Meet Thomas Vanbever, a 37-year-old real estate consultant from Belgium — husband, father, and proof that you don’t need a science degree to reach for the stars. 🚀
Just three years ago, Thomas didn’t know the constellations or have any experience in astrophotography. Living in one of the most light-polluted countries in the world, the night sky above Belgium rarely showed its true beauty.
But one December night changed everything.
While on vacation in Fuerteventura, Spain — one of Europe’s darkest places — Thomas and his family heard about a meteor shower and decided to watch it from a volcanic crater in the middle of nowhere.
Under a sky bursting with stars, they witnessed the Geminid meteor shower in all its glory. Shooting stars streaked across the heavens, and Thomas captured the moment with nothing more than a camera and tripod.
The next morning, while reviewing the photos, he noticed something strange — a faint, glowing cloud he couldn’t identify. After some searching, he discovered what he had accidentally photographed: the Orion Nebula (M42). 🌠
That moment sparked a fire.
Back home in Belgium, despite cloudy skies and heavy light pollution, Thomas was determined to learn. He started with an old Canon 650D, then modified it for astrophotography, bought a Skywatcher Star Adventurer, and learned polar alignment, calibration frames, and photo stacking — everything from scratch. His curiosity turned into skill, and his skill turned into passion.
Two years later, he discovered the Seestar S50 Smart Telescope — and everything changed again.
“The Seestar gave me freedom,” Thomas says. “It captured better images than my old setup and let me spend more time enjoying the night, not fighting with cables and tracking.”
With each update — from Alt/Az to EQ mode, and the ability to stack over multiple nights — the Seestar grew more powerful, helping Thomas capture deep-sky images he once thought were impossible from Belgium.
Today, the same man who once couldn’t name the constellations is now sharing breathtaking photos of galaxies and nebulae — all while inspiring others to look up and start their own cosmic journey.
✨ “It’s amazing how one magical night under the stars can change the course of your life.”
