There was a lot of discussion going on in the “old” forum and it would be a shame if the forum-software switch would kill the discussion. So here is a new home for comments.
I’ve submitted a few data points done with Phoranso on the R , G , B channels of images stacked by the Seestar itself for the Nova in Vulpecula (observer code EHEA) and especially the TR filter results look ok-ish. TG scatters a lot also for other observers, I guess the object is too red and has too much emission in a relatively narrow (H_alpha, right?) band right at the edge of the filter, so that doesn’t make much sense. TB is consistent with others observers but very much off wrt. the corresponding Johnson B filter.
I’m making light curves for eclipsing binaries I observed the past few weeks. Is it Ok to use V magnitudes for aperture photometry in the TG band/channel? I mean, do we just assume G is the same as V but then report it as TG? I know there’s a transformation process also but I’m still trying to figure out how to work that out. Anyways, light curves for eclipsing binaries with ~1 mag variation look pretty good after averaging ~4-6 images at a time. I’ll eventually quantify precision but it’s certainly not ~0.01 mag level from the city. I did a few nights under dark skies so maybe those will give us a better idea of the maximum precision possible. Stay tuned!
IF your camera image has a TG bayer filter channel, report your magnitude as TG but use the known V comparison star magnitudes for untransformed photometry.
I use it in particular from time to time for magnitude estimates on LPV. I have good feedback using the ASTAP software. It automatically recognizes variable stars in the field. The FITS files are calibrated and it allows me to make reliable estimates without having to resort to differential photometry. ASTAP photometrically calibrates the entire image ; just note the magnitude of the variable star. This only works with the green layer (TG) but for me it is sufficient. I regularly obtain values between 0.05 and 0.1 magnitude compared to other observers in CCD Green or visually.
I don’t own a smart telescope but watching these products closely as they become better and better for photometry.
There is an Astronomical League Live webinar by Dr. Barbara Harris “Doing Science with Seestar”. It’s coming on October 25, 2024 at 7pm EDT. @BHarrisHBB
I’ve produced a Youtube video along similar lines of doing science with the Seestar. It covers photometry and astrometry of variable stars, comets and asteroids.
Well done and thank you very much Andrew for sharing your experience with the Seestar. Until now, I was pointing stars and running my program from the original ZWO application for smartphone and tablet. Thanks to you, I discover the possibility of automating my observations on LPV lists with the python language from Windows. You probably used “seestar_run”. Have you tried “seestar_alp” ? It seems to offer an even wider field of automation for the Seestar.
Thanks for the “Heads.Up” on the Webinar that Dr, Barbara Harris is offering on the Astronomical League: “Doing Science with Seestar”. I have a Seestar and I use it for Outreach, so I think this is one talk not to miss.
I am currently studying your video. I purchased a SeeStar S50 late last year, and I would like to use it for accurate variable star photometry. Dr. Barbara Harris is giving me tips, but I am an absolute beginner for this type of data gathering.
My video is a little bit out of date! Things have moved on with a key enabler now being the Seestar working in EQ mode which I find has really helped particularly for long time series photometry where field rotation is no longer an issue. The native Seestar app has also improved with a planning mode to enable you to set up the S50 to run all night and also the ability to take flat frames. Seestar_alp software has now also progressed and this is my go to software to control the Seestar. However the basic premise of the video still remains. Attached is recent time series photometry on a southern eclipsing binary from my light polluted backyard.
I have been doing photometry with my S50 from my Bortle 7 yard. The plan feature certainly helps with creating both long term and short term observing sessions. I can use the data to look at the same object several times a night. I typically will use a group average sub or about 240-360 seconds (12-18 subs at 20 sec exposure). Using a group average lets me see a little deeper, and reduces the noise in the data.
A few weeks ago, I produced a short video using a SeeStar S50, the TychoTracker software, and some Python programming during an approximately 5-hour session on SX Phe.
It can be found on YouTube under the title:
SX Phe: 5-Hour Loop of a Delta Scuti Star’s Pulsations and Light Curve
There is another video on C/2025 K1 (Atlas) comet under the title:
SS S50: Comet C/2025 K1 (Atlas)
From my perspective, the SeeStar S50 is a highly versatile and affordable instrument for producing and teaching various astronomy-related topics.
