Introduction to
Smart
Telescopes
Deep Space. Your Backyard.
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The telescope does the hard part.
Erik shows you the rest.
About the Course
Photographing nebulas, galaxies, and star clusters used to take thousands of dollars in gear and a lot of troubleshooting. Not anymore. In this course, Erik Kuna introduces you to smart telescopes: compact, all-in-one devices, many under $1,000, that find, track, focus, and stack your deep-sky images automatically, all from your phone or tablet. You'll learn how they work, what they shoot best (and what they don't), and how to choose the right one for the targets you want to capture. Then he walks you through your first night out, from setup to editing, so you can start making deep-sky images from your own backyard.
Why This Course Matters
A 20x30 metal print from a 2.2-megapixel telescope, shot in a backyard.
That's what's possible once you know what really matters in astrophotography: clean data, time on target, and knowing the sky. Megapixels, big budgets, and perfectly dark skies matter far less than you'd think. This course gives you that understanding before you spend a dime, so you buy the right telescope once, skip the frustrating first nights, and open up a universe of subjects your camera bag can't reach.
Who's Teaching You
Learn from a photographer who has spent years pointing cameras at the sky
Erik Kuna is best known for photographing rocket launches, and deep-sky imaging is a hobby he has followed for years. He has watched astrophotography go from a trunk full of gear to a box you can carry in one hand, and here he shows you exactly how to get started.
Erik Kuna is KelbyOne's Vice President of Operations and a rocket launch photographer who covers SpaceX, ULA, and other launch providers for news agencies and media outlets. A longtime astrophotography enthusiast, he teaches the night sky the way he shoots it: keep the gear simple, learn the sky, and give every target the time it deserves.
What You'll Learn
Everything you need for your first clear night
From choosing a telescope to stacking your first nebula — here's what you'll walk away knowing how to do.
Know what a smart telescope can (and can't) shoot
Bright nebulas, big galaxies, star clusters, the moon, and the sun are in. Planets and small galaxies are a tougher ask, and you'll know why before you buy.
Understand what's happening inside the box
Tracking, stacking, plate solving, and autofocus in plain English, so the app's automation never feels like a mystery.
Stop chasing megapixels
Why total exposure time and clean data matter more than resolution, and how a 2-megapixel telescope can still produce a big print.
Pick the right telescope for your targets
Aperture, field of view, and price across today's Seestar and Dwarf models, translated into focal lengths you already know.
Nail your first night out
Charge, update, connect, level, pick a bright target, and let it stack for at least 20 minutes before you judge the result.
Shoot through light pollution
When to switch on a dual-band filter, how to work around the moon, and when a drive to darker skies is worth it.
Try Before You Join
Watch a full lesson, free
No signup. No credit card. Press play.
That's one full lesson, free. The other nine are ready when you are.
The Full Curriculum
10 lessons, start to finish
Just watched Lesson 2? Here's everything around it — tap any lesson to see what's covered.
Erik shows how a $300–$800 all-in-one telescope now does the job of a complicated rig, and what that means for you.
Learn how these phone-controlled telescopes find, track, and stack automatically, and which targets they shoot best.
See how astrophotography setup went from a pile of separate components to a one-minute start, and what you trade for the convenience.
Tracking, stacking, plate solving, autofocus, and filters, explained in plain English so you know exactly what your telescope is doing.
Find out why a 2-megapixel telescope can outperform a high-resolution camera, and what to focus on instead.
Tour today's options, from $300 Seestar and Dwarf starters to $4,000 premium models like the Celestron Origin, plus the features and accessories that matter.
Erik's simple bowl-of-water analogy explains why bigger apertures gather light faster and cost more.
Compare Seestar and Dwarf models in the focal lengths you already know, so you can match a telescope to your targets.
Follow Erik's step-by-step walkthrough of charging, connecting, picking a bright target, letting it stack for at least 20 minutes, and editing in the app.
Erik shares the best beginner targets by season, tips for working around the moon and light pollution, and the reason experience beats expensive gear.
All 10 lessons are streaming right now. Join KelbyOne for just 54¢ a day →
From the Course
A look inside the course
Loved by Members
You're in good company
Rated 4.8 out of 5 — "Excellent" — across 1,843 reviews on Trustpilot. Here's what members say.
KelbyOne is so inspiring, exhilarating, fascinating and downright exceptional. Every aspect of KelbyOne is like a good novel that you can't put down. Great technical and useful knowledge.
These courses don't treat you like you're an idiot, but still walk you through step by step. Other members really go the extra mile to help you understand and progress as a photographer.
I am soooo pleased that I found this program. I am learning and growing by crazy leaps and bounds in my photography skills. The teaching style makes everything stick.
The classes are well done and I always learn something new. I especially enjoy the no-nonsense approach to teaching. It keeps what could be a dry topic interesting.
