Seestar S50 Deep-Dive: Master City Astrophotography in 2026

The Seestar's performance relies on real-time lucky imaging. By accumulating hundreds of short 10-second exposures and 'stacking' them, the software mathematically increases the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) while rejecting transient noise sources.

Pro Tip: In a Bortle 8 or 9 sky, the built-in Light Pollution filter isn't optional—it's essential. Make sure it's toggles 'ON' in the 'Advanced Settings' before you start your session.

Shooting from a city balcony presents unique challenges: limited horizon and huge thermal currents.

1. Leveling is Non-Negotiable: Even if the app says you're 'close,' get it perfect. Use the on-screen leveling bubble until it turns green.
2. Thermal Equilibrium: Set the Seestar outside 15 minutes before you start. The small triplet lens needs to cool to ambient temperature for sharp stars.
3. The Target Angle: Avoid targets below 30 degrees altitude. City haze and 'heat plumes' from neighboring buildings will ruin your contrast.
4. Gain Management: In the city, don't use 'Enhanced' gain unless it's a very dim target; it can blow out the light pollution and lose star color.
5. Dithering: The Seestar automatically 'dithers' (shifts pointing between frames). This is critical for eliminating correlated pattern noise (walking noise) during stacking.

Not all targets are built for city imaging. Stick to these for the best results:

• The Orion Nebula (M42): Bright enough to look great even with 10 minutes of data.
• The Rosetta Nebula: Needs at least 60 minutes, but the dual-band filter brings out incredible reds.
• The Moon & Sun: High-resolution planetary mode makes these easy wins.
• The Pleaides (M45): Watch out for the 'blue' reflection nebula; it's harder in the city than emissive (red) nebulae.

The Seestar saves 'Stacked JPGs' to your phone, but it also saves 'Raw FITS' files to its internal memory.

The Secret Sauce: Download the raw .FITS files to your computer and use a free tool like Siril or ASIStudio. Stacking the raw data manually allows you to remove gradients (the uneven glow from city lights) far better than the internal mobile app can.