Hello stargazers! John here, host of Learn To Stargaze. When you’re ready to take your stargazing experience to the next level, be sure to check out the book 110 Things To See With A Telescope: www.amazon.com/110-Things-See-Telescope-Stargazing/dp/1777451752/
ZWO really jump-started a huge group of astro enthusiasts with their SeeStar. I pre-ordered mine, added a leveling aid, and some 3-D printed accessories. All this led to ZWO'S ASIAIR, AM5, 533 camera, guide rig, and three scopes. I'm thinking that's what they had in mind. Meanwhile, I'll be following your observatory project. Thanks for your enthusiastic videos, Michael
Thanks for taking this to a dark sky location. Most of the people I see reviewing this are doing it from their home near a city. Some of the other reviews also show post-processed pictures they take so you can't really get an understanding of how well it images DSOs being new to the hobby and unfamiliar with photo software. I purchased one, but haven't received it yet, to take camping during the summer. I often go camping in Bortle 2 Wilderness Areas with no mobile service, so I was concerned it wouldn't work without a mobile connection to find itself. This answered my question and I appreciated you compared photos taken near a city with those from dark skies. Thanks!
Cool video. This goes to show how well the Seestar performs even in light polluted areas. It’s obviously best to get out in the boonies but I love how well this thing does in populated areas
Thanks for sharing! We just used our Seestar last night, captured the moon, sirius, acrux.. very cool, even with shorter-length long exposures in a very light polluted area!
That’s a great point and to be honest basically shamed all the doubters , of which I was !! I used the SeeStars but didn’t feel a connection with the night sky as I was not basically doing anything . But ..( there is always a but) .. I am getting another one even though I have an Astro photography rig in its early stages … I admit I was wrong dissing the ss50 .
While you are stacking doing some some adjustments on brightness and contrast can make a dramatic difference to the live image . The brightness wheel is like a more extreme data stretch which may also push up the background grain , but you can make the sky dark again with just a 10 click of increased contrast . The menu for these opens up when you hit the adjust button. When you stop live stacking , your adjusted image saves to your phone or tablet , but the fits stack is also saved to the Seestar without any adjustments . You are still able then to open the fits file on the Seestar and do all these adjustments for as many versions as you want in app , and using the export button to save modified jpg versions to your phone or tablet . Its very cool .
Great video, John! I'm thinking about one of these for my grandkids. Next to zero setup time, and instant gratification of images that they can share or print.
The latest version of the app (1.11) and firmware (1.83) has fixed the issue with many dropped frames during live stacking. You were using the previous firmware version (1.79) in this video.
One thing missing from these presentations is how dark? I have been using Seestar in Bortle 4.5 (sqm reads 20.3). I see one use is as a gentle intro to image processing. Most simply by post-process the final jpeg (i darken the sky) or download the stacked FITS file (which gives you 16 bits per pixel) and manipulate it with Siril (suggestion from Cuiv - thanks) or redo the stack.
Thanks! It might also be the case that targets high overhead, like the Pac-Man might have been, won’t be tracked as consistently well, as the scope has to turn so much in azimuth to follow them, so more frames will be dropped. Still, the results look very good, enough to please all newcomers to the hobby.
Great video. I am tempted to buy one. However, it seems too good to be true. Is it really taking live pictures and stacking or presenting stock images of that deep sky object from the database?
Heard 0.2 or less is perfect leveling for long term tracking? Have the rear of the camera pointing directly towards the back tripod leg. Get left/right lined up perfectly, then rear tripod leg up/down will get you perfectly leveled, as long as you're on a solid base.
John, excellent content! You are sacrificing comfort to film in zero degree weather! It has a built in UHC filter for light polluted skies? Both images of the Pac Man nebula were impressive! Two questions. Are you using the new Planetary viewing option? It was recently added to the app. Also can the SeeStar find very dim objects? Like M 74, the Phantom Galaxy, Mag 9.4? know it is close to Jupiter right now, but in my 10 inch Dob and Bortle 3 skies it looked like a fuzzy patch, seen with averted vision. Im hoping the SeeStar can bring details out on these extremely dim objects to us visual only Astronomers! You can only write "it looked like a dim glow in the sky" so many times! Thank you again, for taking the time to show us what the SeeStar can do!!
Very nice video, we are enjoying the seestar too, my vespera is in for repair but when it comes back I may sell it and just sue the seestar and my big askar 107 rig for long exposures. Clear skies and take care
that and that it doesn't have internet access unless Station mode is enabled. It would need to have all images stored internally. But truly that's a lot of trouble and liability for a known brand instead of just using the already included APO lenses, the camera sensor, the perfect guiding and a good algorithm for stacking the images! ;)
I would have like to have seen more discussion and analysis of the difference in images between city and country sky . Using the narrow band filter and I'm guessing similar exposure there was not much difference between the two M42 images ?
If it wasn’t -15 out during the one clear night that month it might have been easier to provide more commentary. There wasn’t much difference, but there was a difference nonetheless. Taking three hours of exposures in each scenario would probably have made a big difference.
