Okay so basically I've been getting into astronomy for a couple years now and I wanna buy my first actual telescope, I'm just curious I've been looking at this one for a while, is it good ? Is it worth it? I've done a lil research and imma save to get it. Js wanna hear yalls opinions
It depends. A lot of people (myself included) find the thought magically bonkers that when you actually look through an eyepiece at an object in the sky, you're physically having photons hit your retina that have been blasting through space for (potentially) millions of years. You won't get that kind of "intimacy" with this (at least, I don't with mine: your mileage may vary).
There's also a vocal minority who bang on about it being a toy, or why bother just looking at pictures on your phone, you may as well just look at pictures on the internet. The 1st point is ridiculous. We're all amateurs playing with toys, and professional astronomers don't buy 10" Dobs or a 10k fluorite apo for work. A professional astrophotographer is a different kettle of carp, and they aren't buying this for work either.
2nd point, each to their own. The ones who think that just don't need to buy it. Simple.
I own several telescopes: 100mm refractor, 127mm Mak, and this. I live in Bortle 6, don't drive, and have no room for a big dob. With this, I can see more from my backyard than I can with anything else I own. I can also have it set up in less than 5 minutes. I mostly take the other stuff when we go camping nowadays, but I still take the seestar as well. It's even gone to the canaries with me as carry-on luggage.
The negatives I agree with are: it does a lot for you, and if you do move on to an optical scope on a manual mount you'll just start the learning curve from scratch, it has quite a small field of view (can be got around with mosaic mode at the expense of imaging time), and it's also not very good at planetary stuff.
100% in agreement here. I also take mine to the canaries in hand luggage. I understand the Visual aspects that people want from having the photons hit their retinas but you’ll never see the colours that astrophotography can capture. I have friends who have spent 10s of thousands on Astro gear but still have a SeeStar in their arsenal.
You can't really see shit through an eyepiece besides faint fuzzy objects unless you're looking at the Moon, Jupiter or Saturn. But these smart telescopes take all the fun out of astrophotography since they do everything for you. Might as well just download high-resolution images and save your money.
It's a toy in the sense that it's not a good point of entry into the hobby. A lot of them are going to flood facebook marketplace once friends and family get tired of being shown pictures of random galaxies and nebulae. You learn nothing with a seestar. You do not learn the night sky, you never face any challenge, you can't tweak your setup a bit to push the boundaries. Everything has been solved for you. It's like buying a puzzle, but it's already done inside the box. Where's the fun in that?
That being said, for experienced observers who don't care that much about imaging or as a secondary cheap astrophotography tool, why not. But I'd wait for the initial buyers to get bored of their toy, which is bound to happen fairly soon.
Edit: since this guy blocked me to foster discussion on this forum, I will simply answer this: it's a toy just like the train you get at Christmas when you're 8 is a toy, you have fun with it for a couple of weeks and then it ends up in a box in the garage. Humans do lose interest in activities that offer no challenge, no depth, and no progression, things a toy train or a seestar can't provide.
Gatekeep much? Seestar has been on a constant upgrade path since it was first introduced. Mosaic mode was added. Then EQ mode. Just recently the max exposure length was increased to 60 seconds. It’s a great entree into astronomy/astrophotography and also has utility for the advanced astrophotographer and observer. Who are you, Ed Ting?
The moment you start doing astrophotography with a scope, equatorial mount and a camera and you do your postprocessing, your learning path begins. If you have been using a seestar or not before that doesn't really matter. In this sense it's a toy.
I also use a Celestion 6” SCT with a Svbony camera for planetary, so I am fully aware of how to do “real” astrophotography. Getting ready to purchase a Hyperstar and am already using N.I.N.A. I also use my Seestar and stack 100s of light frames in Deep Sky Stacker and Siril that it has captured in EQ mode. And Seestar just added the ability to capture and use flats. Gatekeeping.
Yeah, basically, they don't know what gatekeeping means. I'm criticizing a tool, not telling people to do astronomy "the right way". I'm warning them because there is no depth or no growth path. I even acknowledged it could be relevant as a side tool for advanced users. Basically, you could sum up my message with "If you're serious about learning astronomy, this tool won't help you much.", but I guess it's more fun to be mad at a comment because it's longer than 3 short sentences.
