And now the 61mp SMART astro telescope

[sundial]

Its' all happening on the SMART astro scope front … now the Hyperia 61mp !!

https://www.dpreview.com/news/407082...r-1050mm-optic

$45000 pre-order … I think I’ll ‘pass’ on this one … for the time being :) Made by VAONIS … same co. which makes the Stellina … eVscope’s rival

... and the eVscope 2 has also been announced with an improved sensor https://www.t3.com/reviews/unistella...lescope-review

Lots of naysaying from die-hard traditional astrophotographers ... countered by lots of positive comments from those who've actually used the eVscopes and the Stellina


dunk

[adrianw]

Teledyne would charge more than that for the sensor, so a bit of a bargain really

[Kingstepper]

Seems anyone with deep enough pockets can take some good images nowadays, just seems too easy! Obviously people are different but for me anyway the fun would be researching and putting the kit together, learning how to get the best out of it, upgrading etc.

The way things are going our grandchildren won't be able to see much anyway apart from the dreadful Starlink and similar satellites.

[sundial]

Seems anyone with deep enough pockets can take some good images nowadays, just seems too easy! Obviously people are different but for me anyway the fun would be researching and putting the kit together, learning how to get the best out of it, upgrading etc.

The way things are going our grandchildren won't be able to see much anyway apart from the dreadful Starlink and similar satellites.

Why sit outside on a freezing night using hand warmers when with wifi it's possible to sit in your warm lounge with a tablet or smart phone and let the smart 'scope do what it's designed to do ... OK it will not do everything eg not so good with planets and the moon ... but it will enable much faster views and photos of deep sky astro phenomena than any conventional telescope ... faster because set-up time is minimal ... And fantastic for demonstrating deep sky observing to star party visitors ... especially children . Current eVscope and Stellina smart digital 'scope models enable ten observers to 'tune in' with their tablets / smart phones.

Smart 'scopes are also serious scientific astro tools which can study exoplanets and asteroids

https://unistellaroptics.com/citizen...anets/results/

https://unistellaroptics.com/trackin...san-francisco/

[Kingstepper]

Why sit outside on a freezing night using hand warmers when with wifi it's possible to sit in your warm lounge with a tablet or smart phone and let the smart 'scope do what it's designed to do ... OK it will not do everything eg not so good with planets and the moon ... but it will enable much faster views and photos of deep sky astro phenomena than any conventional telescope ... faster because set-up time is minimal ... And fantastic for demonstrating deep sky observing to star party visitors ... especially children . Current eVscope and Stellina smart digital 'scope models enable ten observers to 'tune in' with their tablets / smart phones.

Smart 'scopes are also serious scientific astro tools which can study exoplanets and asteroids

https://unistellaroptics.com/citizen...anets/results/

https://unistellaroptics.com/trackin...san-francisco/

People, especially children, might lose the hands-on aspect of astronomy. Sitting in their lounge somewhere else they might as well be looking at someone else's stock image. They'd never even know, especially with an unchanging deep-sky image.

[sundial]

Children do not sit in a lounge at star parties

[magirus]

What a great device dunk! The astronomers of yesteryear, much like photographers of the era, would have loved modern equipment. No snobbery there, just a desire for improvement. The only drawback, which is obvious, is that it will inevitably be superceded by something better/cheaper/lighter, and then you've an awful lot of money tied up in "old" tech. Of course just like superceded cameras that can still take excellent images it will still be great bit of kit to use.

[sundial]

What a great device dunk! The astronomers of yesteryear, much like photographers of the era, would have loved modern equipment. No snobbery there, just a desire for improvement. The only drawback, which is obvious, is that it will inevitably be superceded by something better/cheaper/lighter, and then you've an awful lot of money tied up in "old" tech. Of course just like superceded cameras that can still take excellent images it will still be great bit of kit to use.

Yes Bob ... smart astro 'scope technology is moving at such a fast pace that anything 'new ' will likely be superseded within 12 months ... however, I'd settle for a s/h Mk I eVscope knowing how useful it would be ... and its further £depreciation would be very much less than if buying a new model. I value experienced astro-journalist's opinions on smart astro 'scopes e.g. Ade Ashford's who's tested and reviewed two of them in depth.

[murkeywaters]

Personally I would rather spend the money on a Takahashi TOA-150B or a similar AstroPhysics/TMB with a top guided mount and piggy back the Sony DSLR with the same sensor..

[mr noble]

Those are undoubtably fantastic bits to tech, but personally, and for kids, I think the fun is in looking through an eyepiece outside in the dark and cold. That way what you see is "real" far more than it is on a tablet's screen.

You can look at the images on a tablet's screen without the need for a scope. Just look up the images online and there you go.


I feel these modern digital scopes miss the point and hands on nature of astronomy, certainly for the beginners and kids.

[murkeywaters]

Those are undoubtably fantastic bits to tech, but personally, and for kids, I think the fun is in looking through an eyepiece outside in the dark and cold. That way what you see is "real" far more than it is on a tablet's screen.

You can look at the images on a tablet's screen without the need for a scope. Just look up the images online and there you go.


I feel these modern digital scopes miss the point and hands on nature of astronomy, certainly for the beginners and kids.

Exactly, the sight of Saturn through a high quality refractor is quite amazing, a screen/pixels kills the moment..

[sundial]

eVscope 2 has an eyepiece .... a high quality electronic EP made by Nikon ... at star parties one person can look through an eyepiece ... with a smart 'scope 10 observers can 'tune in' via wi fi using their smart phones and watch the image gradually evolve as the software selects and stacks hundreds of the better images together

The final image can be post processed and printed ... or just saved

The UK's 'cold' winter nights do not necessarily improve the observing experience when using a conventional 'scope ... I have observed planets including Saturn, and other astro phenomena through different types of astro 'scopes ... and through my own astro observation binoculars







I am considering buying an eVscope ... one reason being that I know how useful it would be at star parties. Visitors attending my astro society's star parties often have astro apps on their smart phones ... the eVscope app would enable several visitors to observe the 'scope's image