Hi John, I was wondering if you can make a video on how to use the numbers on a manual eq mount, and how to locate objects using them? I’ve been trying to find videos, but they’re aren’t many explaining this. Thanks! Great Video!
Hi! I tried to cover that in my “how to eq” video. I believe we filmed an additional section, further explaining it, and then cut it. Using the RA and Dec for visual observation is super ineffective, and the only reason to do it is for novelty. These days you just use a star map, and point the finder (or ideally a Telrad) accordingly. That’s why there are no videos on using the numbers. Unless you have a very fancy eq mount from the 1960s, the mount probably doesn’t have the accuracy to actually find targets anyway. (Modern mounts like the EQ6R-Pro could probably do it, but that mount has go-to anyway). Basically you point the scope at a reference star, set the dials to the RA and Dec of that star, then quickly move the telescope to the RA and Dec of your target. That’s really all there is too it. That said, it’s not easy in practice.
Any chance you can share the dark sky Orion Nebula, unedited? 😊 So I can test the editing possibilities before saving for the camera 😊 or would you aim for a sky tracker for the big camera instead? 🤔 Ioptron with mobile control.
I’m sure lots of people have shared the FITs file for Orion from the S50. I would get a star tracker like the Star Adventurer GTi, since that can also hold telescopes.
@@SeriouslyIssues yep, i have been reviewing several forums lately and yes, it is more than just iOS. Either way, a lot of users having the same problem. Doesn’t seem like this was the case though when the S50 first came out though.
@andrewb8366 Yeah it was fine with all of the first batch of pre orders and those with RUclips channels. I have to use a tablet now instead of my phone Beacuse the wifi and Data have to be off for it to work... Well hey at least it works 😆 Thanks for the heads up. Also if your thinking about getting one, it's 100% worth it, got the bubble nebula and pacman first night with only an hour of use and then siril did all the work.
questions, I already own a Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer 2i Pro, WO Zenithstar 61II APO w/ flattener and Canon 6D & 80D DSLR setup. Can this ZWO Seestar S50 Smart Telescope process the image files from the SeeStar onto your PC and process them with image software? and second question, is it worth it to purchase the Seestar S50 as a second telescope if I didn't want to travel with my main setup?
The SeeStar is fun for sharing live images with your friends, but the images aren’t nearly as good as those produced with a traditional setup. It is fun to use though.
Hello John. I purchased 1 month ago a new Bresser 102/1000 mm here in Romania - Eastern Europe and it had a dirty lens. I sent it back and they gave me a second one. Curiously the second one also has a dirty interior lens but to a much smaller degree, just 3 relatively small dirt stains on the lower side of the interior lens. This one also has a few dust particles in between the lenses. Through the eyepiece everything looks great in my opinion. Now I don’t know what to do with it, should I keep it ? Should I send it back again ? Is it normal for refractors to have a more or less dirty lens when sold new ? I don’t know what to do with it. I would really appreciate you opinion. Thank you!
@@LearnToStargaze Thank you for your answer. I contacted the store, they will replace it again. I hope I’ll get one without defects with the third try :)
Field tests are the ones I like the most, for those who have to decide whether to buy or not they are very important. May I know how long the batteries last in winter outside?. Thank you very much for your valuable videos.
Hi! I not quite sure, I don’t think I’ve drained them very much at all. Based on the night where it was around -5 during filming, it only drained to 84%. That was about 2 hours perhaps?
Curious to get your take on how the Seestar S50 compares to images taken using a DSLR with a 300-400mm lens and mounted on a tracker like the Sky Adventurer if you have used s similar setup. Interested in possibly getting a Seestar, but already own the Sky Adventurer as well as a Move-Shoot-Move tracker, just have issues with polar alignment and weight.........getting on in years and need something easier to use.
There’s no comparison. The SeeStar’s sensor is tiny. A DSLR sensor is much larger, and thus is far, far more capable. The advantage of the SeeStar is simplicity and cost.
Got mine ordered, but question..............I do not see a charger in the kit, what kind do I need for this unit................know it is usb-c, but what about charger output volts/amps?
is the adjusting circle easy i have no clue on how to do it i have only used basic telescopes in the past i know this is beginner friendly just thought id ask
Despite numerous reviews, the S50 has been on backorder for half of 2023. Their marketing is commendable, but they need to meet current demand. No doubt, they're losing business to Dwarf Labs. And I assume American companies like Celestron are already designing one, who will move much faster.
Hello everybody, this is Jerry speaking Redmond Oregon. I just saw your video. I have one question for you is it for real? I was really amazed. Please let me know and keep up the good work.
@@David-gr8rh Through a telescope then? Because otherwise you're literally violating the laws of physics if you're getting images of similar resolution.
@@LearnToStargaze Not really, no nothings been broken it's all about time length. See what you know is great for you what I've learned works for me. Your results are incredible, etc. All the best
Not sure the results are truly print worthy. It’s a 2 megapixel camera. But that might not be the limiting factor, the aperture is 50mm so the smallest detail the telescope can resolve based on the laws of physics is 2.3 arc seconds. You can fit 5.3 arcseconds in each pixel here (which means that the camera resolution is the limited factor) but sky condition (turbulent/ moist air) might flip this equation.
