I friend of mine came to visit my observatory as he wanted to go into astrophoto (he knows daytime photography), but he wanted a portable-cheap-easy rig. I told him that doesn't exist, specially the 'cheap' part 😂 He was looking for a tracker (no goto) to use with the daytime camera. I recommend some alternatives (with goto) but, at the end, I said: hei, you need a portable setup, no laptop, no batteries, casual observing when in your campervan on-location, no fancy editing skills... you need a Seestar! The whole kit is not much more expensive that a single Star Adventurer GTI tracker! So he finally bought one and he was able to get some images at the very first attempt. So happy! While I don't think these smart scopes are for me (I'm more in the DIY side, enjoying the process more than the result), I think they open the starry skies to many people who doesn't have the time, the skills or the money to go deep in. And, as you show, with some careful editing, the results are greatly improved. I think we are in the edge of a new generation of doing astrophoto...
Thanks for sharing that story. Your friend is an example of someone who wants to explore the night sky without necessarily spending hours processing and I think that is exactly who these types of telescopes are for (and for outreach of course) and your suggestion for them to get a Seestar was perfect. I know some people are critical of these types of scopes but I don't think the intention was ever to replace the rigs that we all use in our hobby - they are designed to make it easy for people to have access to the wonders of the night sky and inspire people to look up and so they definitely have a place in the broad area of astrophotography. I know my brother is really enjoying the ease of use of this device as it your friend. Clear skies.
@LogansAstro at some point, there always be people complaining (specially in the Web, nowadays), so you have to ignore them and choose what is best for you, enjoy the process more than the result. I think these automated solutions close the gap between the 'casuals' and the 'experts', who take the time and effort to learn and acquire the skills. Same with BlurXT, doing (a good) convolution was a quite complex process but now it is a matter of few clicks. Having learned that skill doesn't pay off in most cases and you carefully edited pics are similar than those of the newcomers, so I understand why some people is angry (yes, I do know I'm making a harsh simplification). But you cannot stop progress, so you need to embrace it and push forward for new frontiers. But I can be wrong 😅
Great video Logan! That little Seestar has got potential! For portability and ease of use, and for people wanting to get into the hobby, it’s great! Some nice details of sun spots, and the dso’s, not bad at all 👍 Love the Donkey Kong T shirt btw😀 CS
Thanks Simon. I got that T-shirt about 16 yrs ago for a road-trip the family was doing as it was the first little console game I ever had. And it still fits! (just😅). I was impressed by what the Seestar could achieve and my brother is the perfect market for these types of scopes - interested in the wonders of the night sky without necessarily spending hours processing (which we all know can drive us nuts some times). Clear skies.
these little smart telescopes are a pretty nifty bit of kit & would be great for outreach in fact one was being used as the IAS for solar, I don't think I'd get one to image with though but that's just me as I've got enough to keep me busy at home lol. Clear skies
Yeah I don't think I'll be getting one anytime soon unless I decide to try and convince the folks up at Langs Beach to turn off their goddamn spotlights at night 😅. Hope you are doing well. Clear skies.
Thanks Stewart. We did pick some reasonable bright targets. I wished the Tarantula nebula and Carina were within out viewing region as those are very bright targets. CS
I friend of mine came to visit my observatory as he wanted to go into astrophoto (he knows daytime photography), but he wanted a portable-cheap-easy rig. I told him that doesn't exist, specially the 'cheap' part 😂 He was looking for a tracker (no goto) to use with the daytime camera. I recommend some alternatives (with goto) but, at the end, I said: hei, you need a portable setup, no laptop, no batteries, casual observing when in your campervan on-location, no fancy editing skills... you need a Seestar! The whole kit is not much more expensive that a single Star Adventurer GTI tracker! So he finally bought one and he was able to get some images at the very first attempt. So happy! While I don't think these smart scopes are for me (I'm more in the DIY side, enjoying the process more than the result), I think they open the starry skies to many people who doesn't have the time, the skills or the money to go deep in. And, as you show, with some careful editing, the results are greatly improved. I think we are in the edge of a new generation of doing astrophoto...
Thanks for sharing that story. Your friend is an example of someone who wants to explore the night sky without necessarily spending hours processing and I think that is exactly who these types of telescopes are for (and for outreach of course) and your suggestion for them to get a Seestar was perfect. I know some people are critical of these types of scopes but I don't think the intention was ever to replace the rigs that we all use in our hobby - they are designed to make it easy for people to have access to the wonders of the night sky and inspire people to look up and so they definitely have a place in the broad area of astrophotography. I know my brother is really enjoying the ease of use of this device as it your friend. Clear skies.
@LogansAstro at some point, there always be people complaining (specially in the Web, nowadays), so you have to ignore them and choose what is best for you, enjoy the process more than the result. I think these automated solutions close the gap between the 'casuals' and the 'experts', who take the time and effort to learn and acquire the skills. Same with BlurXT, doing (a good) convolution was a quite complex process but now it is a matter of few clicks. Having learned that skill doesn't pay off in most cases and you carefully edited pics are similar than those of the newcomers, so I understand why some people is angry (yes, I do know I'm making a harsh simplification). But you cannot stop progress, so you need to embrace it and push forward for new frontiers. But I can be wrong 😅
@@aleixandrus yep totally agree.
Great video Logan! That little Seestar has got potential! For portability and ease of use, and for people wanting to get into the hobby, it’s great! Some nice details of sun spots, and the dso’s, not bad at all 👍 Love the Donkey Kong T shirt btw😀 CS
Thanks Simon. I got that T-shirt about 16 yrs ago for a road-trip the family was doing as it was the first little console game I ever had. And it still fits! (just😅). I was impressed by what the Seestar could achieve and my brother is the perfect market for these types of scopes - interested in the wonders of the night sky without necessarily spending hours processing (which we all know can drive us nuts some times). Clear skies.
You can certainly see the difference with someone like yourself who can process the data. 👍
Thanks Ollie. It does go to show that the data is there - it just needs to be squeezed out 😄.
Excellent processing skills makes a difference whatever equipment you use, nice video Logan!
Thanks Nik. It's actually quite a fun device to use. I would love to see what it can do in less light polluted skies. CS
these little smart telescopes are a pretty nifty bit of kit & would be great for outreach in fact one was being used as the IAS for solar, I don't think I'd get one to image with though but that's just me as I've got enough to keep me busy at home lol.
Clear skies
Yeah I don't think I'll be getting one anytime soon unless I decide to try and convince the folks up at Langs Beach to turn off their goddamn spotlights at night 😅. Hope you are doing well. Clear skies.
Great video Logan, wow those S50 images are superb, better than mine with my full rig…☹, mind you I don’t have your processing skills
Thanks Stewart. We did pick some reasonable bright targets. I wished the Tarantula nebula and Carina were within out viewing region as those are very bright targets. CS