ZWO Seestar S50 Pro Smart Telescope (50/260mm + 3.4/6mm)

Unfortunately, shipping is currently only available within Germany (for more information, please see the notes on the home page).

• Get your hands on the new Seestar S50 Pro at the launch price (payment is only due once it’s in stock – but likely before Christmas, as demand is already very high!) ;-)

  You can also benefit from our 2% discount offer and free delivery within Germany.

  Here’s what you need to do: add the Seestar S50 Pro to your basket and select ‘prepayment’. You’ll then receive an automatic order/confirmation email from our shop (please do NOT make any payment at this stage). We’ll get in touch with you once we’ve received the delivery and it’s your turn – only then will the amount be due.

  And please, please, please: Please avoid placing duplicate orders or making reservations with other retailers; this only causes unnecessary work, and anyone who gets dropped from our list due to a cancellation and has to re-order will slip back down the waiting list: promise! ;-)

  Tip: Please don’t wait for the stock indicator to turn green – that’s likely to take some time – we’ll see.

  
  
• The All-in-One Smart Telescope
• Elevate your Stargazing Experience with our Innovative Solutions
• Revolutionary technology
• Anyone can now become an "Astrophotographer"
• Ideal for travelling or for "running on the side"
• New in the Pro version:
  - 4-element apochromatic lens design
  - Wide-angle lens for the Milky Way mosaic imaging function
  - Sony IMX 585 sensor chip (colour, 8MP)
  - 128GB storage
  - Three integrated filters: UV/IR blocking filters (both cameras), dual broadband (OIII 30nm + H-alpha 20nm – main camera only (Warning: H-alpha is NOT intended for solar observation; otherwise you will immediately destroy your S50 Pro telescope!), dark-frame filter (main camera)
  - Up to 9 hours’ operating time
  - Large 10,000mAh battery
• Integrated dew heater
• Solar filter for safe solar photography in white light
• Controlled via smartphone/tablet
• Bluetooth & Wi-Fi, USB-C
• Includes small tripod, transport case, USB charging cable and quick start guide

The ZWO Seestar S50 is a compact body that integrates a telescope, electrical focuser, astronomical camera, ASIAIR, altazimuth mount, dew heater, and filter wheel, all weighing only 2.5kg.

Seestar S50 Pro fully automatic "Smart" telescope - great technology

Experience the fascination of the universe with the new Seestar S50 Pro telescope from ZWOptical.

This advanced telescope was developed with the aim of making astrophotography accessible to everyone.

Don't look, just look

The Seestar is just a photographic telescope that you can no longer observe with like a conventional telescope. It only provides you with fully automatic, added-up photos that you can view on your mobile phone, tablet or TV.

How does it work? Here’s how!

Download and install the Seestar app from the usual app stores.
Switch on the Seestar.
Connect your mobile phone or tablet to the Seestar via NFC or Wi-Fi.
Select a celestial object.
That’s it.
(The Seestar will alert you if something is wrong and will keep taking photos until you stop the exposure yourself.) In normal mode (azimuth mount, i.e. set up horizontally), we recommend a maximum exposure time of 10 seconds – in equatorial mode, feel free to use the full 30 seconds, unless there are too many satellites in the sky, in which case 10 seconds is preferable.

The 50mm & 3.4mm Optics

The ZWO Seestar S50 Pro is fitted with a high-quality apochromatic 4-element objective lens with a 50 mm diameter and a 260 mm focal length, which delivers sharp images. The Pro version also comes with a small 3.6 mm lens with a 6 mm focal length, allowing you to capture wide-angle shots of landscapes and/or Milky Way panoramas (including a full 180° mosaic function).

Tip: Make use of an attractive foreground.

The Sensor-Chip

The high-resolution Sony IMX585 CMOS sensor allows you to capture the beauty of the night sky in breathtaking detail. It offers a field of view of a whopping 2160×3840 pixels with a pixel size of 2.9 µm.

Images are saved as JPEG and FITS files.

Star chart, GoTo, autofocus & tracking

With innovative functions such as GoTo (automatic search for celestial objects from a database - these are then displayed on a star map), autofocus (= automatic focussing) and live stacking ("EAA" - images are automatically superimposed, aligned and thus output as a better image), you can discover the wonders of the universe in real time. The telescope automatically adapts to the movement of the sky and always keeps your target object in focus.

Transportable & powerful

The ZWO Seestar S50 Pro is lightweight and portable (total weight including case: approx. 3.5 kg (we’ll weigh it more precisely later)), with a built-in battery that allows for up to 9 hours of continuous observation photography.

