So like others in this thread, I bought a used telescope, a 8" Dobsonian in my case, and it's absolutely massive, like 5 feet tall. Totally different than this SeeStar. And I don't see things like the photos in this article through my telescope. Those nebulas? No way.

So I have to ask - am I getting a more "genuine" viewing experiencing? Are stacking and perhaps AI enhancements reflecting the real night sky? Or is SeeStar/iPhone/Pixel output drifting more towards generative art?

Looking directly through? Or taking photos through?

With photos you can have a longer exposure and see things too faint for the naked eye, not just too small. I'd guess that's what's happening here. You could very probably blow this smart cam out of the water with pictures taken through your telescope. Especially if you can have it track whatever you're shooting to allow very long exposures

The main problem here is - purely visual, you will have a very hard time seeing galaxies and pretty much no chance of seeing nebulae, specially in color. The objects are pretty faint and at best, you will see a milky smush. Those nebulae I capture send out light in wavelengths not visible to the human eye, so you'll have no chance of seeing them live.

There are some night-vision eyepieces which boost contrast and lightness - really cool but also pretty expansive.

> am I getting a more "genuine" viewing experiencing? That's a nearly philosophical question and the answer is yes and no. You will be able to see object you normally would not and the image you get is correct in the way that colors for example represent certain gases, so they are not fake, but also not realistic in the way of how you would see it with your naked eye.