ZWO Seestar S50 first lights

[PaulSthcoast (Paul)]

Hi everyone.

Yep;

I'm ready for any response.

ZWO Seestar S50.

I didn't expect to have one,
but...long story short....well, here I am.

I plan to give a full balanced
review of its performance once
the sky clears.

Pros as well as cons.

In the mean time.

Let's look at a few images.

First light was Solar.

Second was Horsehead.
Barnard 33.

Third....yep....

Third was M42....of course !

The Great Orion nebula....
....and freind.

Image details:

Solar..single image from live view.
Solar filter.

Horsehead....6 mins 36 x 10 seconds.
No filter.

Orion.....3 mins 18 x 10seconds.
No filter.

Bortle 2.

Images tweaked in Snapseed on
Samsung tablet to suit.

Kept things nice and simple.

Thanks for looking.

Paul.

[Leo.G (Leo)]

Stunning images Paul!


That's an amazing little rig for a 50mm lens, the images are amazing. I had no idea what the little unit was till I just looked it up. And for the quality of the images it's cheaper than a camera on it's own.
I'm guessing it would be extremely portable for those with a need to travel to darker skies?

I tried capturing Orion the other night but after the laptop blue screened the camera reverted to mono (colour camera) and it's just a white ghost image and not so pretty as far as I'm concerned. Add in slight focus error and.... Oh well, there will be another night, maybe tonight before the moon hits the horizon again.
My images won't look anywhere as near to amazing as yours, no matter what I do.

[ChrisV (Chris)]

Thanks for showing Paul. Some great images with relatively short integration times. Nice!! I take it these are live stacked??

[PaulSthcoast (Paul)]

Hi Leon.

Yes..you are correct in saying that the unit costs less than a dedicated astro camera.

One drawback is no cooling function.

But as you say, as a potartable unit, it is excellent.


Chris.

Yes, images are live stacked.

10 second subs automatically stacked or rejected.

I'm hoping to take much longer than the 6 mins on targets than
the first light tests.

Let's see what becomes of that.

But agreed, results look pleasing.

More review soon.

Thanks for the interest.

Paul.

[Dave882 (David)]

For a portable eaa setup this is fantastic. The images are really nice. Are you able to add a dual narrowband filter to the setup? I can imagine this will be the new tool of choice for outreach going forward too.

[telecasterguru (Frank)]

I received my Seestar 2 days ago and to say I am happy with it is an understatement. For a small point and go it is amazing. Sit it on the ground turn it on and start the app. Much easier than my g11.



Frank

[floyd_2 (Dean)]

Originally Posted by Dave882

Are you able to add a dual narrowband filter to the setup? I can imagine this will be the new tool of choice for outreach going forward too.

I've seen third party addons that allow you to screw in a 2" filter and push fit it into the front of the lens. Doesn't this unit have a built in duo band filter? I'm not sure how good it would be but certainly worth a shot in lieu of adding your own expensive filter to the front.

Looks like a great EAA unit.

[AstroViking (Steve)]

If you have a 3D printer, there are plenty of add-ons and widgets for the Seestar hiding on ThingiVerse.