Effective date: 23 August 2026 Last updated: 23 August 2026
These Terms and Conditions (“Terms”) govern your use of darkskydispatch.com (the “Site”) and any service you purchase from Dark Sky Dispatch LLC (“Dark Sky Dispatch,” “we,” “us,” or “I”).
By using the Site, subscribing to the newsletter, subscribing to text alerts, or purchasing a plan, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Site or purchase a service.
1. Who we are
Dark Sky Dispatch is operated by Dark Sky Dispatch LLC, a domestic limited liability company organized under the laws of the State of Arizona (Arizona Corporation Commission Business ID 25065385).
Dark Sky Dispatch LLC 2942 N 24th St, Ste 115 #331960 Phoenix, Arizona 85016
Questions about these Terms go to Dg********@*************ch.com or through the form at darkskydispatch.com/contact-us/.
2. What we sell
We offer two separate services. Some sections below apply to one, some to both. Where a section applies to only one, it says so.
2.1 The trip-planning service
The trip-planning service (the “Service”) is a custom written plan for observing the night sky, delivered as a PDF. A standard plan covers one trip and includes:
- A specific observing location, with its Bortle class and, where one exists, a sky-quality meter reading taken by us
- Estimated driving time and directions from a starting point you provide
- A specific recommended date, selected around moon phase and astronomical darkness for that latitude
- The hours on that date when the sky is expected to be astronomically dark at that location
- A description of what is expected to be visible, including the position of the Milky Way core and any planets or notable objects above the horizon
- Suggested clothing and equipment appropriate to that location and season
- One backup location and one backup date
If you request it, a plan may also include camera settings appropriate to the expected conditions, and recommendations unrelated to the sky such as food, lodging, or points of interest.
The Service is research, analysis, and writing. It is delivered digitally. Nothing physical ships.
2.2 Dark Sky Dispatch Alerts
Dark Sky Dispatch Alerts (“Alerts”) is a paid recurring text message service. When moon phase, astronomical darkness, and forecast weather align to produce good observing conditions near a location you provide at signup, we send you a text message describing that window.
A typical alert includes the hours the window is open in your local time, expected cloud cover, the state of the moon, how the night compares to others in the forecast period, and where relevant a darker observing site within a distance you choose.
Alerts are generated from public weather forecasts, published light-pollution data, and astronomical calculations. No one reviews each message individually before it is sent.
3. What the services are not
This matters more than anything else in these Terms, so it is stated plainly. This section applies to both services.
We do not guarantee clear skies, visible stars, or any particular sight. Weather is not predictable at the range these plans and alerts are built on. Clouds, smoke, haze, humidity, dust, wildfire, atmospheric conditions, aurora activity, and unexpected artificial light can all reduce or eliminate visibility on any given night. Every trip plan includes a backup location and a backup date precisely because this happens. It is not a defect in the plan, or in an alert, when it does.
Alerts are forecasts, not promises. An alert describes what the available data predicts at the time it is sent. Conditions change. An alert that does not pan out is not a defect in the service and is not grounds for a refund.
We are not a guide service. No one from Dark Sky Dispatch accompanies you, meets you, or is present at any location in a plan or an alert. You travel independently and unsupervised.
We do not book anything on your behalf. Flights, lodging, rental vehicles, permits, campsites, tours, and park entry are yours to arrange and pay for. Their cost is not included in any fee.
We do not provide emergency, medical, navigational, or survival services, and neither a plan nor an alert is a substitute for your own preparation, judgment, or local information.
Alerts describe sky conditions only. They do not account for road conditions, seasonal closures, gate hours, permit requirements, fire restrictions, private property boundaries, wildlife activity, or personal safety at any location. Where an alert names or suggests an observing location, it is offered as information only and is not a representation that the location is publicly accessible, safe, legal to enter, or open at the time of the alert.
4. Pricing and payment
Payment for both services is processed by Stripe. We do not receive or store your full card details. Your use of Stripe is governed by Stripe’s own terms and privacy policy.
4.1 Trip plans
Plans start at $150 USD. That baseline covers one trip, whether it is an hour from your home or on another continent.
Trips involving multiple stops, several observing nights, or substantially more research carry a higher fee. Where that applies, the fee is quoted and agreed with you before you pay anything.
Prices are subject to change. The price in effect when you pay is the price that applies to your order.
4.2 Alerts subscription
Alerts is billed at $2.99 per month, or at the annual rate shown at signup if you choose one, charged in advance and renewing automatically until you cancel.
By subscribing you authorize us to charge your payment method on a recurring basis at the interval and price shown at checkout, until you cancel. You will see the price, the billing interval, and the automatic renewal disclosed before you pay.
We may change the price of Alerts on 30 days’ notice sent to the email address or mobile number on your account. If you continue after the change takes effect, the new price applies. If you do not want the new price, cancel before it takes effect.
