Democratising Astrophotograpy with the Seestar S50

Gazing up at the night sky from a dark location, we often marvel at the sheer grandeur and beauty of the cosmos, with its bright points of light suspended in the silent abyss. Initially, our eyes could only see the brightest and nearest stars, but our curiosity drove us to invent the telescope, giving us a larger "eye" to peer deeper into the universe. This eventually heralded the beginning of astrophotography, bringing the vibrant colours and intricate details of celestial objects within our reach.

For a long time, the complexity and cost of professional equipment made astrophotography a pursuit for only a select few. However, recent technological advancements have democratised this once-exclusive hobby, making it accessible and affordable for a broader audience. The advent of 'smart telescopes' has particularly revolutionised astrophotography, making the wonders of the Universe available to all and enriching community science.

Throughout history, many humans have been captivated and inspired by what they saw in the telescope. The unforgettable moment when one first sees Saturn's rings through an eyepiece is nothing short of magical (by the way, Saturn is in opposition this week - go look!). Yet, apart from relatively nearby celestial bodies like the Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and occasional comets, most cosmic objects appear merely as points of light. While viewing open star clusters or the vivid colours of stars like the red-hued Betelgeuse or the sharp blue richness of Rigel is impressive, the stunning images of bright, colourful nebulae or galaxies' swirling dust lanes that we see shared online these days are beyond our visual capabilities. Our eyes simply lack the sensitivity, colour range, and aperture to perceive these wonders. This is where astrophotography comes in. With its ability to capture a vast range of colours and greater sensitivity, camera technology reveals the cosmos in ways we could never see. 

In recent years, I've delved into astrophotography, starting with a professional rig and recently exploring the Seestar S50 smart telescope. With Christmas approaching, it's the perfect time to compare these setups and inspire more people to embark on their own astrophotography adventures.

Traditional astrophotography melds specialised equipment with essential knowledge, requiring dedication to mastering both the tools and techniques. This includes understanding sky coordinate systems for tracking celestial movements, managing telescope equipment and accessories for optimal image quality, and navigating the complexities of image post-processing. While no prior experience is needed to begin, a commitment to learning these aspects is crucial for success in astrophotography.

At the heart of this setup is a large-aperture telescope, essential for capturing high-resolution images of distant, faint celestial bodies by gathering more light. Of course, there is a correlation between the size of telescope apertures and the cost of the telescope - the bigger you go, the more expensive it becomes. To keep the image stable and always centred, a motorised mount that tracks the stars' movement as the Earth turns is also required.  

This setup also includes specialised astrophotography cameras that can be equipped with internal fans to cool the sensors, enhancing image quality in low-light conditions or something like a DSLR that can be attached to the telescope. Filters can be used to isolate specific colours or narrowband wavelengths, enhancing image clarity and detail. For example, using an H-alpha filter targets the hydrogen alpha wavelength, revealing areas where hydrogen gas is ionised by the UV radiation from massive stars, thus highlighting specific scientific aspects of astrophysical processes. 

Post-production is a meticulous process where the best images are stacked using specialised astrophotography software to boost the signal-to-noise ratio, bringing celestial objects into sharper focus while minimising background noise. Further colour assignments and enhancements are often made in software like Photoshop to bring the cosmic scenery to life.

For many years, this is generally how astrophotography happened - be it from the amateur astrophotographer with a telescope in their backyard, or a scientific team using a big telescope at one of the world’s largest observatories. 

In recent years, we've witnessed the rapid rise of the 'Smart Telescope,' which packs advanced technology into compact designs, making astrophotography more accessible in terms of cost, skill requirement, learning curve, portability, and processing time. The Seestar S50 exemplifies this innovation. It combines a high-capacity telescope with an imager for long-exposure photography, a stable tracking mount, and multiple filters that narrow bandwidth frequencies and reduce light pollution—all in a device under 50cm tall and weighing less than 2.5 kilograms. Like its peers, it connects to mobile devices via an app, revolutionising the user experience.

The Seestar S50’s integration with mobile technology is transformative. Its connection to a smartphone, which utilises GPS, allows the telescope to determine its exact location and the current date and time. This feature automatically aligns the telescope with celestial events visible in your night sky, simplifying tracking and observation. Moreover, the Seestar S50 processes images onboard, delivering nearly instant results to your device, visible as they improve with each stacked image. This eliminates the need for specialised software skills.

Additionally, its built-in light pollution filter and a dual-band filter for ionised hydrogen (H-alpha) and Oxygen ([O-III]) allow users to capture stunning astrophotography even from light-polluted urban areas. These filters bring out the vivid red and green hues of celestial bodies, providing insight into the astrophysical processes at play.

