Unistellar eVscope

[Datalord]

https://phys.org/news/2017-07-telescope-revolutionize-amateur-astronomy.html

Comments? 

Sounds like hype to me, but technology tend to leap. 

[PeterW]

Was about at CES in January, still waiting for people to get hands on experience and feedback. Promising announcement, crowdsourcing can be hit and miss. It tracks and digitally accumulates an image. Auto ID is already available with the Skysense so should work fine. I am keen for experienced amateurs and EEA/video observers have a look.... the public threshold for "wow" can be low. I do hope it lives up to the billing as it could be a real powerful weapon for outreach, especially in urban locations. Also keen to see how it deals with light pollution as internal processing could do some great things.

PeterW

 

[Peter Drew]

No great surprise, I predicted something like this sometime ago on a SGL thread asking what future developments in astronomy we foresaw. Having had some previous experience with integrated video imaging which in near realtime exposure appeared to treble the aperture performance of the telescope compared to visual, the claims made for this new innovation don't seem overly hyped.  

[Bathurst]

looks good to me as an entry level telescope, apparently $1000 so "cheap" enough for the average new user, depends if production can keep up with demand if there is enough of one. Interesting technology though and certainly a view to the future of astronomy.

[paulastro]

I wonder if they will do it in different colours, I'd like a red one .

[paulastro]

More information here

http://www.unistellaroptics.com/en/product

[AngryDonkey]

So basically a live stacking scope with platesolving goto that you can link with all your friends ! Skynet here we come... 

[RobertI]

I wish them the best of luck, it looks like a great idea. I know EAA/video astronomers have been using image intensifiers for many years to (I believe) enhance the eyepiece view. This new product seems to be bringing together a number of technologies with some interesting twists namely, the head up display, the sharing of data and the direct comparison of the eyepiece view with the enhanced view. Personally I would not be that interested in paying to share data, and I think the head up display would not work for me, but I like the idea of the enhanced view and being able to compare this with the eyepice view.  

[Peter Drew]

The more I read about it and think about it, the more I see it as a clever marriage of existing technologies in one package rather than a completely new optical design. Unless the onboard detector is significantly better than current integrating video cameras then the latter applied to larger instruments will win out in similar time frames. The new instrument should provide an excellent grab & go or holiday size unit. Eagerly awaiting further information.    

[Cjg]

Lots of discussions on Cloudy Nights about the use of Image Intensifiers at the eyepiece...Anything that advances our hobby gets a "thumbs up" from me...if this technology enables people in more light polluted areas to see as they might from a dark sky site, then that could enable lots of city dwellers without access to dark skies to enjoy their hobby?

Can see applications in tracking Near Earth Objects etc...if the data is shareable in both directions, the professional Observatories could send co-ordinates back to the scope to enable accurate pointing at the more challenging transient targets? Going to need bigger power packs I guess...

Chris

[mikeDnight]

I had chance to test drive the eVscope last night and can confirm its an amazing piece of kit. The claims about Pluto are an understatement! The first attached picture of Pluto through the eVescope is one we're now all familiar with. But look what happens when the eVscope is powered up to maximum! 

Anybody want to buy my Tak? 

 

 

 

[PeterW]

Intensifiers work, they can be filtered to reduce light pollution: you can see mega rich starfields and emission nebulae that are normally "invisible" to even big dob users.(North America, California, heart and soul nebs and others from suburbia). No tracking mount needed, just a fast scope. Not cheap though.

This is imaging with a camera sensor, they can't be using "much better" detectors as the quantum efficiency is already very high already... good choice of optics, software etc will determine the views, it will need tracking. Like video Astro, but not having to take a computer out with you and it being able to annotate what you're looking at are big pluses.... avoid the "what am I looking for", "is that it" that sometimes occurs during outreach.

