The world of amateur astronomy is changing. In fact, there just might be a revolution going on. We might be at a watershed moment! The era of the smart telescopes has arrived!
These are fully automated telescopes that connect through your smart phone or tablet. They have all the information necessary to find objects in the night sky. And … they take images! Yes, no more squinting through a small eyepiece. You can now sit back and see the cosmos in full living color! Note, however, that these telescopes are not good for imaging the planets. Their focus is on deep-sky objects such as nebulae and galaxies, as well as the Sun (with an appropriate filter), and the Moon.
Many of these telescopes and accessories can be purchased directly from the manufacturer (e.g. ZWO and Dwarf Labs) or from other suppliers of astronomical equipment such as High Point Scientific, Agena Astro, and Astronomics.
You might start with one of the several small and compact smart telescopes that are priced in the $400 to $700 range. The most recent releases are the ZWO Seestar S30 Pro and the Dwarf Mini.
ZWO SeeStar
Several FAS members now have the ZWO Seestar S50. FAS also owns the smaller and more compact ZWO Seestar S30. The ZWO Seestar S30 Pro, with enhanced optics, is now available as well (see our recent post). We are hearing that the Seestar S50 will be discontinued and replaced by a Seestar S50 Pro in the near future.
For more about the Seestar S50 and S30 smart telescopes, including detailed purchasing and usage information, see ZWO Seestar Smart Telescopes.
Dwarf Labs
Dwarf labs has their Dwarf 3, which replaced the Dwarf 2 and is an alternative to the Seestar. Also, the Dwarf Mini, a smaller and less expensive version of the Dwarf 3, is now available (see our recent post).
By default, both the Seestar and Dwarf telescopes operate in alt/az mode. However, they now can be operated in EQ mode as well. To facilitate this, ZWO supplies an HT fluid tripod head, while Dwarf Labs offers a mini tripod with hydraulic head. Some folks prefer 3rd party heads such as the Sky-Watcher base.
There are several more sophisticated and expensive smart telescopes on the market to choose from. At the top of the price range ($4,300) is the Celestron Origin Mark II. Other smart telescopes can be purchased from Vaonis and Unistellar. See our Smart Telescopes page for more information.
Imaging with a smart telescope is relatively easy, but not just a single click and go. You first have to balance the telescope (alt/az mode) or align it to celestial north (EQ mode). You will then take multiple 10 second to 1 minute images as the telescope tracks your target across the sky. Most telescopes will slowly stack the images to give you a live look at your composite result and you will be able to save the final image to your phone or tablet. In many cases, you can also go back and review your individual frames (subs) for defects, re-stack your raw images, and post-process the result using tools and techniques available on the smart telescope app or with 3rd party software.
Seestar S50 images, Credit: Bruce Gavett
Seestar S30 Images (after post-processing). Credit: Joe Haberthier (Telescopius License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
Dwarf 2 & Dwarf Mini images, Credit: Sean Wood
Build Your Own “Smart Telescope”
Another interesting approach is found in a YouTube video by The Space Koala (Build Your Own Smart Scope! Easy as a SeeStar, Pro results!). It utilizes a smart camera from ZWO, a mount also from ZWO, and the Askar V telescope. Below is a list of the hardware discussed in the video (along with a few other choices).
- Telescope: Askar V
- Camera: ZWO ASI585MC Air or ASI2600MC Air
- Mount: ZWO AM3N or AM5N
- Focuser: ZWO EAFN or ZWO EAF Pro
The Askar V might be hard to find, however, it is still available at High Point Scientific as of January 2026. There are several other options for the telescope. Askar has a couple alternatives (SQA55 and SQA70). You could also go with a ZWO telescope (FS65, FS80, FS107, FS130). A third option are the Redcat telescopes from Williams Optics (CAT 51, CAT 61, CAT 71, CAT 91). See telescopes for astrophotography for more suggestions.
Here are a few online articles and videos about smart telescopes.
- “Best Budget Smart Telescope 2026? Seestar S30, S30 Pro & S50 vs Dwarf 3 & Mini.” Wido’s AstroForum/YouTube. February 12, 2026.
- “Vaonis Vespera 3 & Pro 2 — What’s New (And Who Should Buy One).” Anthony Robinson | Skies & Scopes/YouTube. April 15, 2026.
Find out more from FAS below.
Please note that FAS does not officially endorse or recommend these or any other telescopes, accessories, or suppliers. We simply provide information that might be interesting and useful for the public.
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