The Arrival of a Tiny Giant
Yesterday, a small box arrived that promised to bridge the gap between my terrace and the deep reaches of space: the DWARF mini. In an age where we are often glued to small screens for trivialities, this device uses technology to turn our eyes upward, reminding us of the vastness that the ancient texts have long contemplated.

The DWARF Mini: A Loaf of Bread That Sees Stars
To capture these images, I used the DWARF Mini. It’s an incredible piece of engineering—weighing only about 840 grams (roughly the same as a loaf of bread!), yet it houses a Sony IMX662 sensor and a 150mm telephoto lens. It’s a “smart” telescope, meaning it handles the complex star-tracking and autofocusing via an app, making astrophotography accessible even from a backyard in Bengaluru.

I’m still learning the nuances of this smart tech—figuring out the best stacking times and how to frame these distant wonders. But even in these first “wide” views, the connection to the universe feels more personal than ever.

1. The Moon: A Silent Witness
My first target was the Moon. Even at a 0.1s exposure, the detail is breathtaking. Looking at the craters, I’m reminded of how the Moon has been a steady companion in our history—constant yet ever-changing in its phases.

2. M41: A Celestial Gathering
Next, I pointed the DWARF toward M41, an open cluster in Canis Major. To the naked eye, it’s a faint smudge; through the telescope, it’s a brilliant gathering of stars. It reminds me of the concept of Satsang—a community of light-bearers coming together to create something more luminous than they could alone.

3. M104: The Sombrero Galaxy – 30 Million Light Years Away
Finally, I tracked M104, the Sombrero Galaxy. While it appears small in this wide-angle view, the thought that I am capturing light that traveled for 30 million years is humbling. In our fast-paced modern life, looking at a galaxy teaches us the ultimate lesson in patience and scale.

The Might of M104
To put that little “smudge” of light into perspective, here is what we are actually looking at:

The Weight of 800 Billion Suns: NASA estimates that M104 has a mass equivalent to 800 billion suns. It is one of the most massive objects in the Virgo galaxy cluster.

A Billion-Solar-Mass Black Hole: At its very center lies a supermassive black hole. For comparison, the black hole at the center of our Milky Way is about 4 million times the mass of our Sun; M104’s is estimated to be nearly one billion times as massive.

A “Hat” of Dust: The “brim” of the sombrero is actually a massive lane of dust and gas that is a primary site for star formation.

Ancient Neighbors: The galaxy is home to nearly 2,000 globular clusters—ten times more than our own Milky Way. Some of these star clusters are up to 13 billion years old, nearly as old as the universe itself.

Verified References for Further Reading:
NASA’s Hubble Gallery: Messier 104
The Sombrero Galaxy Overview (Wikipedia)

A Journey Across Continents: Words of Thanks
This cosmic journey wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible kindness of a few special people who helped bring the universe a little closer to me.

I want to extend my deepest gratitude to Suchitra and Sanjay Rao. They believed in this vision early on, securing the pre-order all the way back in January 2026. Your foresight and help in navigating the initial steps were the foundation of this project.

I also wish to offer my most sincere heartfelt  thanks, gratitude and regards to Dr. Emmanuelle Voisin.

Despite her demanding schedule as a CEO, she very graciously and kindly agreed to carry this telescope all the way from France specifically for me🙏💐

To both of you: thank you for your generosity and for being the “stars” that helped make this possible.

Your kindness is a reminder that while telescopes help us see the light of distant suns, the brightest light often comes from the people around us.

Thank you for taking the time to read through ☺️