Privacy

The Night Manager is built so your observatory's data stays yours. This page explains, in plain words, what we collect and why.

Beta requests

When you request beta access we receive your name, your email address, your phone type and anything you tell us about your setup. We use them only to invite you to the beta (through Apple's TestFlight or Google Play testing) and to talk to you about it. We never sell or share them. Ask us to delete them at any time from the email we send you.

Beta research data

During the beta, testers help us build features such as measuring sensor tilt and collimation from focus runs, and starting the night close to perfect focus without a full autofocus run. For that, the plugin shares anonymous technical data:

• Focus runs: each step's focuser position, star size (HFR) and star count, the result, how long it took, the filter, and star measurements across the sensor (positions and sizes of stars, not the images).
• Conditions at the time: focuser and outside temperature, humidity and dew point (if you have a weather station), the telescope's altitude, pier side and rotator angle, and time since the last focus.
• Equipment specs from your NINA profile: telescope name, focal length and aperture, camera model, pixel size and sensor size, binning, focuser model and step size, filter names and focus offsets, backlash settings.
• Per sub: focuser position, temperature and star size, so focus drift over the night can be modelled.

It is not your name, email, images, file names or your exact location (only a latitude rounded to the nearest degree, because climate matters). In our research data your rigs are identified by a random code, not by your account. Switch it off at any time in NINA (Options → The Night Manager → Data and privacy → optics and focus data). If we ever want sample images, we'll ask separately.

The app and the NINA plugin

• Your images never leave your PC. FITS/XISF files stay on your observatory computer. The app receives a small preview of each sub (about 30 KB) and its numbers (HFR, stars, grade).
• Previews are relayed through our servers for a few days, then kept on your phone (and, on iPhone, in your own iCloud).
• Status from NINA (equipment state, sequence progress, weather and safety readings) is stored so the app and your morning report can show your night.
• Your account is your Apple, Google or email sign-in; we store your email address to identify you and to let observatory owners invite you.
• Remote actions only run if you allow them in NINA on your own PC, and each is logged.

Delete your account

You can delete your account and everything in it at any time:

• In the app: Settings → Delete Account (at the bottom). Your account, every observatory you own, their nights, subs, previews and reports are deleted straight away. Observatories shared with you are left for their owners.
• Without the app: email support@ninanightagent.com from the address you signed up with, and we'll delete it within 30 days and confirm by email.

Deleting some of your data, but keeping your account: delete an observatory and its history in the app (Settings → the observatory → Delete Observatory); switch off any optional data in NINA (Options → The Night Manager → Data and privacy), which also stops it being collected; or email support@ninanightagent.com saying what you'd like deleted, and we'll do it within 30 days and confirm by email. Sub previews are deleted from our servers automatically after 3 to 14 days.

Backups are overwritten within 30 days. Beta research data is anonymous and not linked to your account, so it can't be traced back to you once your account is gone.

Where it's kept

Data is stored with Google Firebase in Europe (Belgium). Push notifications go through Apple and Google's notification services.

Questions

Use the beta request form or reply to any email from us.