Pushing the limits of Seestar: Alessandro Passeggia's Journey
Good day, explorers of the cosmos! My name is Alessandro Passeggia, artistically known as DRO. I’m a 21-year-old amateur astronomer from Italy, and astronomy has been part of my life for the past four years.
I became deeply involved in this passion at 17. Today, I’m a science communicator with AstroCampania, working through its astronomical observatories and communities in Italy. Over time, my work has taken me from local astronomy groups to magazines and even the attention of space and research organizations.
My goal has always been simple: to see how far I can push an instrument beyond what people expect from it.
My main instrument is the Seestar S50. I’ve been fascinated by how much more can be achieved through careful acquisition and advanced processing with tools such as PixInsight, Siril, AutoStakkert, AstroSurface, and RegiStax.
For me, though, astrophotography is not only about showing beautiful images. Every photograph has a story behind it.
One of the most meaningful was my HDR image of the 2026 lunar eclipse. Captured with the Seestar S50, it was selected by the Italian Space Agency (ASI) as one of the best images of the eclipse and was also featured by astronomy communities and organizations including Passione Astronomia and INAF EDU.
Another project was my HDR Mineral Moon of the Buck Full Moon, which later appeared on RAI Meteo. By increasing the saturation during processing, the subtle color differences across the lunar surface become visible, revealing variations linked to its mineral composition.
The Seestar has also allowed me to explore much more challenging targets.
I captured Comet C/2023 A3, followed its movement, and later experimented with imaging Pluto. By comparing multiple sessions with star maps and observing its movement against the background stars, I was able to identify the dwarf planet. The project attracted attention among amateur astronomers and was also featured by Coelum Astronomia.
Other experiments included imaging Sirius, exploring the possibility of detecting its companion Sirius B, and capturing Neptune together with Triton, its largest moon. Each project pushed me to better understand what a small telescope can reveal when observation, processing, and experimentation come together.
One of my favorite projects was the Orion Nebula, created by combining data from two Seestars—one operated by me and another by fellow astrophotographer JemHadar444(a user on the Discord group about Seestar). By combining the integration time and individual frames, we produced one of the cleanest Orion images I had achieved with this setup.
These experiences have changed the way I look at the Seestar. For me, it is not simply a smart telescope. It is a tool for experimentation—one that encourages people to test limits, learn new techniques, and look at familiar objects in new ways.
At only 21, I still feel that I am at the beginning of this journey. But one idea continues to stay with me:
“Now I have become the Pioneer… the Explorer of Worlds.”
And I’m curious to see just how far this journey can go.
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