully performed the service and the consumer has expressly agreed before booking that performance may begin before the withdrawal period expires. For bookings for a specific date, the right of withdrawal may be excluded under § 312g(2) no. 9 BGB.
Consequences of withdrawal: If a valid statutory withdrawal is made, we will refund all payments received without undue delay, and at the latest within 14 days, using the same payment method. Please address withdrawals informally to: buchung@starshare-lapalma.astrocube.de.
§ 11 Voluntary cancellation
Independent of the statutory right of withdrawal, the customer may cancel a confirmed booking at any time before the start of the telescope session using the cancellation function on the website (entering the ticket number).
Consequences of cancellation: The paid hour balance is fully retained and credited to the customer as a remaining balance; a cash payout of unused balance is excluded. Cancellation after a session has started is not possible.
Rescheduling: If the customer wants a different observation date or a different target, they can cancel the booking and rebook the remaining balance to a new date free of charge.
§ 12 Telescope hosting
Telescope hosting comprises the provision of a secured location for a smart telescope supplied by the customer at the La Palma site, including power, internet uplink and local maintenance. The minimum term is 12 months. An advance payment of 6 months is due upon conclusion of the contract. The offer applies exclusively to compact smart telescopes (ZWO SeeStar and similar) up to a maximum system weight of 5 kg without an external mount control unit. Transport, import duty, insurance and repairs are at the customer's expense. Termination is possible with three months' notice to the end of the minimum term. If termination is not given in time, the contract is extended monthly by one month at a time, up to a maximum of a further six months; termination with three months' notice to the end of a month is also possible during this extension period. Price adjustments are announced three months in advance. In the event of proven total loss of the device or permanent closure of the site, the contract may be terminated extraordinarily; advance payments already made are refunded pro rata for unused months. The Provider's liability for damage to the device is limited to the proven current value; damage due to force majeure (storm, earthquake, wildfire) is excluded.
§ 13 Final provisions
German law applies, excluding the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods. For consumers, this choice of law applies only insofar as it does not conflict with mandatory consumer protection provisions of their country of residence. Should individual provisions be invalid, the remainder of the contract remains valid.