eVscope Is a Smart Telescope That Shows More Detail Than Any Hobby Telescope Before

There are few things more universally loved among geeks and nerds than space. Countless books, movies, TV shows, and video games have all been set in space, and nothing seems to capture our sense of wonder more. Unfortunately for those of us weren’t cut out to be astronauts, the only way we’ll ever likely experience it ourselves is through the lens of a telescope.

But, as you’ve probably noticed if you’ve looked through a standard hobby telescope yourself, actually seeing those beautiful galaxies and nebulas that NASA shows off hasn’t been realistic. Simply put, they’re just too far away, and the light is too dispersed and faint to make out by the time it reaches us. A new design called the eVscope from UNISTELLAR may finally be changing that though.

The key to the eVscope’s remarkable ability to pick up even the faintest light is the low-light digital CMOS sensor (a Sony IMX224) and proprietary image processing. While it’s not quite real =time (and not 100% optical), this setup allows the sensor to essentially be used for long exposure viewing. It will spend a few seconds collecting light, and then display the processed image on the 1,000,000:1 contrast OLED view finder.

Aside from the eVscope’s light capturing abilities, it’s also smart. Using GPS, internal maps, and a smart phone connection, it can locate celestial bodies in the sky and target them. Users can even join the scientific community, and help researchers observe space using their own telescopes. The eVscope is currently on Kickstarter, and early birds can get one for $1,299.