Smart Telescopes The “future” of amateur astronomy in a light polluted world People who consider themselves “serious” amateur astronomers may disagree, but I believe Smart Telescopes will play a significant role in the future of astronomy for the average person. I say this because if you don’t have access to dark skies Smart Telescopes open up a whole world of astronomy previously only available to people with a lot of money and time to dedicate to astroimaging. If you want to show family and friends what is out there you can use one to tour around the night sky and watch as objects appear with the live stacking. In 5 minutes any of these Smart Telescopes will capture an image better than you would see through a traditional telescope - see Images for examples. While extended imaging sessions can reveal even more intricate details or capture even fainter objects. The accessibility and convenience of Smart Telescopes make them a compelling option for amateur astronomers. As a visual astronomer, for me, nothing beats actually seeing the alien light from a distant galaxy, that has travelled for millions of years. However, being able to take images of objects I have no chance of seeing by eye - like a faint comet or a supernova in another galaxy - is fantastic. The fact you can set up and start imaging a Smart Telescope in minutes is remarkable. My conventional imaging equipment would take at least an hour and then require processing of the images. The evolution of amateur astronomy in the past five decades has been immense, with the hobby being revolutionising first with affordable Chinese telescopes followed by GOTO technology. While traditionalists may resist the ease and convenience of Smart Telescopes, these devices present a practical solution for those who lack the money for advanced imaging equipment. Investing in a high-end telescope and astro camera will yield superior results, but for those seeking a more affordable and user-friendly option, Smart Telescopes provide a good compromise. Smart Telescopes are they any good? YES On the following pages I am looking at the “cheaper” Smart Telescopes produced by a relatively new company, Dwarflab, and the highly regarded ZWO manufacturer of Seestar. To get the best out of a Smart telescope you need to take the time to learn how it all works. However, simply using only the base settings it will produce a good image and encourage you to carry on. “Try before you buy” - visit us and see the Dwarflab 3. Dwarflab Mini and Seestar S50 in action. If you have any questions please contact me. The Old Way Imaging the night sky was and still can be a costly and time consuming process. You can easily spend several thousand of pounds on a telescope, camera, mount, etc. The tracking mount needs to be very accurately polar aligned and it is essential there is perfect focus to produce a good image. Setting all this up is very time-consuming. After capturing the images, you need to transfer them to a laptop for processing, which again can be both time-consuming and expensive if you purchase processing software (some are free). The New Way A Smart Telescope is a sophisticated all-in-one device that combines a telescope, camera sensor, computer- controlled tracking mount, and image processor. A Smart Telescope takes hundreds of images and stacks them to create a final composite image. The initial Smart Telescopes introduced in 2017 were priced between £1,500 and £3,000 and did not produce images of the quality obtainable from similarly priced traditional telescopes and cameras. However, faster computer processing speeds, better camera sensors and advanced image processing techniques have significantly improved the image quality over time. Why are Smart Telescopes not as good as conventional equipment? As Scotty famously said, "Ya canna change the Laws of Physics!" Smart Telescopes typically have small apertures ranging from 30mm to 50mm. A 100mm telescope gathers 4 times more light than a 50mm telescope, meaning you get a brighter image more quickly. Dedicated imaging camera sensors often have resolutions of 8MP, 20MP, or higher, and their cost alone can exceed that of a Smart Telescope. While all camera sensors produce electronic noise, cooling can help reduce this, but further adds to the cost. Smart Telescopes feature much smaller sensors, typically 2MP or 8MP, and lack cooling, requiring sophisticated processing to produce high-quality images. Considering their size and price, Smart Telescopes perform remarkably well straight out of the box. Low Cost Smart Telescopes Arrive Dwarflab II (discontinued) • New Chinese start-up company • Launched in 2023 • First small low cost portable Smart Telescope of unusual design • Controlled through a phone app • Costing £519 (from Sky at Night magazine) it failed to make much impact mainly as the images were acceptable rather than impressive. ZWO Seestar S50 (discontinued) ZWO is a highly respected manufacturer for good quality telescopes and imaging cameras. • Launched in 2023 • Twice the aperture of Dwarflab II • 3 lens apochromatic telescope • Portable and quick to set • Images from the 2MP sensor were a big improvement • Controlled through a phone app While not perfect the S50 produced much better images than the Dwarflab II and started the revolution in small Smart Telescopes around the world. Now discontinued the S50 is still a good option bought secondhand. The S50 Pro version is now available. Please note: The ZWO Seestar smart telescope descriptions are for comparison with Dwarflab telescopes only. The GAC Scope Shop will not be supplying ZWO Seestar smart telescope as we are unable to demonstrate them at this time. Dwarflab 3 Dwarflab soon launched a completely redesigned larger telescope, but still keeping the same novel design. • Launched in 2024 • Heavily upgraded hardware. • 35mm aperture • 6 lens apochromatic telescope using a prism to turn the light through 90° • 8MP sensor and longer exposure giving excellent images (better than S50) • 128GB storage (Seestar S50 is only 64GB) • Controlled through a phone App Try our demonstration model Next Page - Dwarflab 3

