Pegasus Astro SmartEye

[doublevodka]

Just came across this - https://pegasusastro.com/products/smarteye/ - no indication of price yet, but could be interesting if priced sensibly and works as expected.

Short version is that it appears to be an integrated camera and eyepiece which does some sort of live stacking on the fly, but also can be used as a camera.

[RobertI]

How very interesting. I assume this requires fairly accurate tracking to work well. I wonder how ‘real time’ the stacking is - I think it would need to be very fast, of the order of a second or less to recreate that feeling of visual observing and make it worth while going to the effort of squinting through an eyepiece. Even then I assume it takes many stacks to reveal dimmer objects. Not sure about being a replacement for visual eyepiece observing, or a competitor to Night Vision (though hopefully cheaper), but I can see the benefits of the eyepiece view to help quickly setup for some quick and dirty imaging. 

Very interested to see what they have come up with as Unistellar have ditched the electronic eyepiece on their scopes I think. I wonder what the patent is for.

Edited April 5 by RobertI

[Elp]

Interesting. It will also be interesting to see how many people will buy this product when it does the same as using an astro camera in the eyepiece.

With a 533 sensor it definitely won't be cheap. I'm guessing it will be around 1000-1500, similar to the cost of Quarks.

Has a bit more functionality than the Nikon electronic eyepiece on the top end Evscope.

Edited April 5 by Elp

[PeterC65]

I think this is a great idea. A way for existing visual kit to be easily used for EAA, either at the scope, or on a tablet via WiFi. I've been thinking for a while that a WiFi enabled camera would make EAA much more accessible. The display in this product is a nod to those wishing to continue with the outdoor visual experience which I think will make it more attractive to some.

It looks well engineered and is using a great sensor, but how good it is in use will depend on the software / apps. There is mention of SkySafari integration which implies it is meant to be used with a tablet rather than a laptop, and no mention of imaging software / apps (such as SharpCap).

 

[Richard N]

Looks very interesting!

[R26 oldtimer]

It is very interesting. What differentiates it from a usual EAA setup is that you no longer need a laptop, so more plug and play.

Now, how can I get two of those for a binoscope? 😂

[Stephenstargazer]

On 05/04/2024 at 17:48, R26 oldtimer said:

Now, how can I get two of those for a binoscope?

Well looking at the pictures and the 2"  nose piece, I guess you may need a very large interpupilary distance 🥸. Unless they later build a binocular version.....two screens, two focusing eyepieces,  or with prisms.

I like the implied simplicity and wonder about the Sky Safari input, other than  the obvious tie in to the mount. However living with one 'eyepiece' might not be so easy? No doubt a bit of digital zoom is feasable?  

[Elp]

Credit to the YT channel for getting an in depth talk with Pegasus:

For those impatient, Smarteye discussed within first 4 mins or so (likely $1500 USD, Dec 24 release), Powerbox Adv 3, then lastly Nyx 88 mount (likely $1600 USD).

[Artik]

I'm obviously biased but I think Android tablet with direct USB connection to ASI533 would be way cheaper and flexible.

The only "advantage" is you may probably get more immersive view when looking into "eyepiece" but it is the only thing I see

(Disclosure I'm the author of OpenLiveStacker open-source app that does actual live stacking and talks to external camera)

Edited Tuesday at 08:56 by Artik

[Highburymark]

On 05/04/2024 at 00:51, RobertI said:

How very interesting. I assume this requires fairly accurate tracking to work well. I wonder how ‘real time’ the stacking is - I think it would need to be very fast, of the order of a second or less to recreate that feeling of visual observing and make it worth while going to the effort of squinting through an eyepiece. Even then I assume it takes many stacks to reveal dimmer objects. Not sure about being a replacement for visual eyepiece observing, or a competitor to Night Vision (though hopefully cheaper), but I can see the benefits of the eyepiece view to help quickly setup for some quick and dirty imaging. 

Very interested to see what they have come up with as Unistellar have ditched the electronic eyepiece on their scopes I think. I wonder what the patent is for.

Agree it’s not competitive with night vision. Completely different technology. For visual astronomers wanting to overcome light pollution, observe live DSOs and go deeper, better to put the £1300-£1500 towards a real night vision system. Entry level astronomy grade NV tubes are considerably less expensive now than a few years ago.