If a payment fails, we will retry it. If it continues to fail, alerts are suspended and the subscription is cancelled.
5. Delivery
This section applies to trip plans.
Standard delivery is within 10 days of the date we have all the information needed to build your plan — not from the date of payment. If your intake answers are incomplete or unclear, the clock starts when you have supplied what is missing.
Rush delivery is sometimes available and depends on current workload. Rush work must be agreed before purchase. Ask first; do not assume a rush is possible.
If we cannot meet an agreed delivery date, we will tell you, and you may choose either to accept a revised date or to receive a full refund.
Alerts have no delivery schedule by design. Messages are sent only when conditions at your location meet the service’s threshold. Some months will produce several; some may produce none. A quiet month is the service working as intended, not a failure of it.
6. Revisions
This section applies to trip plans.
Each plan includes one round of revisions, requested within 14 days of delivery.
Revisions cover clarifications, corrections, and reasonable adjustments within the original scope — a shifted date, a different starting point, a location swapped for a stated reason.
Revisions do not cover a change in the fundamental brief. Moving from a road trip in Utah to a two-week itinerary in Chile is a new plan, quoted separately.
7. Cancellations and refunds
7.1 Trip plans
Before work begins: cancel for any reason and receive a full refund. Email us as soon as you decide.
After work has begun but before delivery: a partial refund may be issued at our discretion, reflecting the research already completed.
After delivery: because the Service is custom research and writing delivered digitally, and cannot be returned or unsent, delivered plans are non-refundable.
The exception is a plan that materially fails to include what Section 2.1 describes. In that case, tell us within 14 days of delivery and we will correct it, or refund you if we cannot.
Weather, closures, your own scheduling changes, and a decision not to take the trip are not grounds for a refund after delivery.
We reserve the right to decline any request and refund you in full — for example, a request outside our expertise, or one that would require recommending trespass or unsafe activity.
7.2 Alerts
You may cancel Alerts at any time, with no cancellation fee and no minimum term.
Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period. You keep receiving alerts until then. Fees already paid are not refunded on a pro-rata basis.
To cancel, use the manage-subscription link in your confirmation email, which opens the Stripe billing portal, or email Dg********@*************ch.com and we will cancel it for you.
Replying STOP to a text message stops the messages but does not by itself cancel your subscription or stop billing. These are two separate systems: STOP is an instruction to the messaging carrier, and cancellation is an instruction to the payment processor. If you want billing to stop, cancel your subscription using one of the methods above. This is stated again in the confirmation you receive when you text STOP.
We may cancel or suspend an Alerts subscription at our discretion, for example where a number is invalid or repeatedly undeliverable. Where we do, we refund any period paid for and not delivered.
8. Your responsibilities
This section applies to both services.
You agree that:
- The information you give us is accurate, including your starting location or postal code, dates, distance you are willing to travel, and any physical limitations relevant to a location’s accessibility
- You are the subscriber to, or the customary user of, the mobile number you provide, and you are authorized to consent to receive text messages at it
- You will tell us if you give up that mobile number, so we do not text a stranger who inherits it
- You will independently verify current access before you travel. Road conditions, seasonal closures, gate hours, permit requirements, fire restrictions, private-property boundaries, and park rules change without notice and after a plan is written or an alert is sent. Check with the managing agency
- You will obey all applicable laws, land-use rules, and posted restrictions, and will not trespass
- You are responsible for your own safety, transportation, navigation, communications, supplies, and medical needs
- You are at least 18, or have the consent of a parent or guardian
9. Assumption of risk
This section applies to both services.
Observing the night sky often means being in a remote place, in the dark, far from help.
Risks include but are not limited to: driving at night on unlit, unpaved, or unmaintained roads; sudden weather; extreme cold or heat; uneven terrain, cliffs, and water; wildlife; altitude; no cellular service; and long distances from medical care.
You knowingly and voluntarily assume all risk arising from travel to and presence at any location described in a plan or an alert, and from any activity you undertake there. You do this for yourself and for anyone traveling with you.
10. Third-party information
Plans and alerts draw on public and third-party sources including light-pollution datasets, astronomical calculations, National Weather Service forecast data, mapping services, and public-land information. We select these sources with care but do not control them and cannot guarantee their accuracy, completeness, currency, or availability.
Alerts depend on third-party weather data and third-party message delivery. Where those are delayed, degraded, or unavailable, alerts may be late, inaccurate, or not sent at all.
The Site may contain affiliate links. Where it does, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. This does not change what we recommend. See our Privacy Policy for more.
11. Intellectual property
All content on the Site — including written material, photographs, sky-quality measurements, the Dark Sky Dispatch name and logo, the plans themselves, and the content of alert messages — is owned by Dark Sky Dispatch LLC and protected by copyright and trademark law.