During operation, it can be powered by an optional power bank.

The Seestar S50 Pro’s battery has a rated capacity of 10,000 mAh, and the battery life, as tested by the ZWO laboratory, is approximately 9 hours (this always depends on the ambient temperature).

Tip: In practice, battery performance will vary depending on ambient temperature, operating conditions and the subject being photographed; in particular, battery life is significantly reduced once the lens heater is switched on.

Small tripod with 3/8"

The small tripod is ideal for holidays.

For all other applications, we recommend a higher photo tripod with a large 3/8" threaded screw.

The tripod should be levelled, but can also be easily levelled using the APP, as the Seestar has a built-in "spirit level", as does the tripod.

Tip: Alignment is quicker with our Astrogarten 3-point leveller (see below).

Filters against light pollution

An integrated Duo-Band filter allows the two main wavelengths in astrophotography to pass through and also ensures quite good suppression of city lights.

The two main spectral lines are [O-III] (pronounced "O3") with a half-width of 30nm and the H-alpha line with a 20nm transmission width.

This is a good average for photographing nebulae and supernovae remnants, but also galaxies and star clusters.

If you want to take photos without a duo-band filter, a UV/IR cut filter can be used via the APP so that sharp images can also be taken in daylight.

Dark pictures included

The dark images for noise suppression of the sensor chip that are so important for astrophotography can also be created, as the sensor can be automatically closed by the shutter.

Solar observation & solar eclipses

With the help of the supplied solar filter, which is always(!) placed on the front of the telescope aperture, you can safely photograph the sun in so-called white light. The image of the sun itself is orange (wavelength: 580-630nm).

For a solar eclipse, you would only and exclusively(!!!) remove the solar filter for the absolutely total phase, photograph the so-called corona (sun's corona) and immediately(!!) put the filter back on the optics when the first rays of sunlight appear (don't forget to look at the eclipse yourself, because no photo can replace this view).

The filter has an optical density of 5.

!!! CAUTION SAFETY NOTE:  Make sure you attach the magnetic sun filter to the Seestar S50 Pro before pointing it at the sun – if you point it at the sun without the sun filter, you will immediately destroy your Seestar – unfortunately, the warranty won’t cover this.

!!! CAUTION SAFETY NOTE: Unfortunately, we do not know which solar filter film has been installed and whether this film has sufficient protection for our eyes, i.e. whether it has German certification and not just optical density 5 (which only indicates the filter factor of 99.999%, but says nothing about UV and IR protection, see CE/ISO of the standard for eye safety EN ISO 12312-2:2015).

Please do NOT use this solar filter for any other visual observation of the sun, but only and exclusively for photographic use with a Seestar.

Please use a strictly certified Baader AstroSolar solar filter film for your eyes. Our eyes do NOT react to the dangerous heat radiation - please do NOT risk anything here!

Feel free to ask us about safe solar observation, because you have exactly two attempts to permanently lose your eyesight if you use it incorrectly.

Bluetooth & Wi-Fi

The wireless connection is made either via Bluetooth or the Wi-Fi (2.4G/5G) network.

Case

A plastic case with carrying handle holds the Seestar S50 together with the tripod and offers good protection.

Software & Updates & Language

With the intuitive Seestar app, you can conveniently control your telescope from your smartphone (iOS & Android) - this is regularly updated.

You can find the app in the respective stores.

Language: English, German, ....

Supported languages: English, French, Japanese, Portuguese, Chinese, Spanish

Integration with N.I.N.A.

It is also possible to control the system using the free N.I.N.A. software.

Optional accessories

Follows.

Please make sure that you remove all accessories (except the solar filter, if applicable) before switching off the telescope or returning it to the home position, otherwise damage may occur.

Disadvantages

Admittedly, the technology is exceptionally good and shows the way forward; that said, you don’t really learn much more about the starry sky, as the technology does almost everything for you.

The artificial intelligence currently speaks to you in English.

Due to the relatively small optical system and short focal length, it isn’t really suitable for planetary photography, for example. If you want to get properly into astrophotography, we recommend a conventional telescope system, which can be tailored specifically to your needs and is considerably more powerful.

The ZWO Seestar S50 telescope opens the door to the infinite expanse of the universe.

Technical Data

Order now and start your astronomical adventure!

Scope of Delivery

• ZWO Seestar S50 Pro
• ZWO Tripod
• Solar filter
• USB-C Cable
• Manual