Sideris
Support
Sideris is written by one person, and I read every message myself. If something is unclear, or if the app does not do what it should, please write to me.
Where to write
A question
How something works, what a setting changes, or anything you would like to ask about the app.
A problem
A crash, a result that looks wrong, or a screen that does not behave as it should. For a photograph that will not solve, use the app's own report instead, as below.
A photograph you sent
To have a photograph you sent in deleted, quote the reference shown in the app under Settings.
What helps in a problem report
None of this is required, and every message is read either way. These three lines simply save a round trip.
- Your device model, and its Android or iOS version.
- The Sideris version, shown in the app under Settings > About.
- What you did, and what happened instead of what you expected.
FAQ
Does Sideris need an internet connection?
Plate solving runs entirely on your phone, with the star database stored on the device, so a night in the field needs no signal at all. A connection is needed three times only: once on the first launch, to receive the free solving credits; when you unlock unlimited solving or restore that purchase; and when you choose to send a photograph that failed to solve.
Do I need a telescope?
No. Sideris is built for a camera, a lens and, if you have one, a star tracker. No telescope, no go-to mount and no computer are required.
How many solves do I get before paying?
Ten free plate-solve credits per device. After that, unlimited solving is a one-time purchase. There is no subscription, and nothing expires.
I changed phone, or reinstalled the app. Do I pay again?
No. Open the unlock screen and choose Restore purchases; the App Store or Google Play confirms the purchase against the account that bought it, on whatever device you are signed in to.
The free credits follow a different rule. They are granted once per device, so reinstalling the app on the same phone does not hand out a second set.
My photograph will not solve. What now?
The app's own checklist is the place to start: enough stars in the frame and points rather than streaks, a crop holding only your sky picture, no reflection from another light on the camera screen, the sensor size and focal length that the photograph was actually taken with, and a target at or near where the camera was pointing.
If all of that is right and the frame still does not solve, the limit is the solver rather than anything you did. The failure screen offers to send that frame in, under Help improve Sideris, and doing so is the surest way to make the solver stronger.
Please send it that way rather than by email. The upload carries the app's own record of the attempt, which is a great deal more than a message could describe, and it arrives already tied to the photograph it belongs to.
What does sending a failed solve include?
Sending is offered by the app when a solve fails, under Help improve Sideris, and the screen that follows lists everything before it leaves the phone. Nothing is sent unless you ask for it: the photograph you tried to solve, what you told Sideris about the shot (the sensor size, the focal length and the target), technical details of the attempt such as the time limit and the number of stars detected, and your device model and app version.
Where and when the photograph was taken is a separate tick box, unticked, and is left out unless you tick it. An image is kept for at most fourteen months, and you may ask for it to be deleted at any time by quoting its reference, which the app shows under Settings.
Which devices does Sideris run on?
Android and iOS phones. There is no desktop or web version, and none is planned.
Where do I read the privacy policy and the terms?
Both are in the app, under Settings, and on this site: the Privacy Policy and the Terms of Service. The site publishes the same documents the app bundles, generated from one source, so the two cannot drift apart.