A leader in the smartscope industry introduces its exciting new eQuinox telescope.
It is every amateur astronomer’s dilemma. If you’re like me, the basic equation is ‘Should I watch tonight?’ there is always the same basic equation: Is it worth the effort? Under the bright downtown city skies, I have the choice of either walking up to the roof of the parking garage (and being limited to bright targets) or charging, driving for several hours, setting up in a secluded place with dark skies, observing and then process the reverse process and drive home early in the morning …
In the above scenario, the best telescope is the one you end up using the most … and this is where the new eQuinox “Smartscope” from Unistellar stands out. We got a chance to review their original eVscope last year, and the eQuinox is a very similar device with some major additions.
Three views of Unistellar’s eQuinox
I have owned many telescopes of all kinds over the years, dating back to some of the very first “goto” units in the 1980s … most of which needed a little astronomical expertise to successfully target on the first night reach out. I can say that Unistellar’s eQuinox works as advertised, right out of the box: just clip the device to the tripod, turn it on, connect it to your phone’s WiFi, run it through a quick sky alignment (the device uses Disk resolution and GPS to know where it is and what it is pointing at) and you are good to go. Suddenly, with the eQuinox telescope, deep sky targets are under control again, even from our roof structure in the city center. For example, we managed to catch the faint comet T2 Palomar, size +11, with the telescopic sight, a target that we would never aim at from downtown.
Four deep sky views of the city center …
In contrast to other star pattern alignment devices, the eQuinox is also very forgiving. We found that even with a partly cloudy sky, just 30 minutes after sunset, it was able to align without any problems. The app gives the user suggestions for targets currently above the horizon, or you can enter the right ascension / declination coordinates individually (great for comet hunting).
Four views of the Unistellar control app ..
Ironically, the wide field (about the size of a full moon), similar to a rich field refractor, doesn’t provide amazing planetary views: instead, the eQuinox really shines when it comes to deep sky astronomy.
Fine focusing the optics of the device is a breeze and is accomplished using the large button on the back of the tube assembly and the Bahtinov bezel mask. The device even comes with a small kit of tools to adjust the mirror alignment (if needed at all) and the tripod.
Do science with the eQuinox
But the really interesting benefit for the eQuinox is its potential to use the telescope for real science. To this end, there is a “Science” tab in the Control App that allows users to scan fields uploaded to the SETI / Unistellar database related to “Comet Activity” and “Planet Defense” (think asteroids) to be analyzed. Users have already tracked star occultations to map asteroid profiles and track exoplanet transits while the host star’s light is falling very slightly … that’s right. Exoplanet transit followed by a small backyard telescope. (What a time are we living in!)
… and yes, in this era of remote working and learning, you can use the eQuinox telescope on Zoom.
The following is new with the eQuinox telescope compared to the eVScope:
– There is no eyepiece / screen with a side turret
– Comes with a more stable, adjustable tripod
– More internal storage and longer battery life
– A lighter telescope (in fact, the company makes a custom backpack just for the telescope and tripod).
Here are the side-by-side specs:
eScope vs. eQuinox, side by side.
Our recent star party experience with the telescope also revealed another point where eQuinox really shines: public relations. Instead of dividing my time between finding the target, operating the telescope, and explaining to the audience, I could just talk about space while the telescope locked on the target. Plus, by clipping the phone to the tripod leg, we were able to easily hold around the screen instead of having to line up all of them in front of the eyepiece. We even showed elusive, weaker targets like the Planetary Nebula of the Blue Snowball and the Eastern Veil Nebula in Cygnus, not your usual star party favorites …
A tripod camera / phone clamp is a worthy addition to hands-free use.
What we would like to see: a red light filter for the app (we bypassed that in the field with the built-in blue light filter of my Galaxy S9, plus dimming the overall view)
-A handle to grip on the side of the pipe / fitting during assembly and transport.
-A possibility to use the mobile data with your phone while the app is connected to the scope.
Are smartscopes the wave of the future? I definitely see a niche for them when it comes to the fight against light pollution and public relations … and still I wonder. I still use my orange SCT from the 1980s on occasion – but what will happen to all of these smartscopes in a decade when the internal batteries run out and we all have stopped using iPhones?
Even so, I felt encouraged to use the eQuinox telescope to do a quick rooftop summit on a new nova or comet on almost every clear night, which I would otherwise probably have missed. And maybe the eQuinox telescope really shines with this benefit.
Like this:
Loading…
Comments are closed.