The Universe Is Closer Than You Think
A hands-on deep sky imaging session using the latest smart telescopes — no experience needed.
Check AvailabilityMaximum 2 guests per session · Gozo, Malta · Available year-round
Something changed recently. Astronomy will never be the same.
For most of its history, deep sky imaging — capturing photographs of galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters hundreds of millions of light years away — required thousands of euros of specialist equipment, months of learning, and a significant amount of patience with software that was never designed to be friendly.
That has changed. A new generation of smart telescopes, led by instruments like the ZWO Seestar S50 and the Dwarf Lab Mini, has quietly made all of that accessible to anyone with a sense of curiosity. These are compact, fully automated devices that connect to your phone, point themselves at the sky, track the stars, capture hundreds of exposures, and stack them into a finished image — while you watch it appear in real time on a screen in your hands.
The results are not a compromise. They are genuinely remarkable.
This session exists to show you what is now possible — and to let you create a deep sky image of your own, from scratch, under a dark Mediterranean sky, in an evening.
The Telescopes
Both instruments used in this session represent the current frontier of accessible astronomy. They are what happens when decades of optical and software engineering meets the smartphone era — and they work far better than they have any right to.
A compact all-in-one smart telescope with a built-in astronomy camera, motorised mount, electronic focuser, and dual-band light pollution filter. Controlled entirely via a smartphone app. Set it down, select a target, and it finds the object, locks on, and begins capturing immediately. Capable of imaging galaxies, nebulae, star clusters, and the Moon with no manual intervention whatsoever.
A lightweight smart telescope designed for portability without sacrificing capability. Like the Seestar, it is fully app-controlled and handles all tracking and stacking automatically. Its compact form makes it exceptionally easy to transport and set up — particularly useful for sessions away from a fixed location. Produces excellent results on a wide range of deep sky objects.
Why Dark Skies Matter
These telescopes are impressive. But they still need a reasonably dark sky to produce their best results — and that is something that is becoming harder to find.
Light pollution now affects the majority of the global population. Across most of Europe, the stars that were visible to every generation before ours have simply disappeared behind a permanent orange glow. Most people living in or near cities have never seen the Milky Way with their own eyes. Many never will, unless something changes.
Gozo has a number of locations that still benefit from Bortle 4–5 skies — a rural to semi-rural classification that places them among the darker sites available in the central Mediterranean. It is not a pristine dark sky location. But it is dark enough to image deep sky objects properly, and dark enough to make the loss of sites like this feel genuinely significant.
Part of the purpose of this session is to give people a direct, personal experience of what a darker sky makes possible — because it is difficult to care about protecting something you have never seen. Every person who leaves this session with an image of a galaxy on their phone has one more reason to care about what we are losing.
How the Session Works
Sessions last two and a half hours and are kept to a maximum of two guests. The format is relaxed and hands-on throughout — this is not a lecture, and you will be operating the telescopes yourself from early in the session.
Introduction
A brief overview of the night sky, the targets available, and how the telescopes work.
Target Selection
Choose what to image — galaxy, nebula, or star cluster — based on what is visible and what interests you most.
Setup & Alignment
The telescopes are set up and aligned. You do this — it takes minutes, not hours.
Capture & Live Stack
Imaging begins. Watch your target emerge on screen as the telescope stacks exposures in real time.
Processing
A guided introduction to basic image processing — bringing out detail, adjusting colour, and finishing your image.
Your Final Image
Leave with a finished deep sky image, captured and processed by you, saved to your phone.
Session Times
All sessions begin after astronomical twilight to ensure the darkest possible sky. Times vary by season.
🌙 Winter — 19:30 – 22:00
🌙 Spring — 20:30 – 23:00
🌙 Summer — 22:00 – 00:30
🌙 Autumn — 19:30 – 22:00
Please arrive 15 minutes before your session start time.
Gallery
Images captured during previous sessions using the Seestar S50 and Dwarf Lab Mini:
Pricing
€155 per person
For sessions of two guests sharing the experience.
€310 — Private Session
Exclusive use of both telescopes and the full two and a half hours for one person or one couple.
If conditions are unsuitable on the night of your session, you can reschedule without charge or receive a full refund. You will never pay for a cloudy sky.
Places are limited to two guests per session.
Advance booking is strongly recommended.
Complete the form below to check availability and secure your place.
Check Availability & Book
We will confirm your session within 24 hours of enquiry.