@@LearnToStargaze Thank you, if you have an access to photoshop, please just open one picture in it and go to “Image -> image size”, or just hit “ctrl + alt + i” and tell me what is the width, height and particularly the resolution. Thanks again!
@@LearnToStargaze I asked you, because I couldn’t find this info on google. For the print in high quality this would be 9x16cm picture. So the Seestar is only good for social media and as a digital photo. Sucks for the print, which means I wont be getting it. Sarcasm on “Love” your attitude btw. Sarcasm off.
2:29 that doesn’t look like a Pac-Man nebula at all is more like a spiritual bird so instead of coming at the Pac-Man nebula, I will call at the Phoenix nebula
@@LearnToStargaze Ok thank you. By the way, your video was very helpful. I wanted to buy something big to start with, but I came across an advertisement that said wonders and I don't have to spend thousands to have nice photos! Thank you
About half? They come in spurts, a few days of cloud, a few days clear, this is atlantic Canada so it’s fairly unpredictable, but pretty much every night this summer that we camped there was surprisingly clear.
*Was I the only one who couldnt see any discernable difference between the dark and city skies? - I was really surprised, expecting there to be a noticable improvement in the dark skies images.*
I could barely tell the difference until I got the images on the computer screen. Then you could see quite a bit more detail, and there was also less noise. There is also no gradient in dark skies.
Should I sell my NexStar 130SLT and buy this instead? I know my current telescope is way better, but I just can't figure out how to use it to its maximum potential. There's just so much to learn, and I've tried. I know how to stack planetary images but cannot do deep sky, even though I've tried. My dad's computer is no good-it barely processes any images and now it doesn't work. So, I don't really have a computer and can't save up for one. I'm 13, and it's been seven months with this telescope, but I haven't used it once in the past two months. I feel it's being wasted. Maybe I should go back to using my dad's phone and a cheap $6 tripod to take photos of the galaxy. Or, I could sell my telescope and invest in a good DSLR to take pictures of the Milky Way and some big deep sky objects. Or should I buy the Seestar S50?
Sounds like you're not interested in stargazing, and you're only interested in astrophotography. Since the NexStar is not at all designed for astrophotography, yes, you might as well make the switch to a device designed for astrophotography. I would get the SeeStar for deep-sky, AND a used DSLR for wide field (you could probably get BOTH refurbished for about $500 from B&H photo for the pair).
@@LearnToStargaze could you recommend what DSLR I could get and with what lens? Also, I use AUD so that is above what I can spend cause I think I could sell it for maybe $800. Or less, it does have accessories worth over $200 tho
@@Hanz0078 I would start with something like this: www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/802999942-USE/canon_6558b003_eos_rebel_t4i_digital.html I don't really know camera lenses, but my milkyway shots have been pretty good with just the standard lens.
Very suspicious. Test it: Use the mobile app to adjust the angle of the telescope, put a small mirror next to the lens, and deflect the light entering the telescope. It thinks it is in the correct direction of the nebula, but the light has actually been deflected by the mirror. have a test!
Cuiv covered this in his video. You can also save the raw files, which are literally just a count of how many photons hit each pixel in the detector. The process to get these images is quite trivially simple once you understand the math. I’ve actually build this type of image acquisition software myself in python during the final days of my astrophysics degree.
There’s nothing to believe. This is a camera. Do you “believe” in cameras? I can take my regular digital camera, set it up beside the SeeStar, and get the same image. If an airplane passes thought the field of view, it will appear in both the SeeStar image and my regular camera. Did I say this is just a camera? Did I ask if you believe in cameras?
@@sturmzes this doesn’t replace anything because it’s a different hobby from stargazing altogether. You use a traditional telescope from dark skies outside with your kids. You use a SeeStar while drinking wine in your living room while watching Jack Reacher on Amazon Prime.
It’s noticeable in the fine details, but not at first glance. Longer exposure times would have helped, but it was far to cold to be out there any longer that night.
Nice machine. I would not use it, because the hobby is the work for me. If not the work, I could just buy a photo album for much less than the SeeStar Smart. I have no interest in Alexa or her sister doing the work for me.
I won’t really consider this part of the stargazing hobby. It’s a fancy camera more than anything. You typically use it while sitting in the kitchen drinking wine.
@@LearnToStargaze which does actually appeal to certain people. With every hobby there is always the purist looking for martyrdom for their efforts and love to bang on about how they slave away for their results as if there is an extra spacial medal for it. These kind of hobbyist are usually snobby and look down at others who like to go about things in a different way. Think about people who are less physically abled, those who cannot lug a big telescope around or those who cannot stay out for hours in the cold, or those who cannot afford some of the equipment needed for other types of Astrophotography, or those looking to get their journey started without spending too much with a view to growing. @AmatureAstronomer if telling all those purchasers that they should have just bought a photo albums or gone on Google makes you feel like a real astronomer then go for it, but I think you are missing the point a little in your eagerness to belittle.