When you buy a plan, you receive a personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to use it for your own travel. You may share it with people traveling with you.
When you subscribe to Alerts, you receive a personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to use the alerts you receive for your own observing. You may show them to people going out with you.
You may not resell, publish, post publicly, systematically redistribute, incorporate into a commercial product or service, or use either to build a competing offering. In particular, you may not forward, republish, or relay alerts to a list, group, channel, or feed. Commercial or group use requires written permission.
Photographs on the Site are ours and may not be reproduced without written permission.
12. Communications
12.1 Email
Subscribing to the newsletter means you consent to receive email from us. Every email includes an unsubscribe link. Purchasing a plan or subscribing to Alerts means we may email you about that order or subscription regardless of newsletter subscription status.
12.2 Text messages
Consent. By providing your mobile number and checking the consent box at signup, you give express written consent to receive recurring automated text messages from Dark Sky Dispatch LLC at that number. Consent to receive marketing or informational text messages is not a condition of purchasing any goods or services from us.
Consent to receive email does not constitute consent to receive text messages. If you subscribe to our newsletter, we will not text you unless you separately sign up for Alerts.
Message frequency. Message frequency varies with observing conditions and is not fixed. Alerts are sent only when conditions at your location meet the service’s threshold. Expect approximately 4 to 8 messages per month, though some months may have none and others more.
Cost. Message and data rates may apply. These are charged by your mobile carrier and are separate from your subscription fee. We do not control and are not responsible for carrier charges.
Opting out. Reply STOP to any message to cancel text alerts at any time. You will receive one final message confirming you have been unsubscribed, after which no further messages will be sent. Reply HELP for assistance, or email Dg********@*************ch.com.
As stated in Section 7.2, replying STOP stops the text messages but does not by itself cancel your paid subscription or stop billing. To cancel billing, use the manage-subscription link in your confirmation email or contact us directly.
Carriers. Wireless carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages. Delivery is not guaranteed and depends on factors outside our control, including carrier network conditions, device settings, and message filtering.
Supported carriers. The service supports major US wireless carriers. Availability on any specific carrier is not guaranteed and may change.
12.3 Records we keep
We keep a record of your consent — including the wording you agreed to, the date and time, and the IP address it came from — along with a log of the messages we have sent you. We retain these for at least four years after you unsubscribe, because federal law requires us to be able to demonstrate that consent was given. See our Privacy Policy for how this information is handled.
13. Limitation of liability
To the maximum extent permitted by law:
The Site and both services are provided “as is” and “as available,” without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including any implied warranty of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement.
Dark Sky Dispatch LLC is not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, or for lost profits, lost travel costs, non-refundable bookings, missed events, personal injury, property damage, or death, arising from your use of the Site, either service, any plan, or any alert.
Our total liability for any claim will not exceed:
- for a claim arising from a trip plan, the amount you actually paid us for the plan giving rise to it; or
- for a claim arising from Alerts, the total amount you paid us for Alerts in the twelve months immediately before the event giving rise to the claim.
Some jurisdictions do not allow certain exclusions of liability. Where that is the case, the exclusions above apply only to the extent permitted, and nothing in these Terms limits liability that cannot be limited by law.
14. Indemnification
You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Dark Sky Dispatch LLC and its members, officers, and agents from any claim, loss, liability, or expense — including reasonable attorneys’ fees — arising from your use of the Site, a plan, or an alert; your travel; your conduct at any location; your provision of a mobile number you were not authorized to provide; or your breach of these Terms.
15. Force majeure
We are not liable for failure or delay caused by events beyond our reasonable control, including natural disaster, wildfire, severe weather, illness, government action, land closures, war, civil unrest, carrier or network outages, or failure of communications or utility infrastructure.
16. Governing law and disputes
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Arizona, without regard to conflict-of-law principles.
Before filing anything formal, you agree to contact us and attempt in good faith to resolve the dispute directly. Most problems are solved in one email.
Any dispute not resolved that way will be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in the State of Arizona, and you consent to their jurisdiction.
17. Changes to these Terms
We may update these Terms at any time. The effective date at the top will change when we do. Material changes will be noted on the Site, and where they materially affect Alerts subscribers, sent to the email or mobile number on the account. Continued use after a change means you accept the revised Terms.
The Terms in effect on the date you purchase are the ones that govern that purchase. For a recurring subscription, the Terms in effect at the start of each renewal period govern that period.
18. General
If any provision of these Terms is found unenforceable, the rest remain in effect. Our failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver of it. These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy, are the entire agreement between you and Dark Sky Dispatch LLC regarding the Site and the services.
19. Contact
Dark Sky Dispatch LLC 2942 N 24th St, Ste 115 #331960 Phoenix, Arizona 85016 Dg********@*************ch.com darkskydispatch.com/contact-us/