I’m excited about my new project where I’m using a second Seestar S50 at a bortle 2 remote observatory Texas.

Here is how I did it.

Equipment: Seestar S50, Apple MacMini M2(must be a newer model using the M series chips), leveler, KASA ip power strip.

I’ve been thinking about how to get this done for over 2 months. Initially, I thought that I could use an iPad or Android tablet as a host, but realized that very few if not all tables do not allow it to be controlled remotely. There are a few apps that claim you can do this, but don’t waste your time. It won’t work reliably. Then I connected my Seestar to my wife’s M1 MacBook Air and realized that was the way to go! The key is that it must be a newer Mac running the M series chipset which runs IOS iPhone and iPad apps.

Then using Google Remote Desktop I can easily access and control the Seestar from anywhere in the world.  Even from my iPhone!

Someone will have to set up the Seestar and run through the initial blue tooth connection to the Mac at the remote site. Once the MacMini and Seestar are connected via the Seestar’s internal blue tooth wifi, goto the wifi settings on the Seestar and put it in Station Mode. With Station Mode, both the MacMini and Seestar connect via the same wifi at the remote site. Once they are connected via Station Mode you are ready for the next step.

Remotely logging into the MacMini

Using a free Gmail account you have access to Google Remote Desktop. While you are logged into your Gmail on your MacMini open a new tab on your Chrome Browser with https://remotedesktop.google.com/ Click “Set Up Remote Access to control this computer” so that the MacMini will become the host(remote) computer that you will be controlling via your home(client) computer or laptop. Then from your home computer log into the same Gmail and open a new tab with the same link from above. If successful you should see the MacMini on your screen. Click it and enter your pin. Click enter and you should then see the desktop of the MacMini. Log into the MacMini with your password and you are in! (This will also work via a tablet, iPad, or an iPhone).

Things to do before sending the MacMini and Seestar to the remote site

Set up your MacMini with your Apple ID. Next set up the MacMini to be the host computer with Google Remote Desktop. That way as soon as the Mac is connected to power and the local wifi at the remote site/obervatory, you will be able to instantly connect from your client/home computer. I would also recommend you download the Seestar app to the MacMini beforehand. The support tech at Star Front Observatories plugged the MacMini and connected it to their wifi network. He also plugged in the Seestar and installed it on a telescope pier. See picture below.

I am super excited to finally have this all setup and ready to image from a Bortle 1 night sky.

The team over at Star Front Observatories in Texas are hard-core astrophotographers and astronomers who live and breathe this hobby. So far my experience with Star Front has been outstanding. The tech support is first-class. I reserved a pier one month ago and had my Seestar and leveler shipped directly to them. The MacMini followed a couple of weeks later.

Link to the Star Front Discord Server.   Great discussions about remote astro, image processing, equipment and much more.

What makes Star Front so unique is the very reasonable monthly rates for access to super dark clear night skies. A mini pier for my Seestar is only $149.00 per month. You can host a more sophisticated rig like a Red Cat 51mm or 61mm refractor for the same rate! What?! The cheapest I found anywhere else was over $600.00 a month!!

Oh, and their Discord Server is very active. You can join the Discord even if you are not a customer. This has been a great resource of knowledge and information for me.

They mainly host much more expensive and sophisticated Astrophotography rigs than my little ole Seestar. Star Front is a new player in the remote observatory industry and is experiencing explosive rapid growth. Watch their videos and you will see their passion and dedication.

Keep looking up,

Carlos Garcia

StarPicturesMiami.com

Resource links

Seestar tutorial video

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We drove 1000 miles from Miami to catch the best view of the total solar eclipse. It was a gamble that paid off after our original plan was to drive to Austin Texas. It was an incredible experience one that we would do every time, given the opportunity. We already have plans to attend the next total solar eclipse in August of 2026 in Spain!

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Images of the Comet A3/2023 taken from Everglades National Park with iPhone 15 Pro Max.  Taken October 21, 2024.

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The Seestar S50 smart telescope by ZWO is truly an amazing product that is powerful, portable and affordable.  At only $500.00 this telescope will bring you closer to all that you can and cannot see in the night sky.

There is a reason that this product is taking the astrophotography hobby by storm. First and foremost, it is very simple to use.   I took my first image of the Orion Nebula, M 42 only 10 minutes after setting it up in the driveway of my house.   The user interface is intuitive and straight forward.

If you would like to purchase the Seestar S50, please use this link.  You will help support my website at no additional cost to you.

Plus, its only $500.00!  You’ll spend that much and more on a “hobby killer” first telescope.    Don’t get me wrong, I love my Celestron 8SE visual telescope.  For planetary observation there is not much that can touch it for the price ($1,500.00).   Both scopes have their purpose and special features.   Oh, and the Seestar includes a solar filter that lets you take great pictures of the sun too.

To purchase the new Seestar S30, please use this link.  You will help support my website at no additional cost to you.

