Yesterday saw us met up in London for Astrofest 2026. A pilgrimage we have been doing for many many years!! Always such a great day meeting up with great friends in the astronomy world. Astronomy Now magazine, SKA observatory and First Light Optics were amazingly generous and gifted us lots of goodies to give away to you lucky people attending our stargazing outreach events. We’re currently looking at organising our next astronomical event to attend! A big thank you to everyone that gifted each other treats and a big thank you to @hellyelly75 for baking such amazing chocolate brownies and Welsh cakes!! #astronomynowmagazine #skaobservatory #FLO @firstlightoptics@zwoastro@skaobservatory
How to Photograph the Bubble Nebula with the Seestar S30 🌌✨
Jamie is back under the night sky — this time capturing the Bubble Nebula and showing just how easy it is to use the Seestar S30 for deep-space imaging.
From setup to tracking, Jamie walks through how this smart telescope reveals the nebula layer by layer.
Astrophotography has never been more accessible — and you don’t need a huge telescope to get started.
Let us know what celestial target Jamie should photograph next! 🌠#ad
✨ Exploring Deep Space With the Seestar S30! ✨
Jamie spent the evening testing the Seestar S30 for the very first time — thank you First Light Optics for sending it out to try! In just one night she captured M45 (the Pleiades), and the Andromeda Galaxy — all while watching each object slowly reveal itself right in front of her on the screen. Absolutely mind-blowing for a compact telescope!
Clear, cold nights like this are perfect for stargazing… and they’re incredibly important too. Dark skies help birds migrate safely, support nocturnal wildlife, reduce disorientation for insects, and even improve our own sleep cycles. Protecting the night benefits everything that depends on natural light.
Swipe to see Jamie’s first-ever deep-space images — captured from Wales in the UK with the Seestar S30. 🌌ðŸ”
Let us know in the comments: Which galaxy should she photograph next?#ad
First Light Optics are not only helping sell Astons (aged 10) new book about space but will also match his donations, so a total of £4 will be donated to UK Astronomy from every sale! How amazing is that!
All we can say is THANK YOU so much for helping support Aston and UK Astronomy, together we can all inspire more people to look up in wonder.
FLO also have a fantastic beginners guide with recommended telescopes we love here:
/beginner-telescopes.html
Aston is kindly donating £2 per book, for the first 500x copies sold, to the charity UK Astronomy which you can find here: /books/things-about-space-by-aston-smith.html
UK Astronomy is a registered charity that educates, inspires and excites others by sharing knowledge and passion for space through outreach and public engagements.
Very tasty setup! ASI183MC-Pro with a Canon EF lens and the new Astromechanics ASCOM Canon lens adapter to control focusing / aperture: /adapters/astromechanics-ascom-aps-c-m42-to-canon-lens-controller-mark-ii.html
