Buying guide
How to choose a smart telescope for your sky
Start with what you want to photograph and from where. Field of view decides what fits in one frame, your horizon decides what you can reach, and your sky quality decides how long you need to stack. Price comes last.
1. Pick the field of view for your targets
Large targets (Andromeda, the Pleiades, big nebulae) need a wide field; small galaxies and planetary nebulae need a narrow one. In our catalogue the widest native field is the Seestar S30 Pro (3.99° × 2.24°) and the narrowest the Odyssey Pro (0.75° × 0.56°). The Odyssey frames the most of our 20 popular targets well (11).
2. Check your horizon
A balcony or a garden with trees can hide half the sky. Low southern targets such as the Lagoon and Trifid nebulae are often blocked at northern latitudes. Use the planner with your own horizon before you buy.
3. Be realistic about light pollution
From a city, bright nebulae and clusters work well; faint galaxies need many more minutes of stacking or a trip to darker skies. Smart telescopes cope better than the eye, but they do not remove light pollution.
4. Then weigh portability and price
Lighter models travel more easily; the lowest official price in our catalogue is the Seestar S30 at $399. Compare complete setups including tripod, solar filter and power bank where you need them.