More Than One Course
This course is just the beginning
Introduction to Smart Telescopes comes with your KelbyOne membership — and so does everything below. Tap any benefit to see what's included.
The full KelbyOne library covers photography, Lightroom, and Photoshop from first principles to professional technique — portraits, landscape, travel, studio and flash, wedding, sports, street, food, fashion, business, and more. Every course is taught by a working pro, broken into focused lessons you can watch in any order, and available to stream whenever you want. Start a class on your lunch break, finish it that night, and come back to it any time you need a refresher.
KelbyOne releases a new course every single week, so your membership is worth more the longer you hold it. New techniques, new gear, new software releases, and new instructors are added continuously — meaning the latest in photography and post-processing is always waiting for you, and you'll never pay extra for it.
Not sure what to watch next? Curated learning tracks sequence the right courses in the right order so you build skills step by step instead of jumping around. The Photographer's Fast Track is designed to save you years of trial and error, and your progress is tracked along the way so you always know what you've finished and what's next.
Your membership includes a growing toolkit of free Lightroom presets, Photoshop brushes, and other downloadable resources you can put to work right away. Many courses also include downloadable practice files so you can follow along with the exact images the instructor is using — learning by doing, not just watching.
Stream on your computer, phone, tablet, or Apple TV and pick up right where you left off on any device. The KelbyOne app also lets you download classes for offline viewing, so you can keep learning on a plane, a road trip, or anywhere without a connection. Your account works anytime, anywhere.
Learning is easier with people in your corner. KelbyOne members are a welcoming, genuinely helpful community — the kind who go out of their way to answer questions and help you progress. When a technique doesn't click, there's a place to ask, and real photographers at every level who are happy to help.
If you're unhappy for any reason, contact us within the first 30 days of an annual membership (or the first 7 days of a monthly membership) and we'll gladly cancel and issue a full refund. You also get access the moment you join, and you can cancel anytime from your account page. There's nothing to lose by trying it.
Membership
One membership. Everything unlocked.
Introduction to Smart Telescopes and the entire library of courses come with a KelbyOne membership. Go annual and you'll pay just $249 $199 — about 54¢ a day — and save $40 over paying monthly.
Everything included
- This course — Introduction to Smart Telescopes, all 10 lessons
- Full access to all 1,000+ courses
- A new course every week, at no extra cost
- Guided learning tracks & the Photographer's Fast Track
- Free presets, brushes & downloadable practice files
- Watch on desktop, mobile, tablet & Apple TV — even offline
- Friendly, helpful member community
Still on the fence?
Start monthly at $19.99/mo and switch to annual anytime. Heads up: paying month-to-month works out to $239.88 a year — $40 more than going annual.
Backed by a 100% Money-Back Guarantee
Not happy for any reason? Contact us within the first 30 days of an annual membership (or the first 7 days of a monthly membership) and we'll gladly cancel and issue a full refund. You get access the moment you join.
Questions? Answered.
Everything you need to know
Right away. The moment you join, you can sign in and start watching Introduction to Smart Telescopes — and every other course in the library — immediately, on any device.
Absolutely. KelbyOne has courses for every skill level, taught in plain language, step by step. This course meets you where you are, and the rest of the library grows with you as you improve.
No. The course is built for photographers who haven't bought one yet. Erik explains how smart telescopes work, what they shoot best, and how today's models compare, so you can choose the right one before you spend anything. If you already own one, the first-night walkthrough and target tips will help you get more out of it.
Annual is the best value by a wide margin: $199 for a full year (regularly $249) works out to about 54¢ a day and saves you $40 compared to paying month-to-month ($239.88/year). Monthly is there if you'd rather start small — and you can switch to annual anytime.
Yes. Cancel whenever you like from your account page and you'll keep access until your membership period ends. You're also covered by our money-back guarantee — 30 days on annual, 7 days on monthly — so there's no risk in trying it.
Yes. Stream on desktop, mobile, tablet, and Apple TV, and pick up right where you left off on any device. The KelbyOne app also lets you download classes to watch offline — on a plane, a road trip, anywhere.
Of course — KelbyOne has members all over the world. All prices are listed in US dollars (USD), so just keep your local exchange rate in mind at checkout and renewal.
Yes. Watch the trailer at the top of this page, then scroll down to Lesson 2, A Telescope Built to Photograph, which is free to watch in full. No signup or credit card needed. If you like how Erik teaches, the rest of the course is one membership away.
The night sky is closer than you think.
Erik shows you how to reach it.
Join KelbyOne today and stream Introduction to Smart Telescopes — plus 1,000+ more courses from the world's best instructors — with a single membership.
Join KelbyOne & Start Watching$249 $199/year · about 54¢ a day · Money-back guarantee