Drone tracking with ZWO S30 telescope

The Seestar S30 is an all-in-one smart telescope that has caught the attention of many amateur astronomers. It's designed to be user-friendly, making it accessible for those who are new to stargazing. The telescope combines a camera and a telescope into a single unit, which simplifies the process of capturing images of celestial objects. One of the features that stands out is its portability. Weighing in at 1.65 kilograms, it's light enough to carry to different observation sites without much effort.

Its compact size also means it doesn't take up much space, whether you're storing it at home or transporting it in your vehicle. The S30 comes with built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities. This allows for wireless control via a smartphone or tablet, eliminating the need for cumbersome cables. The accompanying app provides an intuitive interface for selecting objects to observe and capturing images.

The telescope's altazimuth mount offers a straightforward setup, which is beneficial for those who may not be familiar with more complex equatorial mounts. The mount's slew rate ranges from 1X to 1440X, providing flexibility in how quickly the telescope can move to track objects across the sky. In terms of optics, the S30 features a 30 mm aperture with a focal length of 150 mm, resulting in a focal ratio of f/5. The apochromatic triplet lens design helps in reducing chromatic aberration, leading to clearer images.

The telescope is equipped with two sensors: one for the telephoto lens and another for the wide-angle lens. The telephoto lens offers a resolution of 1080x1920, while the wide-angle lens provides 1920x1080. This dual-lens system allows for both close-up and wide-field observations, catering to different stargazing interests. Storage-wise, the S30 includes 64GB of eMMC storage, which is ample space for saving images and videos of your observations. The built-in battery has a capacity of 6000 mAh, offering a decent amount of usage time before needing a recharge. Charging is done via a USB Type-C port, which is a common standard, making it convenient to find compatible chargers.

The telescope operates within a recommended temperature range of -10°C to 40°C, making it suitable for various climates. The Wi-Fi range is up to 10 meters, and the Bluetooth range is up to 5 meters, which should be sufficient for most users controlling the telescope from a nearby device.

So how does drone tracking with ZWO S30 telescope work?

John from LearnToStargaze tested the Seestar S30’s ability to track drones, something he hadn’t tried before with any telescope. He set the telescope to scenery mode and attempted to track a small drone his son got for Christmas. The first attempt didn’t go as planned, the drone flew out of range before the S30 could lock onto it. He adjusted his approach and tried again, this time making sure the drone stayed in a more controlled flight path. Once he got the telescope to recognize the drone, he activated the tracking feature to see how well it could follow the moving target.

The S30 has two cameras, one for a wide-angle view and another for a zoomed-in perspective. The wide-angle camera helped keep the drone in sight while the zoomed-in camera provided a closer view of the object. At first, the autofocus struggled, but after a moment, it locked in and provided a sharper image. The tracking feature worked surprisingly well, allowing the telescope to stay locked onto the drone as it moved through the sky. This demonstrated that the S30 could follow moving objects in real time, a feature that isn’t common in telescopes designed for astrophotography.

John noted that the tracking feature had some limitations. The drone had to stay within a certain altitude range for the S30 to follow it properly. If it moved too high or too fast, the tracking would lose lock. Despite these challenges, the test showed that the S30 is capable of tracking objects other than celestial bodies, adding a unique function that could be useful for those interested in observing aircraft or satellites. The telescope’s ability to switch between wide and zoomed-in views also made it easier to monitor the drone’s movement.

This test added another layer to what the Seestar S30 can do. While its primary purpose is astrophotography, the ability to track drones and possibly other moving objects opens up new possibilities for its use. John seemed impressed with how well it handled tracking once he figured out the best way to keep the drone within its range. Though not perfect, the feature worked well enough to suggest that the S30 has more versatility than just capturing deep-sky objects.

