Looking for a smartphone-operated telescope this will allow you to see the stars!
I have always been interested in astronomy and what is above us and whether we are really alone. So when the astronomy brand Unistellar approached us to review the eVscope eQuinox I jumped at the chance as this was our first time reviewing an electronically assisted telescope that you can take photos of space you are viewing.
The eVscope allows you to show the family the stars from your own home however, this device is not cheap coming in at £2599 the price does vary depending on where you shop.
First Impressions
The eVscope eQuinox when it first arrived does not have an eyepiece which did make me question how I would view the sky but I soon discovered this telescope takes you away from the conventional method of viewing the stars at home and gives you the technology you might only expect to see at a planetarium. The main benefit of this telescope is its smart feature a Go-To capability which pushes the technology you have here and makes it more innovative.
Design
The eVscope eQuinox comes with a 4.5-inch, 11cm in diameter and 45cm focal length f/4 reflector. That comes with a sensitive, low-noise 1.2-megapixel colour Sony Exmor IMX224 camera sensor that tracks images in real-time that produces rich colour views of the sky. The telescope gives you views of nebulae, clusters, galaxies and even planets if you’re lucky. The eQuinox image processing power can counter the effects of light pollution.
The eVscope eQuinox comes pre-built on the computerised mount there is also a separate aluminium tripod which with the scope fitted only weighs 9kg meanings it’s very lightweight. The eVscope eQuinox optical tube measures 55 x 14.5cm in diameter that is permanently attached to an L-shaped single-arm computerised mount. The self-contained drive base houses the dual-axis drive and built-in lithium-ion rechargeable battery that provides the user with 12-hour battery life. The eVscope’s mount also has is a Linux powered single board computer inside that provides the telescope with sophisticated real-time processing capabilities that provide celestial tracking and wireless connectivity to the app.
You are also provided with a few accessories such as a charger with interchangeable plugs depending on where in the world you are currently. There is also a small toolkit and a quick start guide. Unfortunately, the review sample I was provided had a damaged charger but if you have a USB-C charging cable that works just as well if required. (Top Tip- lay the scope down on its side when charging).
In terms of set-up, it’s very easy simply open and extend the legs and clamp them to the required height. The level on the head of the tripod is very useful to get the correct setup.
Once you place the telescope into the tripod you need to secure it in place using the two thumbwheels. The tripod at its lowest level is 17cm above the ground but you extend to a max of 123cm.
Overall the eVscope eQuinox has that minimalistic design when it comes to the build and finish. The tripod is matt black while the optical tube is grey on the side of the device is a single power button with an LED around the button. When you press for the first time it will appear purple and then will go red 10 seconds later. When the LED is red you can pair it to your phone.
The Unisellar App
The eVscope eQuinox is operated using the Unistellar app which is compatible with most phones and tablets as it’s compatible with both Android & iOS. The app also allows you to have up to 10 devices linked to the telescope via its own Wi-Fi network.
Once you have set up the eVscope and switched it on, the telescope creates a Wi-Fi hotspot that you must connect to your phone or tablet before you launch the app. This allows you to control the telescope from up to 10 meters away however to keep the signal strong keep it closer. What I found nice was that once connected I could use this from the warmth of my living room.
The home screen of the app opens with a live-view stream which has the default set up on the gain and exposure which you can adjust in the settings via the manual sliders. If you are viewing a planet like Mars you might have to adjust the gain and exposure to get the right view. When you then decide to view another object in the sky like a star or nebula you will notice the eVscope needs to move and will move up to 4 degrees per second so when looking for that new star at night it won’t make any noise that could annoy the neighbours.
Navigation
The eVscope has a built-in compass and a three-axis accelerometer to allow you to navigate with ease. Once it can detect stars it will align itself using a very accurate system called autonomous field detection. What this does is uses the onboard computer that pattern matches its view of the sky with a database of over 20 million navigation stars in seconds.
Autonomous field detection is very fast and will start tracking the stars instantly from the moment you switch the device on. Once the tracking is complete now the fun can begin by selecting the explore tab you can select to look for any of the following:
- Asteroid
- Comet
- Cluster
- Galaxy
- Nebula
- Planet
- Star
There is also a Science tab that from my understanding will allow you to take part in science programmes that include asteroid ooccultations, near-earth asteroid observations and exoplanet transits. Anyone with an eVscope can join this community.
Features
When using the eVscope eQuinox one of the key features is the enhanced vision this really did make my viewing that extra special. Once you have selected what you want to view and located it for example we wanted to see the M82 otherwise known as the Cigar Galaxy. When we found it by pressing the enhanced vision icon commands the eQuinox to superimpose the image to improve image quality. Each image is typically 4 seconds in duration but it provides you with images that offer fine detail like what we have below.
The onboard computer automatically aligns each image with the next and removes the effects of image rotation and gradients that come with light pollution.
The eQuinox dust cap is also another feature it incorporates an aid to precise focusing called a bahtinov mask when it’s installed on the tube. Select and go to a bright star and you’ll see its diffraction pattern modified into an X-Shape with a central spike. You will need to slowly turn the focusing wheel on the telescope base until the spike meets the intersection of the X and results in perfect focus for the eQuinox and it holds that focus very well.
Performance
I have been testing this telescope for a good few weeks now I set up the telescope in my garden and waited for night to fall I turned on the eVscope at about 11 pm and after that, we found where the M82 was in the sky and used the enhanced vision for a few minutes and was blown away with what we saw.
The orange colour galaxy is clear to view and was stunning. We also got to view the M32 galaxy and M52 open cluster. The level of detail is fantastic and what I really liked was the app also provided some interesting facts and a description on the app of what I could see.
Below is a sample of the shots that you can gain using the eVscope eQuinox:
Verdict
My initial thoughts when it comes to the Unistellar eVscope eQuinox is cost wise at £2599 this is not a product for everyone you need to have the hobby of star gazing to even consider this at the price or have very deep pockets. I also felt that the lack of an eyepiece does take a little of the sparkle away from traditional star gazing but can understand why it has been done.
The eQuinox also lacks high contrast colour OLED screen so you would have to consider a lower price point that might attract more users. I also feel a higher-resolution sensor would have also improved the overall experience.
However, the eQuinox provides some super-resolution algorithms and improved image processing methods via the Unistellar app continuing to provide you with an excellent view of space that the whole family can enjoy. You will find the app is user-friendly and makes it simple to select targets and take pictures.
If you want you can also manually enter coordinates if you want to find a particular comet but you will notice the app is quite good at updating. This product brings professional quality star gazing but at a rather expensive price tag if you can see past that you will love this product.
Product Rating
Design: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Features: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Unistellar App: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Performance: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Value for Money: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Overall ranking: 4.6 out of 5.0 stars – 4.6-star rating
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