I understand your point of view, but I really like the Seestar. Sure, the image quality is nothing to work with really (if you choose to post-process the images for "work") 🤪 It just open up Astrophotography for "normal" people not wanting to put such effort as you must to get really nice pictures of DSO targets. It is the ease of use and good firmware/software done by ZWO that makes the Seestar such fun to use. Even for those of us that like to "work" for the results.
Hello stargazers! John here, host of Learn To Stargaze. When you’re ready to take your stargazing experience to the next level, be sure to check out the book 110 Things To See With A Telescope: www.amazon.com/110-Things-See-Telescope-Stargazing/dp/1777451752/
I bought your book for kids to work through with my daughter. It’s great!
@@taxninja2519 wow, thanks!!!!!!
Excellent book! My absolute go to Astronomy book!
@@Boxxkarr Thanks!
Always refreshing to see the young people enjoying and learning about the night sky.
ZWO really jump-started a huge group of astro enthusiasts with their SeeStar. I pre-ordered mine, added a leveling aid, and some 3-D printed accessories. All this led to ZWO'S ASIAIR, AM5, 533 camera, guide rig, and three scopes. I'm thinking that's what they had in mind.
Meanwhile, I'll be following your observatory project. Thanks for your enthusiastic videos, Michael
Great points on ZWO! Thanks for following our project!
This was great to see. Even the image in the city was impressive.
Thanks for taking this to a dark sky location. Most of the people I see reviewing this are doing it from their home near a city. Some of the other reviews also show post-processed pictures they take so you can't really get an understanding of how well it images DSOs being new to the hobby and unfamiliar with photo software.
I purchased one, but haven't received it yet, to take camping during the summer. I often go camping in Bortle 2 Wilderness Areas with no mobile service, so I was concerned it wouldn't work without a mobile connection to find itself. This answered my question and I appreciated you compared photos taken near a city with those from dark skies. Thanks!
Thanks for the feedback! I wish it wasn’t so cold that night, I would have taken far more images. Enjoy the Bortle 2!
Seems like making sure its level is pretty important to the device. I think imma pick one of these up seems like a lot of fun.
I ordered one! I can't wait to get it into the Dark Sky Zone at Twizel, in New Zealand.
This is the kit I have ben waiting for many years to buy!
Cool video. This goes to show how well the Seestar performs even in light polluted areas. It’s obviously best to get out in the boonies but I love how well this thing does in populated areas
Indeed!
Снимать можно хоть из подвала. Главное, чтобы была достаточная скорость интернета для загрузки изображений 😂
Great video! Thanks for having us!
Anytime!
Just ordered one of these a few weeks ago; company says should be shipping sometime next month; looking forward to it.
Thanks for sharing! We just used our Seestar last night, captured the moon, sirius, acrux.. very cool, even with shorter-length long exposures in a very light polluted area!
That’s a great point and to be honest basically shamed all the doubters , of which I was !! I used the SeeStars but didn’t feel a connection with the night sky as I was not basically doing anything . But ..( there is always a but) .. I am getting another one even though I have an Astro photography rig in its early stages … I admit I was wrong dissing the ss50 .
While you are stacking doing some some adjustments on brightness and contrast can make a dramatic difference to the live image . The brightness wheel is like a more extreme data stretch which may also push up the background grain , but you can make the sky dark again with just a 10 click of increased contrast . The menu for these opens up when you hit the adjust button. When you stop live stacking , your adjusted image saves to your phone or tablet , but the fits stack is also saved to the Seestar without any adjustments . You are still able then to open the fits file on the Seestar and do all these adjustments for as many versions as you want in app , and using the export button to save modified jpg versions to your phone or tablet . Its very cool .
Great video, John! I'm thinking about one of these for my grandkids. Next to zero setup time, and instant gratification of images that they can share or print.
Thanks Peter! Great to hear from you!
Mine should be here in a couple of days. Can’t wait! I am sure that there is a learning curve.
The latest version of the app (1.11) and firmware (1.83) has fixed the issue with many dropped frames during live stacking. You were using the previous firmware version (1.79) in this video.
One thing missing from these presentations is how dark? I have been using Seestar in Bortle 4.5 (sqm reads 20.3). I see one use is as a gentle intro to image processing. Most simply by post-process the final jpeg (i darken the sky) or download the stacked FITS file (which gives you 16 bits per pixel) and manipulate it with Siril (suggestion from Cuiv - thanks) or redo the stack.
Great video! I'm glad I discovered you!
Thanks!
Thanks! It might also be the case that targets high overhead, like the Pac-Man might have been, won’t be tracked as consistently well, as the scope has to turn so much in azimuth to follow them, so more frames will be dropped. Still, the results look very good, enough to please all newcomers to the hobby.
That’s a really good point, Alan! I could also see considerable field rotation in Pac-Man that was less obvious with Orion.
Great video. I am tempted to buy one. However, it seems too good to be true. Is it really taking live pictures and stacking or presenting stock images of that deep sky object from the database?
There is no database. This is just a camera.
Heard 0.2 or less is perfect leveling for long term tracking? Have the rear of the camera pointing directly towards the back tripod leg. Get left/right lined up perfectly, then rear tripod leg up/down will get you perfectly leveled, as long as you're on a solid base.
