In astrophotography, long exposure refers to letting the camera collect starlight over an extended period of time. Many astrophotographers may have heard the well-known rule of thumb:  "Expose as long as you can, as long as it' s not overexposed."

Since Seestar is designed with an alt-azimuth mount, we instead use the method of short exposures stacked in large numbers.

If the exposure time is brief, the sensor will record solely the brightest stars. However, by extending the exposure, more of the faint signal is accumulated, and the intricate structures of nebulae are rendered visible.

Tap the "Me" page to access Seestar settings.

Tap on "Enhance EXP" and choose your desired duration.

Longer exposures also improve the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), resulting in cleaner, sharper images.

However, exposure time is not always "the longer, the better" - Earth' s rotation can cause field rotation, and light pollution may brighten the frame, both of which can reduce stacking efficiency.

Tips:

Adjust exposure according to your environment (light pollution, transparency, tracking) to balance clarity and stability.

Recommended exposure times:

In Alt-Az (Altitude-Azimuth) Mode: Recommended 10 seconds
In Equatorial Mode: Recommended 20-30 seconds