Guides
Short, checkable explanations of the things that decide how a smart-telescope session goes. Every worked example comes from the same model as the calculator.
Which smart telescope should you buy?Picks by what you want to shoot and what you want to spend, with every scope on one table.
How long should my subs be?Longer subs only help once the sky is dark enough that read noise matters. From town the default is right; from a dark site, or with a dual-band filter, EQ mode and 60 s subs pay.Integration time explainedIntegration time is the sum of your kept subs. Doubling it improves the image by about 41%, so the first hour matters most and there is no ceiling, only diminishing returns.The Bortle scale for smart telescope ownersEach Bortle class is a step in skyglow. From a city sky to a rural one the same picture takes a tenth of the time; the scale is the biggest lever you have.EQ mode and field rotation on smart telescopesEQ mode tilts the scope so one axis follows the sky, removing field rotation and unlocking 60 s subs. It gathers no extra light; it matters from dark skies and behind a filter.Dual-band filters on smart telescopes: when they help and when they hurtA dual-band filter passes the two colours emission nebulae glow in and blocks most of the sky. Huge win on the Veil and North America; a clear loss on galaxies and clusters.Filters explained: VIS, Astro, UV/IR-cut, dual-band, CLS and solarEvery maker names its filters differently and two of the names mean the same thing. What each position does, scope by scope, and which ones matter for the numbers.
Also: how the numbers are worked out and head-to-head comparisons.