Slooh
Slooh is based on a different concept yet again. It regularly livestreams key astronomical events being observed by its telescopes, such as meteor showers and eclipses. When you control your own scope, the feed is also relayed on the website in real-time and full colour to everyone in the community.
Slooh’s main observatory is located on Mount Teide in Tenerife, its scopes ranging from a 3.3-inch refractor to a 20-inch reflector, as well as meteor cams and a dedicated solar scope. Another observatory in Chile, this one with a 14-inch reflector and a 3.5-inch refractor, provide access to the southern sky. The CCD cameras mounted on the telescopes provide high resolutions of up to 4,096x4,096 pixels. Both sites are known for their excellent weather conditions and seeing.
As of this February, you will be able to choose from three membership options: Slooh Crew (free), Apprentice ($4.95/ month) and Astronomer ($24.95/month). You do not have to pay per use, but you may be restricted in the number of images you can take depending on the type of membership you opt for. It is also possible to schedule objects for times when you would be otherwise unavailable.
The finished images are stored in your personal storage area on the website. They can be downloaded in FITs format if you subscribe for the Astronomer membership, but Apprentice and Slooh Crew members are limited to PNGs.
PROS: Reasonable prices; free membership options CONS: Limited flexibility; interface easy to use but limited configuration options KEY INFO http://live.slooh.com LOCATIONS: Tenerife, Chile EQUIPMENT: 10 telescopes; a range of reflectors, refractors, and a solar scope, plus all-sky cams PRICE: Slooh Crew (free), Apprentice ($4.95/month), Astronomer ($24.95/month)