1 Who We Are

AstroUtah ("we", "us", "our") operates the website at https://astroutah.com/. We provide astronomical tools, sky charts, weather data, and community features for amateur astronomers.

Questions about this policy can be directed to admin@astroutah.com.

2 What Data We Collect

Account information — When you register, we collect your username, email address, first name, and last name. Your password is stored as a one-way hash and is never readable by us.

Observing locations — Latitude, longitude, elevation, timezone, and any description you provide when saving a location. Locations you mark as public or shared are visible to other users; private locations are visible only to you.

Equipment records — Telescopes, mounts, eyepieces, and other gear you choose to log.

Observation notes — Any free-text notes you save against a session or location.

Uploaded images — Photos you upload to your equipment profile or the art gallery.

Preferences and settings — Display preferences such as 24-hour time, default dashboard view, and subscription tier.

Server logs — Standard web server logs including IP address, browser type, pages visited, and timestamps. These are retained for up to 90 days for security and performance monitoring.

3 How We Use Your Data

We use collected data solely to operate and improve AstroUtah. Specifically:

• To create and manage your account
• To personalise sky charts, rise/set calculations, and viewing quality forecasts to your saved locations
• To send transactional emails such as password resets (no marketing emails without explicit opt-in)
• To detect and prevent fraudulent or abusive account activity
• To understand how the site is used in aggregate so we can improve it

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data to third parties. We do not use your data for advertising profiling.

4 Third-Party Services

The Site integrates with the following third-party services to function. Each has its own privacy policy.

• Tempest Weather / WeatherFlow — Provides real-time weather station data. Data requests are made server-side; your IP is not shared with Tempest.
• Open-Meteo — Provides forecast data.
• 7Timer Astro — Provides astronomical seeing and transparency forecasts. Requests are made server-side.
• WordPress — The Site is built on WordPress. Standard WordPress cookies are set for logged-in sessions.
• Buy Me a Coffee — Optional donation links direct to buymeacoffee.com. Clicking them takes you to their site; their privacy policy applies.

5 Cookies

We use cookies strictly necessary to operate the Site:

• Session cookies — Set by WordPress to keep you logged in. Expire when you close your browser or log out.
• Persistent login cookie — Set if you choose "Remember Me" at login. Expires after 14 days.
• Security nonce cookies — Short-lived cookies used to validate form submissions and AJAX requests.

We do not use advertising cookies, tracking pixels, or any third-party analytics cookies.

6 Data Sharing

Your data is never sold. It is shared only in these limited circumstances:

• Public locations — Locations you explicitly mark as "shared" or "public" are visible to all registered users of the Site. You control this setting and can change it at any time.
• Legal requirements — We may disclose data if required by law, court order, or to protect the safety of users or the public.
• Hosting provider — Our hosting provider has access to server infrastructure where data is stored, but is contractually prohibited from accessing or using your data.

7 Data Retention

We retain your account data for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, all personal data — including locations, equipment, notes, uploaded images, and settings — is permanently deleted within 24 hours. Server logs are purged after 90 days.

8 Your Rights

You have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Access — You can view all saved data in your account settings at any time.
• Correction — You can update your account information in settings.
• Deletion — You can permanently delete your account and all associated data from the Settings page, or by emailing admin@astroutah.com.
• Portability — You may request a copy of your data in a machine-readable format by emailing us.
• Objection — If you believe we are processing your data unlawfully, you may contact us to object.

We will respond to data requests within 30 days.

9 Children's Privacy

AstroUtah is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

10 Security

We use industry-standard measures to protect your data, including encrypted HTTPS connections, hashed password storage, and access controls on our database. No method of transmission over the internet is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

11 Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will update the "Last updated" date at the top of the page when changes are made. Continued use of the Site after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy. For significant changes, we will make a reasonable effort to notify registered users by email.

12 Contact

For any privacy-related questions, data requests, or concerns, please contact us at admin@astroutah.com.