SEESTAR S50 · ATLANTA, GA — DRACO SHO · UTAH, COMING SOON

Smart telescope astrophotography, from the South.

Field notes, gear reviews, and honest results from a Seestar owner shooting out of an Atlanta driveway — and soon, remotely, from Bortle 1 skies in southern Utah.

Read the latest See tonight's targets
BORTLE 8
← ATLANTA DRIVEWAY UTAH, SOON →

Latest posts

Session logs, gear breakdowns, and guides — new most clear nights.

The Wizard Nebula NGC 7380, stacked in StackingWizard and processed in AstroWizardWorkflow
OCT 16, 2026 · 8 MIN READ

1,682 Subs, Two Wizards: How StackingWizard and AstroWizard Turned 14 Hours Into the Wizard Nebula

Where Lukomatico's two free apps came from, how the workflow actually runs with the RC Astro XTerminators, and a 46-second replay of the whole edit.

Read the full guide →
A crescent Moon captured with a ZWO Seestar S50
OCT 2, 2026 · 6 MIN READ

How to Take Good Smart Telescope Photos of the Moon

Can't get your Seestar to go to the Moon? The simple star-first routine that has never failed me, plus how to get a sharp lunar shot once you're there.

The Orion Nebula (M42) captured with a Seestar smart telescope
OCT 2, 2026 · 7 MIN READ

How to Capture the Orion Nebula (M42) with an Entry-Level Smart Scope

The first target that made this hobby click for me, and how to find it, frame it, and stack it with a Seestar-class scope.

The California Nebula captured with a Seestar S30 Pro
SEP 27, 2026 · 7 MIN READ

How to Fix Noisy Deep-Sky Images (My AI De-Noising Workflow)

Every deep-sky shot starts out grainy — here's why, the capture habits that help first, and the exact AI de-noising workflow I run on my own stacks.

Gear I'm using

Atlanta

ZWO Seestar S50

Backyard unit, Bortle 8

Shop on Amazon → #ad

Utah · Soon

DWARFLAB Draco SHO

Pre-ordered, Bortle 1 pier

View the Draco SHO →

Mount

Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer Latitude (EQ) Base — S20530

Used with the S50 in Atlanta

Shop on Amazon → #ad

Hosting

Astro Peak pier plan

Monthly reservation, UT

Power

Anker Portable Charger, 20,000mAh, 22.5W

Used in Atlanta

Shop on Amazon → #ad

Utah · Soon

ZWO ASI662MC

Planetary camera, for the Utah pier

Shop on Amazon → #ad

Tonight's targets

What's up this month, split between my two setups.

FULL PLAN →

S50 · Atlanta (Bortle 6-8)

  • M8 Lagoon + M20 Trifid — bright enough to punch through backyard sky glow, dual-band filter doing the heavy lifting
  • M57 Ring Nebula + M27 Dumbbell — compact planetary nebulae, reliable backyard picks once Sagittarius gets low
  • Perseids on the 12th-13th — no scope needed, but I'll try a few wide shots with the S50 if the clouds cooperate

Utah · Soon (Bortle 1)

  • Veil Nebula + North America Nebula (NGC 7000) — faint and sprawling, exactly what Bortle 1 skies are for
  • Eagle Nebula (M16) + Swan Nebula (M17) — the "Pillars of Creation" region, worth the longer integration a dark site allows
  • Racing the clock before the Aug 28 full moon and partial eclipse wash everything out

Worth following

Other creators and channels I actually watch — YouTube and Instagram.

Browse by tag

Seestar S50 Seestar S30 Pro Astro Peak · Utah Light Pollution Beginner Guides Deep Sky Targets Planetary Imaging Gear Reviews Atlanta Astronomy Filters & Accessories

Follow along.

Session photos and quick updates go up on social first — full write-ups land here.