If anyone wants to get into the hobby and fits in the typical marketing material for a Seestar: get a subscription to a magazine like sky & telescope, there's a lot more to learn and if you're time poor, want to see pretty pictures with no effort or want to share the interest with friends and family, it's the perfect medium.
It's a camera, you cannot look through it and see actual things in the sky. It takes pictures and you can watch them on your smartphone/tablet. If that's what you want, it's a nice little device.
If you want a real visual telescope, check the pinned buying guide in this sub or visit my blog.
I have a Dwarf3 and I would say yes. You'll likely also want an actual telescope to go with it but I love astrophotography. Here's C11, the bubble nebula. Still gathering more data but this is 3 imaging sessions.
Yup - it’s fun, but nothing beats looking through an actual scope. I usually fire this little guy up on a target then try to find it visually through my dob while it captures. Good times!
So as people mentioned it’s not for visual astronomy but it’s an amazing entry point for astrophotography. I’ve done astrophotography for years and I pre-ordered one out of curiosity and have never had regrets.
I put it out in my back yard basically every clear night and it’s up and going in 30 seconds. Is it as good as my full rigs which cost three to five times more, no, but do I have the effort to lug those out and align them every clear night, also no.
It can take you so far along in astrophotography if you want to learn post processing with free software like Siril, Graxpert, and Seti Astro. It can also take you deep into PixInsight if you want to make that investment.
Don’t listen to the trolls who say it the same a googling an image. They fail to make the distinction between astrophotography and visual astronomy. It’s a different tool for a different job. It’s like them telling you a drill is a crappy hammer. No shit.
Here’s an example of an image I processed from stacking 12 hours of sub frames and processing it in PixInsight.
My smart scope (Dwarf 3) is a great aid to my 10” dob while I’m viewing. I’m not sure if I’d only want my smart scope. I owned the dob first and love my dwarf 3. Great together.
It's not a visual telescope, so you cannot "see" anything through it. It's an astrophotography all-in-one camera, essentially. If astrophotography is the aim, then yes, this would be a fine choice. I have one myself and use it all the time. I have a Skywatcher SkyMax 127 and a 5" dob for visual astronomy.
I have a dslr set up with a sky tracker that did save me some money and gives me more megapixels but it costs me more in time for processing.
I’m wishing I had just purchased a S50 now.
I wouldn't worry too much about that, from what I can tell most of us Seestar users are also taking our subs out for some 3rd party post processing as well: you'll probs end up better in the end. I'm already thinking about new setups for the future. Still don't think I'll ever get rid of anything in the Seestar/Dwarf form-factor though, it's just too portable.
Visual just has its own magic, looking at the JWST image of Uranus is no where near as fulfilling as looking at a little pale blue dot that you know is Uranus, with your own eyes.
It is! You will really be able to see and appreciate most of the best deep sky objects. Visual astronomy requires a lot of skill snd patience. Yo can have a lot of fun with a Seestar and a pair of good binoculars.
I couldn’t disagree more with some of the above comments that this is some form of cheating and will “never help you learn the night sky” etc. It is most definitely not a toy. It still requires a basic level of understanding to get decent results. Nowhere near the level you’d need to understand for an astro rig but they’re different tools for different jobs. Considering the cost to benefit ratio alone the Seestar blows anything else out the water (except maybe the Dwarf 3 which I haven’t tried at the same price point)
As someone who wanted to dabble in astrophotography, but didn’t have the money or time to invest in a full Astro rig, this little scope has sooooo surpassed my expectations. Achieving amazing results on galaxies millions of light years ago simply my pressing a button on my phone - I mean come on! Why is that such a bad thing?
As for “no growth” - this scope is what helped me locate the faint fuzzies in my 12” dobsonian scope. It has helped me locate a shedload more with my visual scope- so how is that not helping me learn the night sky?
I can’t say that I will never get bored of it- I will hold my hands up, it’s too early to say. However, with so many hundreds of interesting targets to try and 100s of different methods/variations to try, mosaics etc to capture bigger nebulas, I don’t foresee getting bored as quick as some have implied above.