Seestar S30 mosaic mode

 

Seestar S30 specifications

• Product model: Seestar S30
• Sensor: Telephoto lens: IMX662; Specific sensor for wide-angle lens
• Resolution: Telephoto: 1080x1920; Wide-angle: 1920x1080
• Aperture: 30 mm
• Focal ratio: f/5
• Focal length: 150 mm
• Optical lens: Apochromatic triplet
• Storage: 64GB eMMC
• Transmission Mode: Bluetooth; Wi-Fi 5G/2.4G; USB Type-C
• Working temperature: -10°C~40°C (Recommended)
• Mount type: Alt-azimuth
• Slew rate: 1X - 1440X
• Zero position: Mechanical
• Battery capacity: 6000 mAh
• Connection port: 3/8-16 inch
• Net weight: 1.65KG
• Power input: Type-C
• Wi-Fi reset: Support
• Size: 210mm x 140mm x 80mm
• Charging temperature: 0~40°C
• Wi-Fi Range: ≤ 10m
• Bluetooth range: ≤ 5m
• Working distance: 6m ~ ∞
   

Seestar S30 - Mosaic Mode, Drone Tracking, The Horsehead and More

Seestar S30 - Mosaic Mode, Drone Tracking, The Horsehead and More

John recently posted a video where he put the Seestar S30 telescope through its paces. He wanted to see how well it performed in different imaging scenarios, including its mosaic mode and its ability to track drones. The telescope is a smaller, more affordable alternative to the S50, making it a convenient option for those looking to get into astrophotography without spending a fortune.

He started by comparing the price of the S30 to other astrophotography gear. A single piece of equipment for attaching a camera to a beginner telescope can cost more than the entire S30. This makes it an outlier in the world of astronomy gear, where quality usually comes with a high price tag.

Since others had already done comparison videos between the S30 and S50, John focused on features he hadn’t tested before. He also wanted to see if the telescope could track planes and drones, something that had been demonstrated in another video. The plan was to take the S30 on a trip to California, where he hoped to get some clear skies for testing.

After arriving in California, he had to deal with holiday lights affecting the darkness of the sky. He set up the S30 at the top of a garden, surrounded by trees, but with a clear view of the Andromeda Galaxy overhead. The first step was calibration, which involved spinning the telescope to determine the difference between true north and magnetic north. He also had to adjust the leveling legs to ensure proper alignment.

Once calibration was complete, he pointed the telescope at Andromeda and started testing the mosaic mode. The process involved selecting a larger framing area in the app, letting the telescope capture different sections of the sky, and then stitching them together. The first frame appeared quickly, and over the next two hours, the telescope continued collecting exposures. However, some frames were dropped, possibly due to condensation forming on the telescope. He turned on the anti-dew heater to see if that would help.

After two and a half hours, the mosaic was almost finished. Despite some lost frames, the results looked promising. He packed up the equipment for the night, charged everything, and hoped for another clear night to continue testing.

The next test involved tracking a drone. Using the S30’s scenery mode, he attempted to lock onto a drone his son got for Christmas. The first attempt failed when the drone flew out of range, but after another try, the telescope successfully tracked it. The telescope has two cameras, one for a wide view and another for a close-up. Both views showed the drone in motion, and the autofocus seemed to work well, though it struggled at times.

After a few days of cloudy weather, he returned to Canada to continue testing. He set up the telescope for solar imaging, using a magnetic solar filter. The app had a built-in function to locate the Sun, but it initially struggled to find it. After switching to the wide-angle view, he manually selected the Sun and triggered the telescope’s tracking. With the exposure settings adjusted, he captured detailed images of sunspots.

The final test was imaging the Horsehead Nebula. He started by focusing the telescope on the star Betelgeuse, then moved to the nebula using a light pollution filter. He framed the shot, adjusted the exposure time to 20 seconds, and let the telescope run. While waiting for the exposures to stack, he took a quick photo of the Orion constellation. Even with just a few seconds of exposure, the image revealed a surprising amount of detail.

After an hour of collecting exposures, he noticed that some stacks were failing. He suspected the cold temperatures might be affecting the telescope. Despite that, the nebula was visible in the stacked image. He transferred the raw files to his computer for processing, using free software to extract background noise and enhance details. After some adjustments in Photoshop, he was satisfied with the final result.

For a $350 telescope, the S30 delivered impressive results. The mosaic mode worked well, though some frames were lost. Drone tracking was successful after a few attempts, and solar imaging provided clear views of sunspots. Even in cold temperatures, the telescope managed to capture the faint details of the Horsehead Nebula. John wrapped up the video by encouraging viewers to subscribe and check out his books on stargazing.

Meet the Seestar S30 – Tiny, Mighty, and Packed with Features!

Meet the Seestar S30 – Tiny, Mighty, and Packed with Features!

Buy the Seestar S30