Terms & Conditions

Last updated: March 14, 2026

These Terms and Conditions ("Terms") govern your use of the S.O.L.A.R.I.S. website ("Site"), the Adopt a Star service ("Service"), and any associated features operated by S.O.L.A.R.I.S. ("we", "us", "our"). By accessing or using our Site or Service, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.

1. What the Adopt a Star Service Is

When you "adopt" a star through our Service, you are:

• Nominating a star for our software to download and analyze its publicly available TESS light curve data
• Receiving a notification of whether a transit signal consistent with a planet candidate was detected
• If a planet candidate is found, receiving an informal "Nominated by" credit on our website only

You are NOT:

• Purchasing, acquiring ownership of, or "buying" a star or any celestial body
• Officially naming any star. Star designations are governed by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), and we have no authority to assign or change official names
• Guaranteed any scientific discovery or result
• Receiving any formal academic, scientific, or institutional credit for any discoveries that may result from the analysis
• Mentioned in any formal submissions to scientific databases (e.g., ExoFOP), academic papers, or official reports — nominator credits appear on our website only

2. Account Registration

To use the Adopt a Star service, you must create an account. You agree to:

• Provide accurate information
• Keep your password secure
• Not create multiple accounts to circumvent nomination limits
• Be at least 13 years of age, or have parental/guardian consent

3. Free Tier

All registered users receive one (1) free star nomination. Free nominations are subject to the following conditions:

• Free nominations expire 90 days (3 months) after being made, unless the user has upgraded to a paid plan
• When a free nomination expires, the star returns to the available pool and may be nominated by another user
• If the pipeline has already analyzed the star before expiration, the result (planet found or not) is retained regardless of expiration
• Free users are limited to 1 total nomination. Additional nominations require a paid plan

4. Paid Plans

4.1 One-Time Nominations

Users may purchase individual star nominations. One-time nominations do not expire and the star remains associated with your account permanently.

4.2 Subscription Plans

Subscription plans provide a recurring allocation of nominations per day. When a subscription ends (cancellation or non-payment):

• All stars previously nominated remain associated with your account — you do not lose your stars
• You can no longer make new nominations beyond the free tier limit
• You retain access to certificates, star profiles, and all existing features for your adopted stars

4.3 Pricing

Current pricing is displayed on the Adopt a Star page. We reserve the right to change pricing at any time, with notice. Price changes do not affect active subscriptions until renewal.

4.4 Payments

Payments are processed by Stripe, Inc. We do not store your credit card details. All payment processing is handled securely by Stripe in accordance with PCI-DSS standards. By making a purchase, you also agree to Stripe's Terms of Service.

4.5 Refunds

Because the Service involves real computational analysis that begins immediately upon nomination:

• One-time nominations are non-refundable once the star has been submitted to the analysis pipeline
• Subscriptions may be cancelled at any time. You will retain access for the remainder of your billing period. No partial refunds are given for unused time
• If a technical error on our end prevents your nominated star from being analyzed, we will re-credit the nomination or provide a refund at our discretion

5. Star Gifting

Users may gift star nominations to other registered users. Gifts are subject to the same terms as regular nominations. Gift purchases are non-refundable. The recipient receives the star nomination under their account.

6. Nicknames

Users may assign informal nicknames to their adopted stars. Nicknames:

• Are displayed on our website only and carry no official or scientific standing
• Must not contain offensive, misleading, or inappropriate content
• May be removed by us at our discretion without notice
• Do not replace or affect the star's official TIC (TESS Input Catalog) designation

7. Certificates

Adoption certificates are provided as digital images for personal, non-commercial use. Certificates are informal keepsakes and do not constitute any legal, scientific, or official document.

8. Data and Scientific Results

• Our pipeline analyzes publicly available data from NASA's TESS mission accessed via the MAST Archive
• Results are produced by automated software and should be considered preliminary — they are not peer-reviewed scientific findings
• "Planet candidate" detections indicate a statistical signal consistent with a transit, not a confirmed planet
• We make no guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or scientific validity of any results
• All discoveries remain the intellectual property of S.O.L.A.R.I.S. and its operators

9. No Affiliation

S.O.L.A.R.I.S. is an independent citizen science project. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to NASA, MIT, the TESS Science Team, the Space Telescope Science Institute, the IAU, or any government agency or academic institution. We use publicly available data in accordance with NASA's data access policies.

10. Limitation of Liability

The Service is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind, express or implied. We are not liable for:

• Interruptions or unavailability of the Service
• Loss of data or account information
• Inaccurate or incomplete analysis results
• Any indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from use of the Service

Our total liability for any claim shall not exceed the amount you paid us in the 12 months preceding the claim.

11. Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

• Use automated tools to mass-nominate stars or abuse the Service
• Resell star nominations or certificates
• Misrepresent adopted stars as officially named or owned
• Interfere with the operation of the Service or pipeline
• Create accounts for fraudulent purposes

12. Termination

We may suspend or terminate your account at any time for violation of these Terms. Upon termination, you lose access to the Service, but we are not obligated to refund any payments.

13. Changes to Terms

We may update these Terms at any time. Material changes will be communicated via the Site or email. Continued use after changes constitutes acceptance.

14. Contact

For questions about these Terms, contact us at cassius.mehlhopt@gmail.com.