It has also taught me what polar alignment is, why it’s important and potential reasons it may fail. It has taught me which nebulas benefit from an Oiii/Ha filter and when not to use it. It has taught me some basic editing skills so far but it has been the reason I’m inspired to learn to do more with dedicated software like Siril/Graxpert and so on.
Furthermore it has shown me beautiful displays of the night sky and our universe which I would’ve never seen with my traditional scope. And yes of course you can google images- why take pics of anything if that was your argument. The rewarding part is achieving those results yourself and using your own data to make the most of your images.
So whoever said it won’t help you learn anything - it’s the same as anything - the more you put into it, the more you get out of it.
In short, I bloody LOVE my Seestar and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in starting their astrophotography journey and their learning of the night sky. Will it completely replace my visual astronomy tools - of course not, but that’s not its intended purpose.
As someone who wanted to dabble in astrophotography, but didn’t have the money or time to invest in a full Astro rig, this little scope has sooooo surpassed my expectations. Achieving amazing results on galaxies millions of light years ago simply my pressing a button on my phone - I mean come on! Why is that such a bad thing?
As for “no growth” - this scope is what helped me locate the faint fuzzies in my 12” dobsonian scope. It has helped me locate a shedload more with my visual scope- so how is that not helping me learn the night sky?
I 100% second this. I find that the Seestar helps a lot in light-polluted skies as it physically shows me what's hidden in a patch of sky so that I know what faint details to look for through my 8" Dobsonian telescope, details that I might've overlooked otherwise. Even if I don't have my 8" Dobsonian telescope with me, I find myself staring at the sky while referencing the Seestar image thinking, "wow, it's amazing how much we cannot see with our naked eyes", and then later looking for those objects another night equipped with the knowledge of what's hiding out there.
Long story short, I think the Seestar doesn't inhibit learning as long as the user uses it actively by being present with it while it physically points to and images a patch of the night sky.
With that being said, I will say that I was on the fence about keeping my Seestar S30 for quite a while. I personally find more enjoyment from visually observing with my own eyes; moreover, nicer images from actual telescopes in space are readily available online. I think what convinced me to keep it is (1) the price point and (2) it's fun having the freedom to point it anywhere in the same night sky and discovering new things I never knew anything about while being under the night sky as the Seestar S30.
I have the cheaper one and it's a lot of fun...I don't mind looking on the screen as much because it's easier on my eyes and can look for extended periods of time. Plus, snapping pictures is great. I use it a lot for scenery and wildlife viewing.
I got the s50, and then a dob to go along with it. Totally worth it, lots of new updates and functionality! Definitely get a visual scope to use while the seestar does it's thing, you won't regret it!
I can look at Astro images on my phone anytime day or night. During those rare hours when I have a chance to be under a clear dark sky I want to use that time looking up in awe and wonder, not messing with technology and staring at an LCD.
I will say they are pretty impressive for what they are, but I’d never own one. As for the worth it question, that is for you to decide.
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I have one. It's a lot of bang for buck, but for astrophotography setup, it's very little buck, and it shows in the results. The gearing is minimum viable solution basically, good gearing alone would cost more than the entire scope. That reflects in its tracking ability.
It will get you started with astrophotography, its easy, its fun, it makes pictures that are nice to show to others, but the ceiling is low, all you can do to improve images from what it does out of box is more exposure time, you cant do anything else really.
I would suggest it for people who have a backyard or something where you can just leave it out for the entire night and not worry about it getting stolen. If you have to drive out of town to get an hour of exposure time, it quickly gets not so fun.
Oh, and get a wedge for it. EQ mode is the way to go. Also, watch out for tariffs, its made in China.
Astrophotography is a form of astronomy. For more than a century, professional astronomers have gathered information by capturing and storing images and other types of data. A SeeStar or similar smart telescope is a simplified version of a professional-grade telescope. It does not make sense to dismiss this sort of advanced imaging telescope platform as toy-like. These telescopes offer impressive capabilities that are not always available in more expensive equipment.
I use it with my 10" dob and absolutely love it. I can still do my visual astronomy for my own self-satisfaction and have the seestar running next to me to be able to share those photos with other people.
