Backyard astronomy might have just had a cosmic breakthrough with Unistellar's latest unveiling at CES 2024: the Odyssey and Odyssey Pro smart telescopes. They are designed to banish the struggles of urban stargazing. These telescopes promise a journey through the universe from the comfort of your city.
Unistellar is changing telescopes with Optical Digital Hybrid, blending optical and digital tech. It uses precise optics, a digital sensor for clear views, and smart onboard processing for better images. Now, exploring the universe is for everyone. In fact, it was unistellar's eVscopes that aided 'regular folks' in capturing NASA's DART impact, as IE previously reported.
Now, the firm has introduced the Odyssey duo, comprising the Odyssey and Odyssey Pro models, which isn't your average stargazing gadget.
These smart telescopes synchronize seamlessly with a mobile app, transforming your smartphone or tablet into a celestial window. But what sets these devices apart is their ability to capture celestial wonders, not just limited to nearby planets but stretching far beyond, even in light-polluted city skies.
Laurent Marfisi, Unistellar's CEO and co-founder, highlighted the traditional telescopic limitations: "Normal telescopes struggle to reveal more than the moon and a handful of planets. Our mission was to craft a telescope capable of unveiling the mysteries of the cosmos—galaxies, comets, and hidden celestial marvels."
What makes the Odyssey range stand out is its patented pixel-binning technology. Similar to smartphone cameras, this innovation adjusts the telescope's sensor to switch between high-resolution capture for planets and enhanced light gathering for distant galaxies and nebulae.
Imagine viewing Jupiter in all its glory and then effortlessly transitioning to witness a distant nebula's cosmic ballet from the same device.
The beauty lies not only in what you see but also in how you see it. Unistellar's app complements the telescopes, automatically guiding them to celestial spectacles while providing captivating insights about the wonders overhead. Marfisi expressed, "We wanted to weave a narrative about the cosmos—each viewing experience comes with a story, a glimpse into the grand design of the universe."
The specifics of Odyssey and Odyssey Pro
Enhanced with cutting-edge Nikon optics and an autofocus system similar to digital cameras, these telescopes promise crystal-clear images without the hassle of manual adjustments. Plus, they boast an ease-of-use feature: optical tubes that eliminate the need for regular realignments—making stargazing more straightforward for enthusiasts and novices alike.
The Odyssey, priced at $2,499, and the Odyssey Pro, at $3,999, offer an escapade within reach. For those seeking a touch of flair, the limited-edition red Odyssey Pro at $4,499 adds an extra element of sophistication to the stargazing experience.
As reported by Forbes, Unistellar's Odyssey smart telescopes are rewriting the rules of urban stargazing, making the cosmic spectacle accessible to all, even in the heart of the city.
Originally published on Interesting Engineering : Original article