 

Peter

[Peter Drew]

This will likely bother those who like to see an image directly through an eyepiece rather than on a screen. If I understand the new system correctly it would seem that the telescope feeds an image to an integrating camera which then processes it and then sends it to a screen at the focal plane of the eyepiece. If this is so, you are presumably looking at a processed image of the object rather than the true object itself, a bit like looking at a video screen shot with an eyepiece with no lenses in it. I have no problem with that, my problem would be the colour as I know whatever telescope I am likely to use it won't produce a similar image. This, for me, always defines the difference between visual and imaging.        

[Alien 13]

I am wondering how much better this is than my DSLR liveview, I can see plenty of nebular with colours already..

Alan

[Bathurst]

This project does look interesting, there's gonna be a crowdfunding campaign and whilst I usually stay well away from them I am tempted by this one as I'll soon be in the market for an upgrade myself:
http://www.seti.org/seti-institute/press-release/unistellar-unveils-consumer-enhanced-vision-telescope-ifa-2017?utm_content=buffer92167&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

[pete_l]

There is a video of Rock Mallin (who sells Mallincams) demonstrating one of his new models on Youtube here:

 

 

The images are impressive for a few seconds of accumulation (though I think he's using a 16 inch SCT). If these guys are using something similar and they can keep the price down and it's for sale from a european address, I'd be interested

[kvsm]

Hello, joining the forum to say hi, and bump this because the Kickstarter launched today.

Less than an hour in and the funding target is nearly doubled! I got my pledge in early, roll on November 2018...

I'm not exactly blown away by the hype around what is admittedly nothing new technology-wise, but I bought in anyway because I like the sound of the package as a whole, I'm fairly inexperienced, and short on time/opportunity for viewing (and at the reduced kickstarter price, the value seems just about good enough). In other words I guess I'm the target market.

Anyone else pledged or thinking about it? Thoughts?

[Cosmic Geoff]

I'll await developments with interest. I have already noticed the massive difference between the digital photographs taken of galaxies by amateurs (very impressive) and what one can see visually with the same aperture (faint fuzzy nucleus blob).

I gather the concept is not exactly unique, but one may anticipate that many more people will be interested if they can buy a product that works, rather than having to research cameras, research software and fiddle around for ages trying to make something work.  If this was as cheap and simple and effective as using a GoTO mount, I'd order one tomorrow.

[Dave S]

I suppose as an integrated system it's a sound idea.  They state it uses the Sony imx224 sensor which is the sensor used in the gpcam2.  If you have a scope already then £190 will get you a gpcam then just add laptop.  As stated it is an amalgamation of existing technologies rather than a new system.

Still quite nifty looking if you don't want the hassle of a laptop in tow.

[pete_l]

1 hour ago, Dave S said:

Still quite nifty looking if you don't want the hassle of a laptop in tow.

Yes, but that's all and at $1999 final price it seems expensive. It will be interesting to know the resolution of the display they are using - presumably before the eyepiece.

The whole system looks to me like a FASTAR system I wonder if they have run into any problems with Celestron's patents

[PeterW]

4.5” f3.9 prime focus detector.. field of view about half a degree.. no patent issues at all. The magic is the software that ties it together. The eyepiece display seems to be quite good too. 

 

Peter

[Dave S]

16 hours ago, pete_l said:

Yes, but that's all and at $1999 final price it seems expensive.

I'd say more than seems.  For that money I could replace my mount scope and camera with some quality items.

[kvsm]

4 hours ago, Dave S said:

I'd say more than seems.  For that money I could replace my mount scope and camera with some quality items.

Agreed, I certainly don't think I'd be buying it at that price.

[IanL]

Anyone know what the 'patent pending technologies' are supposed to be? I see nothing here that hasn't been done before other than painting it silver and packaging it in to an off the shelf unit.

Would be worrying if this thing impacted on existing software and partial implementations of the same thing. Combining EEA and plate solving is hardly revolutionary.

Wouldn't be the first time that patents were granted for stating the obvious. Doubt the small and open source software developers have the money to fight spurious patents and would be forced out.

[PeterW]

Search for any names mentions or wait 6months and do the same again. If it is granted then it will be readable. As you say, will be interesting to see what they have claimed is novel.

 

peter