TheSkySearchers

Based on 50mm triplet F5 APO and priced rather attractively.

https://agenaastro.com/zwo-seestar-s50- ... scope.html
https://astronomy-imaging-camera.com/pr ... seestar-2/

I put my name on the list for July availability here in Canada !

There's a lot of talk about it over on CN. $399 (I think) intro price. I'd jump in, but I'd like to see some images taken by users as opposed to ZWO and there's also speculation about when they'll start shipping.
Seems like a very affordable entry into EAA, but I also wonder if this would turn out to be a gateway drug for me. Plop it on my deck and sit inside watching images stack while the skeeters rage outside.

I think the lowest operating temp is 0*C, so there'd potentially be a good part of the year where it would be unusable here.

So, what am I missing or misthinking here?

I think you are right on the money Olen. With this entry level simple system they are aiming for people who like to try EAA but don't want to commit big $$ in case they don't like it. You will not win any awards with pics, but they should be better than afocal shot with iPhone. So, the system to fool around and learn the ropes.

From this perspective the risk is minimal. If you don't like it there will be other guys wanting to try and you should be able to sell it on CN/Astromart.

Pretty cool. I criticized EAA a couple of years ago but was wrong. Kind of an unstoppable trend I think.

helicon wrote: ↑Tue Apr 25, 2023 7:29 pm Pretty cool. I criticized EAA a couple of years ago but was wrong. Kind of an unstoppable trend I think.

To your defense Michael when those all-in-one systems started to appear they carried big price tags, but it was unclear how well they were designed and built. Now it looks like at least some of them provide good functionality.

I had promised myself not to take photos of the sky, I started with my cell for fun, now I'm tempted to take the leap. thx.

messier 111 wrote: ↑Tue Apr 25, 2023 7:47 pm I had promised myself not to take photos of the sky, I started with my cell for fun, now I'm tempted to take the leap. thx.

I know what you mean Jean-Yves. I have been (and still are ) visual observe all my life and always preferred manual mounts. But with light pollution getting worse at my home location so I had to adapt GoTo mounts and learned to operate them from my phone. This system is just one extra step - adding camera. I may give it a shot, but I am with Olen, wait for the feedback, if good maybe pick one used.

I have the ZWO 120 mini and am not very handy with it at all. I have not gotten into AP yet basically but EAA may be the way to go for hamfisted me to get involved.

I have some good refractors, I do WL and Ha as an aside, this will just be another, enjoyable aside. It cost $600 C all in, one of my eps cost almost that much so its sure not going to break my bank and if I don't like it someone else will for less cost. I have always loved astronomy and I really like trying new astro gear adventures, its part of my game, one of my loves of life. I am sure many fellow astronomers feel the same, we have faith in ZWO, in todays ever growing technology !

LDW47 wrote: ↑Tue Apr 25, 2023 11:25 pm I have some good refractors, I do WL and Ha as an aside, this will just be another, enjoyable aside. It cost $600 C all in, one of my eps cost almost that much so its sure not going to break my bank and if I don't like it someone else will for less cost. I have always loved astronomy and I really like trying new astro gear adventures, its part of my game, one of my loves of life. I am sure many fellow astronomers feel the same, we have faith in ZWO, in todays ever growing technology !

What is you opinion on 50mm aperture? How limiting it will be for EAA/AP?

Since it is AltAz mount sky rotation would be an issue to limiting how many frames one can stack.

Bigzmey wrote: ↑Wed Apr 26, 2023 12:20 am

LDW47 wrote: ↑Tue Apr 25, 2023 11:25 pm I have some good refractors, I do WL and Ha as an aside, this will just be another, enjoyable aside. It cost $600 C all in, one of my eps cost almost that much so its sure not going to break my bank and if I don't like it someone else will for less cost. I have always loved astronomy and I really like trying new astro gear adventures, its part of my game, one of my loves of life. I am sure many fellow astronomers feel the same, we have faith in ZWO, in todays ever growing technology !

What is you opinion on 50mm aperture? How limiting it will be for EAA/AP?

Since it is AltAz mount sky rotation would be an issue to limiting how many frames one can stack.

I don't know any more about it than anyone else but I am very sure that ZWO thought about every scenario, every angle, what it should be capable of for we casual astronomers but not the people that think they know more than ZWO. Its their job, their company, their responsibility to supply a great product and then the sky is the limit for us all going forward. I, like many, are willing to invest $400 US / $600 C to let them have a go at it, I haven't heard too many real, legitament complaints about their very wide and expanding product line up of cams, etc., why should the 50mm be any different. I mean we aren't talking about building the Battleship New Jersey or the Space Shuttle, its a very attractively priced piece of astro gear, I have the faith like many when it comes to breaking new ground which this is, lets not say its the same as the others !

The price of the individual parts is at least $1K total, I think, if you have to buy them individually. So for $399 you can't go wrong with although the resolution won't be super. You might be able to use it with any other mount and telescope supported by ASIAir but that's just a guess. They would shoot themselves in the foot if that were possible.

Looks like a competitor for the Dwarf II all in one scope. But, maybe a better focal length than the Dwarf's 100mm. Same as my 'Deadcat' 250 Vivitar, or Redcat for that matter, which has provided some nice views. However the 1/3 inch chip is really small for wide field stuff, but the 2.9 micron pixel size yields 2.39"/pixel resolution, not bad. Seems like a better under the seat scope for that trip 'down under'.

Interested,
Steve

Bigzmey wrote: ↑Tue Apr 25, 2023 7:58 pm I have been (and still are ) visual observe all my life and always preferred manual mounts. But with light pollution getting worse at my home location [...]

Yeah, bad / increasing LP at home would probably be the primary reason for me to try one. My club has acquired a new dark site, but it's still at least an hour away - not conducive for a quick observing session.

I joined the SeeStar owners group on facebook to hopefully keep up with more info. The more the merrier, lol !

Let us FB non-users know if anything interesting pops up.

I went hog wild and ordered the Dwarf II as well, lol ! At some point I want to compare them side by side. But when, who knows, hopefully by end of summer.

Half a year ago I sold everything, the whole astrophotography setup, due health issues. I was having problems carrying everything in and out. Afterwards I really miss the hobby. I know that EAA will not be quite the same, but I am hoping the SeeStar will give me some satisfaction, so I ordered it yesterday.

I've been mucking around with EAA using an ASIair with a Sky-Watcher 102R / GTiX rig for a bit. It's pretty cool, but having tried it and the fact the I like to do visual while it stacks, the simplicity of these fully automated systems is really appealing, so I've ordered one too. Here's hoping that it lives up to the hype.