Observing space and gazing at the stars is not as easy as you might imagine. Sometimes we get frustrated because we don’t see what we’re looking for or we find that the image quality is not as high as we would like. A new telescope equipped with AI attempts to change the status quo for those who look at the night sky so that the enjoyment of astronomy has no limits.
There are many ways to observe the stars, but they usually require us to go somewhere remote, without artificial light, without buildings and without elements that disturb. Something different is the romantic image that we remember from when we were children, in which we used a household telescope to look out the window. It was usually very difficult to see anything! But now that concept, advanced with cutting-edge technology and the use of AI, is back in the spotlight.
The cosmos in everyone’s hands
The telescope we are talking about is called Odyssey Smart Telescope and comes in two different models: the normal one and the Pro version. They are manufactured by Unistellar, which has been on the market for a few years trying to bring the experience of observe the stars in a simple way. However, until now they had not built a telescope that was as efficient as this one and, at the same time, could be used so easily.
For example, the previous model had many advances, but required that the users who used it had knowledge of telescopes and other technical aspects. Its launch was not poorly received, although the feedback they obtained over time made it clear to them that, if they wanted to standardize the use of the telescope, they had to make a significant number of changes. And the most essential thing was to find a way to make it a telescope that was easier to use.
A new generation soon available
The Odyssey and Odyssey Pro are presented at CES 2024 and are the more than worthy successors to previous telescopes like the eQuinox 2. The developers of this new model have put so much effort into simplifying stargazing that they promise one thing that sounds really good. They say that once you take the telescope out of the box, you can start observing the sky and stars right away. This speed and simplicity of use will prevent you from having to have prior knowledge, from having to perform complex manual tasks or from having any impediment preventing you from seeing stars instantly.
But how does AI act in this technology? What the artificial intelligence does in this telescope is make sure to allow you to look at the stars from the comfort of your window or garden. Thanks to AI, it will not matter how much pollution there is or the different elements that interfere with the visualization of the stars, since it will take care of refining the image instantly. The different imperfections or interferences that may occur in the analysis of the sky will be eliminated and what you will be left with is a clear vision of the starry sky and a great ability to recognize even what, previously, could only be seen from rural areas.
The AI technology that takes care of this cleaning of the field of vision is called Stellar Autofocus and it also works so that you always have the best view of any type of element you want to look at. It does not matter if it is closer or further away, since the power of the telescope is of a high level. Multi-Depth technology is also included, with which it is possible to go from looking at a planet to any other type of more or less distant star in a fluid way.
The Pro model has a better eyepiece made by Nikon, but both models more than perform. In addition, they can be connected to the mobile phone through an application and the images captured by the telescope can be seen in real time on the device’s screen. This is something that benefits those situations in which we want to enjoy observing the stars in a group.
In addition, users who have one of these telescopes are part of a community that is in contact with NASA and that receives different initiatives in which they can participate so that you feel like you are in a science fiction series. From Unistellar they assure that they are fully committed to continuing to awaken interest in the exploration of the stars among all types of people. They point to its importance because, as you surely already know, we are approaching an era in which space conquest will be very present in life on Earth. Therefore, the more we know about space and the more accustomed we are to it, the more easily we will connect with the new trends we are approaching.
Of course, the price of this telescope is not exactly cheap. The normal model costs $2,500, while the Pro version comes with a price of $4,000.
