Thanks everyone for the kind words and messages of support for hosting Astrodon.

Starting Astrodon was for me an experiment in understanding the fediverse, and it grew beyond my wildest expectations. It has been a privilege to host such a wonderful community and to engage with the amazing scientists and organisations who use this platform.

After two and a half years of building this community, I've made the decision that it's time to shut down Astrodon.social.

Since 2022, around 4,000 users have registered on astrodon.social. However, fewer than 10% of those users are active each month, and fewer than 1% post regularly. Because of the way Mastodon works, the data for every one of the those users, even the inactive ones, has to be kept forever and keeps on growing. There's no way to remove posts or archive them out of the database, and running a large database gets very expensive.

Running Astrodon costs more than €300/month, which means that the costs of running the server are primarily going toward servicing fewer than 50 active users, the most active of whom are organisations. Even with donations, Astrodon has now cost me more than €5000 to run.

While I’ve considered the option of turning Astrodon into a commercial service or creating a nonprofit, I’m reluctant to go down that route. Managing a business comes with a host of overhead tasks like tax reporting and navigating different tax regimes due to our global user base, which is something I want to avoid. My goal has always been to create a free and open space, but the reality is that the free part isn't sustainable.

I'm not shutting down Astrodon immediately. I want to give everyone ample time—likely over the next two to three months—to find alternative service providers and transition smoothly. This isn't a decision I'm making lightly, and I appreciate your understanding and support as we navigate this transition. If you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions, please feel free to reach out to me directly through DMs.

First nighttime clear skies in a month…

Only it’s a full moon, rain is forecast in an hour, and I have a broken rib and can’t move my scope.

At least it’s warm inside. 😢

Quick update on Astrodon - I've setup a paid DeepL account to provide translation for the instance. If you use the web client and certain supported apps will see a "translate" link at the bottom of posts in a different language from your preferences.

As this is a paid service I'll be checking usage levels for the first month, and will factor this into the published funding for the server. If it turns out to be too expensive, I'll look into the local LibreTranslate option (slower, lower quality translations) instead.

Thank you to everyone who has reached out or supported Astrodon by checking out the store. Your support is greatly appreciated.

For those who have asked about contributing without purchasing merchandise, I’ve set up a Patreon page with digital membership options.

You can now support Astrodon at €3, €5, or €10/month (or your local equivalent) here:
👉 https://www.patreon.com/sebinthestars

Every contribution helps cover hosting costs and keep Astrodon running as an independent, ad-free community. Thank you for being part of Astrodon. Your support makes a real difference.

And.... it looks like I launched the store without enabling orders. If anyone visited and was unable to add to cart, it should be working now with international orders too. 😊

https://store.astrodon.social

🚀 Astrodon Needs Your Support! 🪐

For 2 years, Astrodon.social has been a home for space enthusiasts across the Fediverse. With over 4,000 members and a growing, active community, it’s been amazing to see how this little experiment has turned into something so vibrant and meaningful.

But running Astrodon isn’t free - hosting costs have grown to €260/month, and it’s no longer sustainable for me to fund it alone. To keep Astrodon independent and ad-free, I’m launching a funding campaign!

How You Can Help:
- Check out the new Astrodon Store for space-themed merch: https://store.astrodon.social
- Read more about our funding journey here: https://sebinthestars.ghost.io/new-merch
- Share this post with your network!

Every little bit helps keep our cosmic corner of the Fediverse thriving. Thank you for being part of this incredible journey! 💫