Long
captivated by the wonders of the night sky, it's been a desire to photograph
images of celestial wonders that are millions of light-years away. Film cameras
and film processing weren't something I wanted to tackle, which is why my
interest was rekindled when I saw digital cameras being used for
astrophotography in the late 2000s. But, even as a lifelong "tech" guy,
the complexity, steep learning curve and considerable amount of time that was
devoted to post-processing each
image along with the high cost still wasn't what I was hoping for.
Years
later my curiosity was again piqued but this time by all-in-one devices that—in
combination with a smart device—made astrophotography amazingly simple,
surprisingly affordable and downright fun. Finally, a single, ultra-portable,
battery-operated solution that allowed me to travel to dark viewing sites
without a cumbersome carload of equipment, set up in minutes and begin imaging. That event
marked an astronomical turning point for me.
Today, I am so fascinated by the remarkable technological accomplishment of what is now known as the Smart Telescope that my collection† has grown to six current models (see below), which allows me to evaluate firmware and app upgrades as they are released.
So that's my story. What will your
story be?
Wishing you clear skies and
memorable discoveries...
Astronomy Guy
My
Smart Telescope collection† (in alphabetical order)...
† To remain as an objective resource, all equipment is purchased retail.
Image: M33 - Triangulum Galaxy
(2.7 million light-years from Earth)
Credit: Astronomy Guy