Dwarflab 3

Seestar S50

Dwarflab II

Smart Telescopes The “future” of amateur astronomy in a light polluted world People who consider themselves “serious” amateur astronomers may disagree, but I believe Smart Telescopes will play a significant role in the future of astronomy for the average person. I say this because if you don’t have access to dark skies Smart Telescopes open up a whole world of astronomy previously only available to people with a lot of money and time to dedicate to astroimaging. If you want to show family and friends what is out there you can use one to tour around the night sky and watch as objects appear with the live stacking. In 5 minutes any of these Smart Telescopes will capture an image better than you would see through a traditional telescope - see Images for examples. While extended imaging sessions can reveal even more intricate details or capture even fainter objects. The accessibility and convenience of Smart Telescopes make them a compelling option for amateur astronomers. As a visual astronomer, for me, nothing beats actually seeing the alien light from a distant galaxy, that has travelled for millions of years. However, being able to take images of objects I have no chance of seeing by eye - like a faint comet or a supernova in another galaxy - is fantastic. The fact you can set up and start imaging a Smart Telescope in minutes is remarkable. My conventional imaging equipment would take at least an hour and then require processing of the images. The evolution of amateur astronomy in the past five decades has been immense, with the hobby being revolutionising first with affordable Chinese telescopes followed by GOTO technology. While traditionalists may resist the ease and convenience of Smart Telescopes, these devices present a practical solution for those who lack the money for advanced imaging equipment. Investing in a high-end telescope and astro camera will yield superior results, but for those seeking a more affordable and user-friendly option, Smart Telescopes provide a good compromise. Smart Telescopes are they any good? YES On the following pages I am looking at the “cheaper” Smart Telescopes produced by a relatively new company, Dwarflab, and the highly regarded ZWO manufacturer of Seestar. To get the best out of a Smart telescope you need to take the time to learn how it all works. However, simply using only the base settings it will produce a good image and encourage you to carry on. “Try before you buy” - visit us and see the Dwarflab 3. Dwarflab Mini and Seestar S50 in action. If you have any questions please contact me. The Old Way Imaging the night sky was and still can be a costly and time consuming process. You can easily spend several thousand of pounds on a telescope, camera, mount, etc. The tracking mount needs to be very accurately polar aligned and it is essential there is perfect focus to produce a good image. Setting all this up is very time-consuming. After capturing the images, you need to transfer them to a laptop for processing, which again can be both time- consuming and expensive if you purchase processing software (some are free). The New Way A Smart Telescope is a sophisticated all-in-one device that combines a telescope, camera sensor, computer-controlled tracking mount, and image processor. A Smart Telescope takes hundreds of images and stacks them to create a final composite image. The initial Smart Telescopes introduced in 2017 were priced between £1,500 and £3,000 and did not produce images of the quality obtainable from similarly priced traditional telescopes and cameras. However, faster computer processing speeds, better camera sensors and advanced image processing techniques have significantly improved the image quality over time. Why are Smart Telescopes not as good as conventional equipment? As Scotty famously said, "Ya canna change the Laws of Physics!" Smart Telescopes typically have small apertures ranging from 30mm to 50mm. A 100mm telescope gathers 4 times more light than a 50mm telescope, meaning you get a brighter image more quickly. Dedicated imaging camera sensors often have resolutions of 8MP, 20MP, or higher, and their cost alone can exceed that of a Smart Telescope. While all camera sensors produce electronic noise, cooling can help reduce this, but further adds to the cost. Smart Telescopes feature much smaller sensors, typically 2MP or 8MP, and lack cooling, requiring sophisticated processing to produce high-quality images. Considering their size and price, Smart Telescopes perform remarkably well straight out of the box. Low Cost Smart Telescopes Arrive Dwarflab II (discontinued) • New Chinese start-up company • Launched in 2023 • First small low cost portable Smart Telescope of unusual design • Controlled through a phone app • Costing £519 (from Sky at Night magazine) it failed to make much impact mainly as the images were acceptable rather than impressive. ZWO Seestar S50 (discontinued) ZWO is a highly respected manufacturer for good quality telescopes and imaging cameras. • Launched in 2023 • Twice the aperture of Dwarflab II • 3 lens apochromatic telescope • Portable and quick to set • Images from the 2MP sensor were a big improvement • Controlled through a phone app While not perfect the S50 produced much better images than the Dwarflab II and started the revolution in small Smart Telescopes around the world. Now discontinued the S50 is still a good option bought secondhand. The S50 Pro version is now available. Please note: The ZWO Seestar smart telescope descriptions are for comparison with Dwarflab telescopes only. The GAC Scope Shop will not be supplying ZWO Seestar smart telescope as we are unable to demonstrate them at this time. Dwarflab 3 Dwarflab soon launched a completely redesigned larger telescope, but still keeping the same novel design. • Launched in 2024 • Heavily upgraded hardware. • 35mm aperture • 6 lens apochromatic telescope using a prism to turn the light through 90° • 8MP sensor and longer exposure giving excellent images (better than S50) • 128GB storage (Seestar S50 is only 64GB) • Controlled through a phone App Try our demonstration model Next Page - Dwarflab 3

Dwarflab 3

Seestar S50

Dwarflab II