The Seestar S50: A Beginner’s Point of View

If you’ve ever looked up at the night sky and wished you could capture its beauty, the Seestar S50 might be the perfect telescope to get started with. As someone who’s just beginning to explore astrophotography, I’ve been amazed at how this compact and easy-to-use telescope has made the process both fun and approachable. Here are my first impressions and experiences.

So Easy, Even I Can Use It

One of the best things about the Seestar S50 is how beginner-friendly it is. Setting it up is a breeze, even if you’ve never touched a telescope before. The included app walks you through everything step by step—from aligning the telescope to pointing it at a star or planet. I’ve always thought astrophotography was super technical and it is, but the Seestar S50 (and other smart scopes) make it feel accessible.

First Nights Under the Stars

I haven’t had many clear nights to try it out yet, but the times I’ve used the Seestar S50 have been exciting. I was able to capture my first images of the moon and a couple galaxies, and the results were way better than I expected. The telescope does most of the hard work for you, so you can focus on enjoying the experience.

The Photo Processing Learning Curve

Here’s where things get a little tricky: processing the photos. The telescope makes it easy to take pictures, but turning them into the amazing shots you see online takes some practice. There are so many different software options and techniques that it can feel overwhelming at first.

If you’re just starting out, like me, my advice is to keep it simple. Start with free tools like DeepSkyStacker Siril or GIMP and learn the basics. Once you’re comfortable, you can move on to more advanced software like PixInsight or Photoshop. Don’t be afraid to experiment—it’s all part of the fun!

Mosaic Mode: What’s That?

ZWO, the company behind the Seestar S50, recently added something called mosaic mode. This lets you take a bunch of pictures and stitch them together into one big, beautiful image of the sky. This helps with one of the S50 weak point narrow field view. Unfortunately, there is no free software yet to stack the mosaic photos.

Why I’m Loving the Seestar S50

For a total beginner like me, the Seestar S50 is a fantastic way to start exploring the night sky. It’s easy to use, fun to experiment with, and has cool features like mosaic mode that I’m excited to try. Sure, photo processing takes some learning, but that’s part of the adventure. I can’t wait for more clear nights to see what else this telescope can do—and to share my progress with others who are just starting out too.