He really should. I'd pitch in 50 EUR for that.
professional astronomy photos is an activity where the low end starts very expensive. Basic setups are in the thousands of dollars.
(For context: Reddit awards don't give the recipient anything except the ability to browse Reddit without any banner ads, and access to a special forum. If you make a big Reddit donation to someone, you're actually donating to Conde Nast, Spez, etc)