ZWO is constantly updating the firmware of the Seestar to add new features and useful tools.  In recent weeks they’ve added the long awaited Mosaic mode that lets the unit image a larger area around a target and then it “stitches” them together to make one larger mosaic.   Additionally, they added an AI noise reduction tool that helps to clean up background image noise and make your pictures pop.

So, yes I would highly recommend the Seestar as your first scope or if you are a visual only astro, it will help you see in beautiful colorful detail, what only appeared as a “white smudge” in the eyepiece of your scope.

Carlos Garcia

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The sun is in a Solar Maximum period in its 11-year cycle.

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This nebula was made famous by the Hubble Telescopes stunning high def image showing the now famouse “Pillars of Creation”. If you zoom in on the image toward the middle, you can make out the pillars. I am amazed that this capture, from my driveway, actually shows them in pretty clear detail. The image was taking in May 2024 with about 4 hour of total exposure time, with 10 second sub images. Later stacked internally on the Seestar and slighly touched up with Google Photos.

Here is some informaiton from Wikipedia.

The Eagle Nebula (catalogued as Messier 16 or M16, and as NGC 6611, and also known as the Star Queen Nebula) is a young open cluster of stars in the constellation Serpens, discovered by Jean-Philippe de Cheseaux in 1745–46. Both the “Eagle” and the “Star Queen” refer to visual impressions of the dark silhouette near the center of the nebula,^[4][5] an area made famous as the “Pillars of Creation” imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope. The nebula contains several active star-forming gas and dust regions, including the aforementioned Pillars of Creation. The Eagle Nebula lies in the Sagittarius Arm of the Milky Way.

The post The Eagle Nebula – M16 (The Pilars of Creation) appeared first on Star Pictures Miami.

Like many of the images on this site, the M20 was captured with my Seestar S50 from my driveway in light polluted West Kendall. With a magnitude of 6.28 it can be easily captured by the Seestar.

I really like this nebula because it has a slight bluish green haze on the top portion and it is visable in the SE sky on clear nights.

The Trifid Nebula (catalogued as Messier 20 or M20 and as NGC 6514) is an H II region in the north-west of Sagittarius in a star-forming region in the Milky Way’s Scutum–Centaurus Arm.[3] It was discovered by Charles Messier on June 5, 1764.[4] Its name means ‘three-lobe’. The object is an unusual combination of an open cluster of stars, an emission nebula (the relatively dense, reddish-pink portion), a reflection nebula (the mainly NNE blue portion), and a dark nebula (the apparent ‘gaps’ in the former that cause the trifurcated appearance, also designated Barnard 85). Viewed through a small telescope, the Trifid Nebula is a bright and peculiar object, and is thus a perennial favorite of amateur astronomers.

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The night sky above your Miami driveway has unveiled a breathtaking celestial wonder – a portion of the Lagoon Nebula,captured by your Seestar S50 telescope. Even with a backyard instrument, the image reveals a captivating vista, brimming with vibrant hues and intricate cosmic structures.

Dominating the center stage is a maelstrom of gas and dust, swirling in a mesmerizing dance. Wispy tendrils of reddish-purple weave through the frame, tinged with hints of blues and grays. This is the nebula itself, a vast interstellar cloud where new stars are born. The red hues likely originate from glowing nitrogen, while the blues hint at the presence of excited oxygen.

Within this swirling nebula, a brilliant cluster of young stars steals the show. Known as NGC 6530, these stars appear like a dazzling scattering of diamonds against the backdrop of cosmic dust. Some twinkle brightly, their white light hinting at their immense youth and fervor. Others burn with a soft, yellowish glow, perhaps older siblings in this stellar family.

Look closely towards the center of the nebula. Here, the dance of gas and dust becomes particularly dramatic. A dark,cavernous void seems to have been carved out, its edges sculpted by powerful forces. This is likely the handiwork of a particularly energetic young star, hidden from our direct view within the nebula’s depths. Its intense ultraviolet radiation and powerful stellar winds are pushing back the surrounding gas and dust, creating this fascinating cavity.

The play of light and shadow continues across the image. Dark lanes of dust snake through the nebula, casting long,dramatic shadows. These dust lanes act like cosmic curtains, obscuring our view of the stellar drama unfolding behind them. Yet, they also contribute to the nebula’s beauty, adding depth and complexity to the scene.

Beyond the immediate expanse of the nebula, the starry tapestry of the Milky Way stretches outwards. Countless faint stars pepper the background, their light a soft counterpoint to the vibrant colors of the nebula. They serve as a reminder of the vastness of space, the countless galaxies and nebulae that lie beyond our own.

Your Miami backyard observation offers a glimpse into the dynamic processes of star formation. The Lagoon Nebula is a crucible of creation, where raw materials of gas and dust are being sculpted into celestial bodies. The young stars of NGC 6530 are just beginning their journeys, destined to shine brightly for millions or even billions of years.

This image captured by your Seestar S50 telescope is a testament to the wonders hidden within the night sky, even from an urban environment like Miami. It’s a window into the grand story of our universe, unfolding on a scale that dwarfs our human experience. With each observation, you become a participant in this cosmic saga, a witness to the birth of stars and the ongoing drama of stellar evolution.

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