Why smart telescopes are the future of astrophotography (2022)

https://www.techradar.com/features/why-smart-telescopes-are-the-future-of-astrophotography

by wallflower • 2 years ago

22 15 2 years ago

quaintdev• 2 years ago

They have to be cheap because no one serious about astro photography is going to buy this. Their target audience is the people who don't know much about astro photography and would be fascinated by something like this.

fmajid2• 2 years ago

Serious EAA (electronically assisted astronomy) users would probably get something like a Rowe-Ackerman-Schmidt Astrograph from Celestron with a ZWO camera, which isn’t even that expensive by astronomy standards, but I’d say the Nikon partnership with Unistellar suggests they see a market opportunity.

isodev2• 2 years ago

The post just reads as a product placement.

Of course, some technique is required to setup one’s gear but that’s part of the experience and allows one to do things this kind of automated telescopes can’t.

Also, if the goal is to look at pretty renders - you can do that online, no telescope required.

cyberax• 2 years ago

Of course, some technique is required to setup one’s gear but that’s part of the experience

The most boring and annoying part: aligning the telescope with true north, leveling it, and then looking for your object.

and allows one to do things this kind of automated telescopes can’t.

Which things? I was never able to get good photos of faint object with my manual telescope. With EV scopes it's easy. And you really can't do much more than planetary astronomy with your Mk1 eyeballs.

isodev2• 2 years ago

Sure, it just depends why you go out there. I'm not saying never get an EV. But also - I don't mind levelling myself, looking for an object... and then spotting something fun only to discover it's something else. My Mk1 eyes are just fine for my Mk1 humanly needs.

bitcharmer• 2 years ago

The most boring and annoying part: aligning the telescope with true north, leveling it, and then looking for your object

I don't know. For me it's not too much of a hassle and learning about how to do it correctly was exciting and satisfying. To each their own.

banksybugg• 2 years ago

I love my Seestar. After fumbling about and trying to get into astrophotography it was a great intro to the sky. It was only 700$ compared to the equipment I would need for a hobby I wasn’t sure about yet. I’ve now started to get to the point where I want sharper images and I’m wanting to invest more in the hobby.

EcommerceFlow• 2 years ago

“instead of giving users a real-time live view of distant celestial objects through an eyepiece they use pre-determined image settings (for ISO and exposure) and then live image-stack for clarity, pushing ever-improving images to connected smartphones and tablets”

What’s the point of even getting this? Just go look at Hubble images at that point.

yesco• 2 years ago

Why take pictures of trees? The ocean? flowers? Why catch a fish in a seeded pond? Why go to the zoo?

I don't think it's about getting the absolute perfect shot of the moon, but capturing an absolutely perfect shot of the moon in this moment, at this place; that kinda vibe. This holds even more true for distant celestial objects that you can clearly see in your telescope but look like a blur with your otherwise untuned camera.

floorisguava• 2 years ago

I think they’re more so asking what’s the point of doing it if you make it almost entirely automated

jjav• 2 years ago

Indeed.

It forces the question: What is the point of amateur astrophotography?

If you just want to admire the results, go to https://welcome.astrobin.com/ for photos that are better than most people will ever have time or budget to accomplish in a lifetime.

So if you want to do it yourself, the end result is not the point of doing it.

The process of doing it yourself is really the only point, to enjoy doing it. The journey is the destination in astrophotography.

Since these automatic telescope cameras bypass the human process they fail at delivering that enjoyment and they also fail at delivering the end result quality.

So what is the purpose?

gehsty2• 2 years ago

if you go a step down on the automation ladder it’s quite a fun (if expensive) tech hobby, I use a raspberry pi to control my mount, an automated focus system, guiding system, and then get to learn about stacking and processing the images I capture. Plus it’s hobby I can do at night, at home (which helps with 3 young kids!).

sunnybeetroot• 2 years ago

The article makes a point of this further down:

“However, the core of that argument is that if you’re going to sit passively inside looking at a smartphone then you might as well be looking at images on the Internet.”

fmajid2• 2 years ago

Well, Orion Telescopes and Meade just went out of business, so there may be something to the OP’s contention, at least as market dynamics are concerned.

Why smart telescopes are the future of astrophotography (2022)

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