Getting an affordable smart telescope, like the Dwarf Mini or Seestar S30, is easier and more rewarding than I thought.

From stargazing tents and meteor-watching camp chairs to solar eclipse glasses to smart telescopes, here’s the gear worth packing for trips to dark skies this summer.

A limited black-and-gold eclipse edition of ZWO’s compact 4K smart telescope, bundled with a magnetic solar filter and aimed ...