Unistellar eVscope
A user-friendly, compact smart telescope that delivers stunning deep-sky colour views
e have reviewed many small telescopes in Sky at Night Magazine and have often added the proviso that you have to keep visual expectations low. Unfortunately, small scopes don’t have a great deal of light grasp and will not produce detailed images like those often found on their nicely designed boxes. The Unistellar eVscope challenges that view, while perhaps giving an insight into the future of visual astronomy. The telescope was developed as a user-friendly system – by Unistellar in association with the SETI Institute – to be used for citizen science projects, so we were eager to check it out.
Essentially, the eVscope marries a Sony IMX224 sensor with a 4.5-inch, f/4 reflector and an electronic eyepiece, alongside cutting-edge electronics and computing. The telescope tube sits on a single-arm computerised altaz mount attached to a sturdy, adjustable height tripod. Although the eVscope looks neat, the eyepiece seems unusually placed when compared with standard reflectors. Its position, however, creates a more comfortable viewing position and experience; instead of collecting light from a secondary mirror, the eyepiece receives the signal electronically, meaning it doesn’t have to be placed higher up the tube. The spider vane at the top of the tube holds the Sony sensor at the point where light, having travelled down the tube to the mirror, is focused directly directly back at it. The data is processed on board in the mount and then sent to the eyepiece, which delivers impressive colour results. We found that stars, for example, showed up as particularly colourful, while comets showed a definite greenish hue.
This is what makes the eVscope system stand out. Normal 4.5-inch (115mm) reflectors show galaxies and nebulae as pale imitations of their true nature and can often disappoint, whereas the eVscope builds up a live image in colour using live stacking and registration. Galaxies and nebulous targets, including those that would normally be considered too faint for such an
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