Smart telescopes

[Doodlebug]

I once tracked stars on my home built rig using a separate small telescope bolted to the main one . This did the required guidance.
Now there are smart telescopes that are nearly plug and play.
Anyone into these?

Have just bought a Seestar S50 so I'm a beginner once more.
More learning curves to climb....I'm out of breath already :-)

[BusyBee]

I would have thought that a computerised telescope would have the ability to locate and track any reasonable known object or be programmable as such. Looking on their site it seems the case.

No I have not even seen one but it looks interesting.

Have fun!

Tracy

[Mike Watterson]

Now if the rain would stop.

There have always been add-on mounts for telescopes / binoculars / cameras. The simplest is simply a polar mount and AC mains synchronous motor that cancels the Earth's rotation for longer duration exposures of "fixed" stars.

With Starlink and similar now I'd not want to spend a large amount. Off and on I always fancied the idea of a telescope but felt that a decent one and polar mount or tracking mount would be too expensive.

I have a large X yagi with dual feeds on a rotator. If I upgraded that for computer controlled rotation & elevation I could add a telescope and camera.

I knew someone with a 3.7 mesh dish (entry level RT?) and actuators for tracking even elliptic orbits (packed up not in use), but the only place with space is my shed roof, and 20 years later when he offered it to me I had 3 months earlier covered the roof with 8 solar panels.

[Radio Fixer]

Always fancied a telescope but highly light polluted here so didnt bother.

How do you view the pics with the Seestar? Is it on a laptop via Wi Fi? Cant see a comfortable viewer eyepiece

Gary

[Doodlebug]

iphones have restricted views. ipads are the best.
Re light polution. The Seestar gets amazing images in light polluted cities by stacking many images into one and filters.
The more I see what this scope can do, the more amazed I become.
Auto focus. lens heater to prevent dew condensation , light pollution filters. etc

You can connect the scope to a laptop to view images but it will not control it. (app required to do that.)

[Radio Fixer]

Thanks, sounds a great instrument.

Be good to attend a demo.

Gary

[PerdioPal]

I have an S50, super bit of kit, all you need is patience to let the photons add up. Quite honestly the device/accessories/packaging/carry case/"app" are superb. Works out of the box as long as you have an IOS or Android device. I am waiting for earlier hours of darkness to play with it again.
And before anyone asks I have taken it apart (and re assembled, still working!) good engineering in there.

[Radio Fixer]

Another fan.

Any images that you can share from it?

thanks Gary

[PerdioPal]

Here is one of M42...  Taken just before it got too light before bed time.

[Doodlebug]

That's impressive just as 100's more I've seen on the S50 facebook groups. etc. are.
That's why it sells.