I learned about the ZWO in a chat group. A friend mentioned it’s great for tracking asteroids when they pass in front of faraway stars. I decided to buy one out of curiosity. It used to cost $399, but now it’s around $100 more. I ordered it on July 30 and it took a while to arrive because it was in high demand. Finally, I received it on November 24, 117 days later. The telescope, tripod, charging cord, and solar filter all fit into a small and lightweight carrying case that measures 12 inches by 12 inches.

PERFORMANCE

The ZWO S50 is a telescope for astronomy enthusiasts. It has a 2-inch wide lens, but with better resolution than most telescopes because it has three lenses. In a well-lit suburban area, we can see stars brighter than fifth magnitude. The ZWO S50 can even see faint objects down to the 9-10 magnitude range, depending on your location. It comes with a small tripod, but you can also mount it on any tripod with a standard 3/8 inch screw. The telescope is easy to align using the free, ZWO phone App. Just rotate it 180 degrees to calibrate it. The App also helps with leveling the telescope on a tripod.

DOES IT ALL 

Once your scope is calibrated and level, go back to the App and choose what you want to see. Tap the screen to make your choice and watch the magic of this new smart telescope. The ZWO will find the object for you and display it on your phone (or tablet) in real time. You can view it, take a photo, choose longer exposures to enhance the details, or even record a video of what you’re seeing. All the images will be automatically saved in your phone, tablet, or computer.

This is an amazing little piece of technology that will generate new levels of public interest in the night sky. 

Roger Dier