Both traditional and smart telescope setups offer distinct benefits and drawbacks, ultimately depending on your investment in time, money, and effort. The traditional setup provides higher resolution and a broader range of accessories like filters and lenses, allowing for a deeper exploration of astrophysical phenomena. This approach, however, involves higher costs and a steeper learning curve about image processing, equipment optimisation, and celestial movements throughout the night and year.

In contrast, the Seestar S50 requires minimal prior knowledge. Its user-friendly app interface simplifies the process, enabling users to easily select a target and begin imaging. Setup times are notably shorter; while a traditional rig might take an hour to prepare (polar alignment, pre-imaging, etc.), the Seestar S50 can be ready in about five minutes, quickly calibrating its position and starting to capture images.

Instant results delivered to my phone are another significant advantage of the Seestar S50, contrasting with the traditional method's need for later file processing. Portability is also a huge plus, especially for someone living near significant light pollution like Sydney’s CBD like I do. The compact and lightweight Seestar is easily transportable, easy to throw in the car to head out to the darker skies of the mountains and even suitable as carry-on luggage for trips to remote overseas locations, like my recent trip to the Atacama Desert.

The Seestar S50 also features a solar filter for daytime solar photography, an exciting addition for me, as we have approached solar maxima over the last few years with increasing opportunities to view and image sunspot activity. However, there are some drawbacks: the battery life is shorter than advertised, and prolonged exposure to direct sunlight during observations raises some concerns for me about the telescope’s performance and durability - esp. if I want to leave it outside for a while to image solar eclipses. To manage the power issues, I often keep both the Seestar and my phone plugged in during extended imaging sessions.

A common question I encounter is about the difference in image quality between the two setups. Throughout this article, you've seen comparisons of images captured with my traditional, larger rig versus those taken with the Seestar. The larger aperture of my traditional telescope (20cm in diameter compared to Seestar’s 5cm) naturally allows for better resolution due to its ability to gather more light.

Despite its smaller size, the image quality from the Seestar S50 is impressive for its class. Furthermore, some enthusiasts enhance their Seestar images by downloading and further processing them externally—techniques I haven’t tried myself but have seen produce excellent results.

If you're looking to capture celestial images quickly, share them with your social networks, and enjoy an easy-to-use interface, the Seestar S50 is your ideal choice. Its built-in capabilities and instant results make it perfect for beginners and those interested in astronomy outreach, such as star parties or school field trips. The Seestar's portability ensures that results are fast and engaging, perfect for capturing the interest of a general audience or young students with minimal setup.

For those more serious about astrophotography, perhaps with aspirations towards professional-amateur status or a scientific career, the larger traditional rig is more suitable. Despite higher costs, its superior resolution and calibration capabilities deliver professional-grade results essential for scientific use.

In Australia, the Seestar S50 retails for about \$800 - \$1000, comparable to other telescopes with motorised mounts. The advantage of the Seestar is that it includes the mount, advanced tracking capabilities, and multiple filters (light pollution, H-alpha, [O-III], and solar) making it an outstanding entry-level telescope. As interest and experience grow, enthusiasts can consider upgrading to more professional setups where costs start from a few thousand and extend upwards (many professional astrophotographers will often joke how it can be the most expensive hobby in the world. Seriously, it can be as you get into enjoying it more).

Whilst I’ve focused on Seestar S50 in this article (as I do find it the perfect entry-level telescope) there are other smart telescopes on the market as well. The other one in particular that I like is the Unistellar eVscope2 which does a lot of what Seestar can do as well. The frame and size are a little bit bulkier, but that is because it has slightly smarter capabilities and is often used in citizen science programs - where real data is collected and contributed towards scientific research (see above image). This makes the price point higher as well.  

For me, the Seestar S50 stands out as an excellent choice for beginners eager to dive into astrophotography and learn about the night sky. Its quick setup and ease of use facilitate the immediate sharing of images across social networks, although the direct-from-telescope image quality may not meet the exacting standards required for dedicated or professional astrophotography.

Despite this, its affordability and comprehensive features make it a compelling option for those looking to capture the beauty of the night sky without needing extensive prior knowledge in astrophotography or astronomy. Additionally, the growing global community of Seestar S50 users offers a supportive network for newcomers, enhancing the experience with shared views of celestial events like eclipses and comet appearances, or seasonal astronomical favourites like the great nebulae of the Milky Way.