January this year nudged me into a new observing adventure after watching The Astro Imaging Channel webinar about alternative ways to use the Seestar. I had considered buying the Seestar S50, but my understanding of its capabilities felt quite limited — until Kai Yung’s ideas about using an equatorial wedge, sky coordinates, and even basic spectroscopy got me excited.

After about a week of research I placed an order at the Finnish dealer Astro Art (Mikkeli), and by mid‑February I owned the second telescope of my life. The first one was in the 1960s from a mail‑order shop — and went back for quality reasons. This one would not be returned.

Outside the EU the scope sells for roughly €500. Considering VAT, customs and shipping, €699 in Finland felt reasonable, especially with local warranty and support.

Convenient under the stars

This Chinese‑made ZWO telescope emphasizes convenience. No more long, cold setups: I can observe comfortably from the yard. The Seestar app is available for both Android and iPhone.

On this blog I’ll share notes and pictures from this new way of observing. With the Seestar I can look at the Sun, Moon, stars and deep‑sky objects; below are my very first impressions.

From deep space to phone screen

The Seestar is a 50 mm apochromatic refractor with a 250 mm focal length. Its optical path uses two perpendicular lenses that fold the light by 180° before it reaches Sony’s IMX462 sensor. The compact unit integrates the telescope, an electronic focuser, an astronomy camera, a controller (ASIAIR‑like), tripod interface, dew heater and a filter wheel — all in one 2.5 kg package.

Built‑in Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth let you connect directly from a phone or tablet without internet. On a home network the Seestar can also stream to displays or further afield.

The scope ships with a carry case suitable for flights. The tripod is surprisingly short (just over 350 mm) but fits neatly in the case and is always with you. A solar filter is included for daytime observing.

Imagine placing the telescope outside, powering it on, then heading back indoors to control everything from the sofa. Family can watch the developing image on the TV — a shared experience of the night sky.

The smart bits

The Seestar is more than a tube with lenses. The Facebook group Smart Telescope Underworld has been a great source of tips for broadening its use. An equatorial wedge and even simple stereo/dual‑epoch measurements open new avenues for amateur science. Small tweaks also help: sending targets via celestial coordinates, checking files the device skipped, or setting objects from SkySafari or Stellarium.

What the Seestar saves

Each session produces a processed image for quick viewing and storage on the device. You also get a stacked and calibrated linear image from all accepted sub‑frames. Optionally the device can save individual FITS frames so you can process from scratch. (Bayer pattern: two green, one red, one blue per pixel.)

Early on I’ve found the in‑device stacks to be consistently excellent — better than I can yet reproduce, which is encouraging for beginners. JPEG versions are also stored.

The Sun, Moon and planets can be captured as AVI video and stacked into a high‑quality image in the app; usually under a minute of video suffices (your mileage may vary). MP4 is also available.

There is 64 GB of onboard storage — enough for several nights — but keep an eye on it. A big plus is that images can be copied over the local network directly to a computer. The file system auto‑creates subfolders with target names; if FITS saving is enabled, those frames are placed in a sibling folder per target.

Custom accessories

Around the world users have designed handy add‑ons: a 3D‑printed equatorial wedge (set to your latitude), a “cradle” for true horizontal mounting, filter holders, Bahtinov masks and more. Some models are on Thingiverse.

Asteroids, comets & variable stars

The Seestar is surprisingly capable for near‑Earth and Milky Way targets. I’ve already recorded asteroid and comet motion and I’m keen to track rapid brightness changes in their light curves.

I’ve logged over 10,000 observations in the AAVSO community. Alongside Slooh and AAVSO remote scopes, the Seestar lets me also pursue short‑period variable stars from home. I’m considering applying for an observer code from the IAU Minor Planet Center to contribute useful data to professionals.

A dream device for clubs

For astronomy clubs and group events the S50 is an ideal tool. Solar and lunar viewing work well for larger audiences, and multiple Seestars on the same network can cover more sky. For beginners it’s also a great “first light” experience — the interface even suggests good targets for the night. A club could publish a monthly target list tailored for Lappeenranta’s latitude.

Pros & Cons

I’ve had the scope out for five longer sessions so far, so this is early feedback. My first lunar image was captured within an hour of picking up the package. Using the compass and GPS, the Seestar finds the Sun and Moon automatically. In daytime the Moon sometimes needed a manual nudge (the short tripod isn’t ideal for sighting along the tube). At night the default alt‑az mode worked very reliably once stars were visible from the site.

Equatorial operation took more practice: the scope should see a wide, open sky area at least 60° up. From that position the system solves the sky astrometrically with three alignment fields — each must succeed for the solve to complete. With a little practice I got it working; the goal is to mount the S50 on our porch roof.

Roses

• Lightweight and compact
• Wireless networking
• Versatile app
• Carry case
• Much broader use than the brochures imply
• Fast to get started
• Useful output formats and in‑device stacking

Thorns

• Tripod adjustments are awkward
• No remote power‑on; you must press the button
• Built‑in UV/IR‑cut filter cannot be removed (limits spectroscopy)
• Manufacturer limits some ASIAIR‑like capabilities
• Stacking rejection can be high (sometimes >50%); changes in sky conditions are easy to miss — clouds are silent
• Long‑term durability is still unknown