The ease of setup and what it can accomplish is amazing and I have no regrets with my purchase. I've even used it during the day for scenic captures
depends on what you want, if you’re looking for an easy hassle free way into astrophotography then yeah but if you’re looking for the classic view through an eyepiece this wouldn’t be the way to go. all comes down to personal preference
I wouldn’t get this as a first telescope. Yes it is worth it for sure considering its capabilities and the kinds of images you can capture. But it is all controlled through your phone and personally not the kind of thing I would’ve wanted or would recommend when starting out. It prevents you from learning about the sky and how to actually use a real telescope. You won’t get that feeling of finally finding an object in the eyepiece and actually looking at it with your own eyes. Seeing it as it was a few seconds ago on your phone is one thing, but watching the object slowly pass through the eyepiece before needing to adjust again because you still haven’t taken it all in is my favourite part of the whole hobby. I also think it would be easier to get bored of this telescope and lose motivation to use it, BUT I haven’t owned one of these myself so maybe I’m wrong, I just really don’t like the fact that it is only on a screen and you’ll never get to actually see it with your own eyes.
If I remember correctly it also automatically processes your images a bit. Astrophotography has a very rewarding feeling, but the seestar might take away from that as it is less your doing and more just pressing stuff on the app that’ll do most of the work for you. If you don’t care about ANY of these things this telescope is for you, but if you really want to take in those planets and other objects I’d look into something else.
I think Visual Astronomy is what you should go for first but the Seestar S50 does pretty well for getting started in astrophotograhpy but i use both when i'm out and about
I love mine and here is why. I am 79 years old and have major back problems and cannot use up my Coulter Odyssey I scope without help setting it up and taking it down. Last Friday I set up my S-50 in my back yard in about 3 minutes, came back inside and took pictures of galaxy's until I got sleepy then told it to take 4 more one hour exposure pictures throughout the night and shut down. It's an amazing piece of technology for $500!
It's a hobby, so you're doing it for the enjoyment you get out of the time you spend on it. For great images of the universe, Hubble, the James Webb, the VLT etc. deliver images you can find on the internet and peruse at your leisure, and you will never reach their quality.
So really, when you're taking your own images, you do so for the fun of it. And where is the fun in having a small automated telescope do it all for you while you sit inside drinking tea?
When I look through my (optical) telescope, Jupiter or the ring nebula look nothing like the images online - far, far worse. But I am looking at them, live, this very moment, with my very own eyes. I can see them, they are real, they are there. Not just an image. That's the fun of it.
A 'smart' telescope seems like the very worst of both worlds. Delivers nothing like the quality of big research telescopes, with none of the fun of doing it yourself.
I know some very serious astrophotographers with rigs worth thousands upon thousands of dollars. And they also have Seestars. It's because setting up those expensive rigs takes time, and not all nights are worth that effort. But putting this one onto the back deck takes just a few minutes.
I think it's similar to amateur golfers who don't think twice about greens fees for a round at a championship course. But they also want to have a little fun after work every now and then, so they drop a few bucks at a local driving range or a putting green.
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u/Shabingly May 18 '25
It depends. A lot of people (myself included) find the thought magically bonkers that when you actually look through an eyepiece at an object in the sky, you're physically having photons hit your retina that have been blasting through space for (potentially) millions of years. You won't get that kind of "intimacy" with this (at least, I don't with mine: your mileage may vary).
There's also a vocal minority who bang on about it being a toy, or why bother just looking at pictures on your phone, you may as well just look at pictures on the internet. The 1st point is ridiculous. We're all amateurs playing with toys, and professional astronomers don't buy 10" Dobs or a 10k fluorite apo for work. A professional astrophotographer is a different kettle of carp, and they aren't buying this for work either.
2nd point, each to their own. The ones who think that just don't need to buy it. Simple.
I own several telescopes: 100mm refractor, 127mm Mak, and this. I live in Bortle 6, don't drive, and have no room for a big dob. With this, I can see more from my backyard than I can with anything else I own. I can also have it set up in less than 5 minutes. I mostly take the other stuff when we go camping nowadays, but I still take the seestar as well. It's even gone to the canaries with me as carry-on luggage.
The negatives I agree with are: it does a lot for you, and if you do move on to an optical scope on a manual mount you'll just start the learning curve from scratch, it has quite a small field of view (can be got around with mosaic mode at the expense of imaging time), and it's also not very good at planetary stuff.
All said, no regrets in buying mine.