Those steps sound too complicated for me.
John, excellent content! You are sacrificing comfort to film in zero degree weather! It has a built in UHC filter for light polluted skies? Both images of the Pac Man nebula were impressive! Two questions. Are you using the new Planetary viewing option? It was recently added to the app. Also can the SeeStar find very dim objects? Like M 74, the Phantom Galaxy, Mag 9.4? know it is close to Jupiter right now, but in my 10 inch Dob and Bortle 3 skies it looked like a fuzzy patch, seen with averted vision. Im hoping the SeeStar can bring details out on these extremely dim objects to us visual only Astronomers! You can only write "it looked like a dim glow in the sky" so many times! Thank you again, for taking the time to show us what the SeeStar can do!!
Beautiful and I guess smart telescopes will take over the traditional telescopes 🔭 and will keep developing exponentially 👏👏👏
I think smart telescopes will grow in popularity. It’s not really stargazing through, it’s a form of photography, so I doubt they’ll take over.
Great hands-on review. We should compare performance with my Dwarf 2 once the software and firmware update is released.
Yes! Dave C was asking us to do that too. (He’s coming around on EAA)
it is very interesting how it will behave during ground observations in the dark wilderness. It may turn out to be a funny night vision device
Very nice video, we are enjoying the seestar too, my vespera is in for repair but when it comes back I may sell it and just sue the seestar and my big askar 107 rig for long exposures. Clear skies and take care
Clear skies!
Are you certain these types of scopes don't download images from an online database ?
Cuiv talked about that in his video. I’ve also caught our trees in some of the shots, so there’s that.
that and that it doesn't have internet access unless Station mode is enabled. It would need to have all images stored internally. But truly that's a lot of trouble and liability for a known brand instead of just using the already included APO lenses, the camera sensor, the perfect guiding and a good algorithm for stacking the images! ;)
@@user-qv3ql2wr2m Thx !
@@LearnToStargaze Thank you !
I would have like to have seen more discussion and analysis of the difference in images between city and country sky . Using the narrow band filter and I'm guessing similar exposure there was not much difference between the two M42 images ?
If it wasn’t -15 out during the one clear night that month it might have been easier to provide more commentary. There wasn’t much difference, but there was a difference nonetheless. Taking three hours of exposures in each scenario would probably have made a big difference.
Hi John, I was wondering if you can make a video on how to use the numbers on a manual eq mount, and how to locate objects using them? I’ve been trying to find videos, but they’re aren’t many explaining this. Thanks! Great Video!
Hi! I tried to cover that in my “how to eq” video. I believe we filmed an additional section, further explaining it, and then cut it. Using the RA and Dec for visual observation is super ineffective, and the only reason to do it is for novelty. These days you just use a star map, and point the finder (or ideally a Telrad) accordingly. That’s why there are no videos on using the numbers. Unless you have a very fancy eq mount from the 1960s, the mount probably doesn’t have the accuracy to actually find targets anyway. (Modern mounts like the EQ6R-Pro could probably do it, but that mount has go-to anyway). Basically you point the scope at a reference star, set the dials to the RA and Dec of that star, then quickly move the telescope to the RA and Dec of your target. That’s really all there is too it. That said, it’s not easy in practice.
Awesome video.. Can you work with seestar with no mobile service?
It seems so.
Any chance you can share the dark sky Orion Nebula, unedited? 😊 So I can test the editing possibilities before saving for the camera 😊 or would you aim for a sky tracker for the big camera instead? 🤔 Ioptron with mobile control.
I’m sure lots of people have shared the FITs file for Orion from the S50. I would get a star tracker like the Star Adventurer GTi, since that can also hold telescopes.
this scope is looking amazing but waiting to see it compared to the up coming dwarf 3
Are you having any issues with connecting it to wifi and the app at the same time? I am and don't know why can't connect both at once.
Seems like an issue with just about everyone- possibly on devices running iOS 17. Turning off cellular data seems to be a workaround.
@andrewb8366 I'm android not ios lol 😆 Maybe it's everyone I guess 🤷
@@SeriouslyIssues yep, i have been reviewing several forums lately and yes, it is more than just iOS. Either way, a lot of users having the same problem. Doesn’t seem like this was the case though when the S50 first came out though.
@andrewb8366 Yeah it was fine with all of the first batch of pre orders and those with RUclips channels. I have to use a tablet now instead of my phone Beacuse the wifi and Data have to be off for it to work... Well hey at least it works 😆 Thanks for the heads up. Also if your thinking about getting one, it's 100% worth it, got the bubble nebula and pacman first night with only an hour of use and then siril did all the work.
Love this video!
Thanks!
Cant wait for the one with 500mm f4. 😊
delightful little unit. would pay 3 times as much, if it was a 70 or 80mm objective. think of the improvement in resolution.
questions, I already own a Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer 2i Pro, WO Zenithstar 61II APO w/ flattener and Canon 6D & 80D DSLR setup. Can this ZWO Seestar S50 Smart Telescope process the image files from the SeeStar onto your PC and process them with image software? and second question, is it worth it to purchase the Seestar S50 as a second telescope if I didn't want to travel with my main setup?
The SeeStar is fun for sharing live images with your friends, but the images aren’t nearly as good as those produced with a traditional setup. It is fun to use though.
Thanks for the video. I get many “failure to stack star trails” error. Is this just because of leveling issues? Thank you.
That was my guess.
great video as always and do you think the s50 will get better at imaging planets with future software updates or is the lens the limit thanks.
Yes, I need to test the SeeStar on Planets next chance I get!
This would be great for camping! Since it would be much easier than packing my 10 inch Newtonian to dark skies.
They should really make a compact, ultra-light 10 inch Newtonian. ;)
I am curious about buying this but I have concerns. Why is it just 2mp and why does it perform so much clearer than my 24-MP DSLR
The images may look good on RUclips, but on a computer screen you can they’ll they’re still quite low resolution.
Looks pretty slick. At first glance it seems that the city photos are not so bad, but there are cities with worse light pollution than Halifax.
The images Cuiv got from Tokyo were pretty good, too.
Hello John. I purchased 1 month ago a new Bresser 102/1000 mm here in Romania - Eastern Europe and it had a dirty lens. I sent it back and they gave me a second one. Curiously the second one also has a dirty interior lens but to a much smaller degree, just 3 relatively small dirt stains on the lower side of the interior lens. This one also has a few dust particles in between the lenses. Through the eyepiece everything looks great in my opinion. Now I don’t know what to do with it, should I keep it ? Should I send it back again ? Is it normal for refractors to have a more or less dirty lens when sold new ? I don’t know what to do with it. I would really appreciate you opinion. Thank you!
Hi! I’ve never seen a dirty lens on a new scope. But I would just clean it with an eyeglass cleaning kit.
@@LearnToStargaze Thank you for your answer. I contacted the store, they will replace it again. I hope I’ll get one without defects with the third try :)
You're losing corners because of the alt/az mount. Definitely need an equatorial for long exposures.
My garage it literally full of those, haha.
how do you get the hand controller to be displayed
It’s that little circle on the image
when you went to the dark sky location, did the S50 automatically get its location coordinates?
I assume from the phone, yes.
Field tests are the ones I like the most, for those who have to decide whether to buy or not they are very important. May I know how long the batteries last in winter outside?. Thank you very much for your valuable videos.
Hi! I not quite sure, I don’t think I’ve drained them very much at all. Based on the night where it was around -5 during filming, it only drained to 84%. That was about 2 hours perhaps?
@@LearnToStargaze More than enough for my needs, , thank you 😏👋
So is it worth it driving 1hr out of the city? Will I get more detail out of picture or it just takes less time?
I actually think there’s a math equation for this…. Drive time verses signal to noise.
Curious to get your take on how the Seestar S50 compares to images taken using a DSLR with a 300-400mm lens and mounted on a tracker like the Sky Adventurer if you have used s similar setup. Interested in possibly getting a Seestar, but already own the Sky Adventurer as well as a Move-Shoot-Move tracker, just have issues with polar alignment and weight.........getting on in years and need something easier to use.
There’s no comparison. The SeeStar’s sensor is tiny. A DSLR sensor is much larger, and thus is far, far more capable. The advantage of the SeeStar is simplicity and cost.
Thanks..............will stay with what I have for now..............
Got mine ordered, but question..............I do not see a charger in the kit, what kind do I need for this unit................know it is usb-c, but what about charger output volts/amps?
I just plugged it into our wall USB charger and didn’t think about it.
Ok, thanks,.............now if it will just get here!
Thank you.
You’re welcome!
What software program do you use with your final image
I just use photoshop, mainly for the camera raw function.
3:03 Any bears, wolves or mountain lions in that area???
There may be a black bear.
is the adjusting circle easy i have no clue on how to do it i have only used basic telescopes in the past i know this is beginner friendly just thought id ask
What’s an adjusting circle?
@@LearnToStargaze the circles with the numbers you had to get it to the green I did not hear the name so I called them that
@@roman24124 that was the level. It was on uneven ground, and the circles are the telescopes way to tell you how far from level you are.
Ah thank you I never fully heard and thought I had to do it daily thank you for the reply
Despite numerous reviews, the S50 has been on backorder for half of 2023. Their marketing is commendable, but they need to meet current demand. No doubt, they're losing business to Dwarf Labs. And I assume American companies like Celestron are already designing one, who will move much faster.
Yup. True.
What is the red light?
You can’t use white lights at stargazing sites.
Does this have the ability to be used with a constant a/c power ?
It’s powered by USB, but I do think you can leave it plugged in.
new video is equal to happy life
Thanks!
Hello everybody, this is Jerry speaking Redmond Oregon. I just saw your video. I have one question for you is it for real? I was really amazed. Please let me know and keep up the good work.
Fundamentally It’s just a camera. In an upcoming video I use it on landscapes.
These telescopes are great, well done guys I do similar photos with the Pixel 8 Pro
Not without AI. Resolution for telescope imaging is limited by the size of the lens, and nothing else.
@@LearnToStargaze no extra lenses no and No. A.I or filters 3rd app all raw then edited in lightroom.
@@David-gr8rh Through a telescope then? Because otherwise you're literally violating the laws of physics if you're getting images of similar resolution.
@@LearnToStargaze Not really, no nothings been broken it's all about time length. See what you know is great for you what I've learned works for me. Your results are incredible, etc. All the best
I seriously doubt that
what is the resolution of the picture? pixels x pixels and dpi? in case one wants to print the results?
Not sure the results are truly print worthy. It’s a 2 megapixel camera. But that might not be the limiting factor, the aperture is 50mm so the smallest detail the telescope can resolve based on the laws of physics is 2.3 arc seconds. You can fit 5.3 arcseconds in each pixel here (which means that the camera resolution is the limited factor) but sky condition (turbulent/ moist air) might flip this equation.
@@LearnToStargaze Thank you, if you have an access to photoshop, please just open one picture in it and go to “Image -> image size”, or just hit “ctrl + alt + i” and tell me what is the width, height and particularly the resolution. Thanks again!
and please dont forget to type if the resolution is in pixels/inch, or pixels/cm!
@@rcv-v1c 38.1cm by 67.73cm 72 DPI
@@LearnToStargaze I asked you, because I couldn’t find this info on google. For the print in high quality this would be 9x16cm picture. So the Seestar is only good for social media and as a digital photo. Sucks for the print, which means I wont be getting it.
Sarcasm on
“Love” your attitude btw.
Sarcasm off.
curious how their soon to be mosaic mode will work.
That could be a game changer, but I think it will take a lot of exposure time to get a good result.
@@LearnToStargaze Well that being said there are still many frustrating annoying bugs such as needing to calibrate again when you already did.
2:29 that doesn’t look like a Pac-Man nebula at all is more like a spiritual bird so instead of coming at the Pac-Man nebula, I will call at the Phoenix nebula
Whats the bortle scale of the city, isnt it 7?
Depends on the city. The scale goes to 9.
@@LearnToStargaze No, the city you filmed this in
@@strandedkerbal8731 I'm in Halifax. I don't know the bortle level off the top of my head.
Is it possible to save the photo on the phone?
It automatically saves to the phone.
@@LearnToStargaze Ok thank you. By the way, your video was very helpful. I wanted to buy something big to start with, but I came across an advertisement that said wonders and I don't have to spend thousands to have nice photos! Thank you
@@6SIX_South You're most welcome!
Does the ZWO Seestar S50 run from a laptop????
No, just the phone app as far as I can tell.
thanks.. Pity @@LearnToStargaze
Can it do star trail images?
Not intentionally, it seems to always be tracking. If you confused its tracking you might get star trails, I accidentally did this a few times.
How many clear sky days do you have in that dark site?
About half? They come in spurts, a few days of cloud, a few days clear, this is atlantic Canada so it’s fairly unpredictable, but pretty much every night this summer that we camped there was surprisingly clear.
@@LearnToStargaze This is great! Are you going to build astro-village or hosing facilities there?
@@anata5127 hopefully! We have 26 acres, a lake and a pond.
@@LearnToStargaze Perfect! 👍
It is sometime very frustrating to take pictures of DSO from bortle 8.
Can you do the dwarflab
It’s on my to do list.
Did you notice 2:12 at Mare Nubim region, there's a quite big flash happening? and is not a glitch!
Great video!
I did not!
Hope you now did, because IMO is a great catch. Let me know if you want more specification of exact location.
Cheers!
@@LearnToStargaze
*Was I the only one who couldnt see any discernable difference between the dark and city skies? - I was really surprised, expecting there to be a noticable improvement in the dark skies images.*
I could barely tell the difference until I got the images on the computer screen. Then you could see quite a bit more detail, and there was also less noise. There is also no gradient in dark skies.
Should I sell my NexStar 130SLT and buy this instead? I know my current telescope is way better, but I just can't figure out how to use it to its maximum potential. There's just so much to learn, and I've tried. I know how to stack planetary images but cannot do deep sky, even though I've tried. My dad's computer is no good-it barely processes any images and now it doesn't work. So, I don't really have a computer and can't save up for one. I'm 13, and it's been seven months with this telescope, but I haven't used it once in the past two months. I feel it's being wasted.
Maybe I should go back to using my dad's phone and a cheap $6 tripod to take photos of the galaxy. Or, I could sell my telescope and invest in a good DSLR to take pictures of the Milky Way and some big deep sky objects. Or should I buy the Seestar S50?
Sounds like you're not interested in stargazing, and you're only interested in astrophotography. Since the NexStar is not at all designed for astrophotography, yes, you might as well make the switch to a device designed for astrophotography. I would get the SeeStar for deep-sky, AND a used DSLR for wide field (you could probably get BOTH refurbished for about $500 from B&H photo for the pair).
@@LearnToStargaze could you recommend what DSLR I could get and with what lens? Also, I use AUD so that is above what I can spend cause I think I could sell it for maybe $800. Or less, it does have accessories worth over $200 tho
@@Hanz0078 I would start with something like this: www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/802999942-USE/canon_6558b003_eos_rebel_t4i_digital.html I don't really know camera lenses, but my milkyway shots have been pretty good with just the standard lens.
Some of my friends got it 0:29
Thanks again. but any tips for ZWO to speed up pre orders after october? 😂
All-Star Telescope just got a big shipment in. Other than that, I don't know any specifics.
@@LearnToStargazehey so I'm planning to buy the Celestron nexstar 130 slt can you pls guide me to get a nice astrophotography setup with this setup?
@@gigamemes2435 hi! You would need an astrophotography telescope first, the NexStar 130 is not designed for that. Not sure I can help.
@@LearnToStargazeso any telescope for astrophotography that you know?
@@gigamemes2435 they have “APO” or “Astrograph” in the name.
Bet the major players will fall in line and go smart.
Who’s left? Celestron has the Origin and Meade is out of business. That leaves Orion?
Very suspicious. Test it: Use the mobile app to adjust the angle of the telescope, put a small mirror next to the lens, and deflect the light entering the telescope. It thinks it is in the correct direction of the nebula, but the light has actually been deflected by the mirror. have a test!
The scope plate solves. It would attempt rotate based the object in the reflection.
ahh well john is well hidden for now 😜
i wonder are these photos truly real ? or maybe AI enchanted like samsung galaxy moon photos ... ??? who knows...
Cuiv covered this in his video. You can also save the raw files, which are literally just a count of how many photons hit each pixel in the detector. The process to get these images is quite trivially simple once you understand the math. I’ve actually build this type of image acquisition software myself in python during the final days of my astrophysics degree.
First here! hehe
fast set up-too bad not much if anything will be done about urban light pollution.
With all due respect to the author of the channel. Do you really believe that this device can take photos like this and see the sky like this???
There’s nothing to believe. This is a camera. Do you “believe” in cameras? I can take my regular digital camera, set it up beside the SeeStar, and get the same image. If an airplane passes thought the field of view, it will appear in both the SeeStar image and my regular camera. Did I say this is just a camera? Did I ask if you believe in cameras?
@@LearnToStargaze What's your Final Verdict? Could you recommend this telescope as a replacement for a regular telescope?
@@LearnToStargaze Why I wrote this is because I saw how Samsung takes photos of the starry sky, moon and sun, he just draws them.
@@sturmzesthey need to stop doing that. It’s a silly feature.
@@sturmzes this doesn’t replace anything because it’s a different hobby from stargazing altogether. You use a traditional telescope from dark skies outside with your kids. You use a SeeStar while drinking wine in your living room while watching Jack Reacher on Amazon Prime.
Maybe is a application inside in this telescope 😅😅😅. I can't believing this is a real telescope
It’s a camera that tracks the sky. No funny stuff.
Dark skies didn’t seem to make much difference.
It’s noticeable in the fine details, but not at first glance. Longer exposure times would have helped, but it was far to cold to be out there any longer that night.
@@LearnToStargaze I was interested in the Seestar for EAA and possibly outreach but small aperture has its limitations.
Nice machine. I would not use it, because the hobby is the work for me. If not the work, I could just buy a photo album for much less than the SeeStar Smart. I have no interest in Alexa or her sister doing the work for me.
I won’t really consider this part of the stargazing hobby. It’s a fancy camera more than anything. You typically use it while sitting in the kitchen drinking wine.
@@LearnToStargaze which does actually appeal to certain people. With every hobby there is always the purist looking for martyrdom for their efforts and love to bang on about how they slave away for their results as if there is an extra spacial medal for it. These kind of hobbyist are usually snobby and look down at others who like to go about things in a different way. Think about people who are less physically abled, those who cannot lug a big telescope around or those who cannot stay out for hours in the cold, or those who cannot afford some of the equipment needed for other types of Astrophotography, or those looking to get their journey started without spending too much with a view to growing. @AmatureAstronomer if telling all those purchasers that they should have just bought a photo albums or gone on Google makes you feel like a real astronomer then go for it, but I think you are missing the point a little in your eagerness to belittle.
LoL! So, u r 'Alexa took our jobs' dude? 😂
@@germanicabosniaca4132 I mean, not quite, the images are low rez, but just wait until the next generation of these things!
I understand your point of view, but I really like the Seestar. Sure, the image quality is nothing to work with really (if you choose to post-process the images for "work") 🤪
It just open up Astrophotography for "normal" people not wanting to put such effort as you must to get really nice pictures of DSO targets.
It is the ease of use and good firmware/software done by ZWO that makes the Seestar such fun to use. Even for those of us that like to "work" for the results.
its way to slow, the frustration factor would be very high
I'd rather stay home and just look up stuff on the internet. Because that's all that is doing.
Don’t be silly.
lol with the vaonis vespera, you have to buy a $120 hydrometer in order to unlock the use of the built in dew heater
What's better Seestar S50 or Unistellar eQuinox 2. I have the eQuinox 2
It’s been a while since I’ve tested the Unistellar, they seem like very different user experiences.
Would you say it's a unistellar killer?
I don’t know about that, it’s a very different experience.