
Promoting Science Education by connecting
the general population with the wonders of the Cosmos.
Donating 10% of Pool Profits to Astronomers Without Borders
Our Stake Pool Philosophy
Running a successful stake pool can lead one down many differing avenues. Some pools offer incentives promotions for delegates, others donate a portion of their profits towards philanthropic causes, and others choose to create tools or informational user content for the community. As our stake pool grows and matures, Sagan Stake Pool will engage in all of these activities. Our delegates deserve to be rewarded for loyalty and as a surprise following milestone events. We believe there are sufficient resources to promote such causes as sponsoring amateur astronomy events for young minds to introduce them to the wonders of the cosmos. We also believe that easily-consumable user content is something that the average Cardano Community member may find useful. Just as Carl Sagan brought the grand perspective of the cosmos to the masses, we hope to highlight the enormous potential of Cardano for those who might be new to the community.
Our Pool Fee Philosophy
The world of Cardano Stake Pools is currently that of an oligarchy, but the tide is shifting away from large conglomerate Stake Pool organizations towards small stake pools. Moreover, the SPO community is growing in scope and complexity with every passing week. As such, we are committed to making ourselves as competitive as possible without knowingly out-competing other stake pools that may need a break more than we do. To achieve this we have committed to a fixed pool fee of 340ADA per epoch (lowest currently allowed) and the following pool margin schedule based on active stake:
• Active Stake between 0 and 1 Million: 0%
• Active Stake between 1 Million and 3 Million: 2% (except when this is due to temporary promotional event such as an ISPO)
• Active Stake above 3 Million: 3%
This pool margin schedule allows Sagan Stake Pool to remain competitive when it needs a competitive edge the most, while not out-competing smaller pools once our block production has become regularly established. IOHK has often hinted at lowering the fixed per-epoch cost, at which point we will likely have to adjust these numbers so our pool remains sustainable while maintaining a satisfiable ROS for our delegators.
Our Charitable Contributions - 10% of Pool Rewards to Astronomers Without Borders
As Stake Pool Operators, we have an opportunity to give back to our various communities by way of receiving SPO rewards. As astronomy enthusisasts, we decided that it was important to support that which generated such joy and wonder when we were young. As such, we began searching for non-profit organizations that would satisfy a few conditions:
1. Have an international scope so as to provide introductions to science & astronomy for diverse populations of young people.
2. Promote introduction to astronomy for all ages, but focus on those who have not had the opportunity to look with their own eyes at the wonders of the cosmos.
3. Promote the community aspect of astronomy and astrophotography.
After reviewing multiple non-profit organizations, we settled on Astronomers Without Borders (AWB) as it met all of our required conditions. Further information regarding AWB and their mission can be found at the following link: