Unistellar Odyssey Pro smart telescope review: Approachable in every way but the price

I certainly am a lazy astronomer and a celestial phobian. I don’t want to get in my car to drive somewhere in the dark sky every time. And I don’t like to fuss about the cumbersome setup process. Plus, being in Florida, I don’t enjoy standing outside with my sight while fighting mosquito horde. There is also the question of understanding what to look at in the first place. Nevertheless, I love seeing detailed views of the objects and stars in the night sky. So when Unistellar asked if he wanted to check out the Odyssey Pro, a smart telescope that promises a more flexible viewing experience, I jumped at the chance. Odyssey Pro I solved most of my astrophotographic complaints, simplified it and made it more enjoyable, but it does so at a sudden price.

verdict: The Unistellar Odyssey Pro is an expensive telescope, but it is extremely easy to set up and use, providing high quality images even with zero experience.

Testing method

The Odyssey Pro is relatively compact and lightweight, making it a great option to travel together. That’s partial results alt-zimuth mountno counterweight is required, but it allows for full tracking functionality. We brought a telescope to a friend’s house several times and took it on a long road trip as it didn’t take up much space in the car. Plus you can buy it Specially made backpack To facilitate telescope transport.

design

The telescope comes with a tripod, which prevents you from purchasing individually. It is a very sturdy tripod, so you can set up your telescope with confidence, even if there is wind. The front of the telescope is magnetic and holds the dust cap in place. You can also attach it Unistellar Solar Filter Make it easy and safe to see the sun.

Connection, battery life, storage

Odyssey Pro relies on connecting to the Unistellar app on your smartphone, tablet or computer. The connection is based on the scope’s onboard Wi-Fi adapter. This means you don’t have to stand right next to the telescope to maintain connection. The range isn’t as long as I would have liked, but it allowed us to stay away from the mosquitoes. Unfortunately, the telescope itself, other than the power button, does not have manual control, so it cannot be used without the app. If your phone battery dies in the middle of a session, the telescope cannot be packaged in “park” mode.

It relies primarily on batteries to function naturally as digital devices. Unistellar promises a 5-hour battery life from an integrated lithium-ion rechargeable battery. It has a USB-C port for charging and a USB-A port that can power your phone. Plus, it offers 64GB of storage. That’s quite a bit, but telescopes work by taking multiple images of the same object over time and stacking them to reveal more detailed details. Still, I took lots of images before the storage was full, which allowed me to continue a handful of viewing sessions. But keeping your power bank convenient is never a pain.

Optics and Sensors

On the surface, the Odyssey Pro looks like most telescopes. Using a traditional Newtonian reflective design, light is collected with a mirror diameter of 85mm and a focal length of 320mm, resulting in an F/3.9 F ratio. What’s unique is that instead of that mirror, instead of a mirror that only guides the eyepiece, the Odyssey Pro uses a 4.1 megapixel sensor to display and record images. You can then view the night sky via the Unistellar app on your phone, tablet or computer.

Unlike the more affordable Odyssey, the Odyssey Pro still features eyepieces made in collaboration with Nikon for a slightly more traditional telescope experience. Certainly, eyepieces use non-traditional designs, relying on OLED microdisplay displays rather than looking at telescopes. That display means you will benefit from Unistellar’s live image processing, even when viewing through an eyepiece. It also does not appear to be visible through the eyepiece, allowing for an immersive experience.

function

As a smart telescope, the Unistellar Odyssey Pro is quite plentiful. It takes a lot of work from the astronomy process. This could be a big win for some, or a big win for those who prefer a more classic experience. Essentially, all the features are the result of a Unistellar app that starts with a simple setup process.

Setup and Maintenance

One of the best parts of the Odyssey Pro is the simple setup process. Traditional telescopes require a rather annoying mirror alignment or focus process, but this is not the case here. The telescope handles it all automatically. This means you can take it out of the box and see the wonders of the night sky within minutes.

The setup process is as simple as placing it on a sturdy tripod and ensuring that level. There is also a bubble level built into the tripod (you can see it in the gallery below). Next, pair it with the Unistellar app. This was the most challenging part of the process. After pairing, the app will perform an orientation. Instead of relying on GPS coordinates to locate its location, the telescope triangulates its location based on the visible star. Next, use the Unistellar catalog to calculate where it is. The telescope and app handle the orientation process, so you only need to wait a minute or two.

Unistellar App Control

Beyond the early setup process, the Unistellar app has many tools to make the night sky easy and accessible. Most notably, its catalogue of over 5,000 objects (nebulae, galaxies, planets, etc.) and 37 million stars and self-directed designs. Knowing your location, this catalog allows you to search and view celestial objects that can be viewed in a particular area. That way you won’t spend time waiting for the telescope to move in that moment to something that doesn’t even exist in your night sky. Additionally, if you need to consider buildings and trees, you can set custom parameters.

Once you have chosen what to look for, the electric alt-az mount will navigate for you. The telescope then tracks and keeps the object or star at the center, allowing you to continue watching even when the Earth is rotating. This is particularly beneficial due to Unistellar’s image processing technology, producing better images over time. Additionally, if necessary, focus to make sure you are focusing everything you see.

You can choose a fully automated process, but the app offers some manual controls. This includes manually rotating the mount and scanning the night sky yourself. You can also manually control image settings such as gain (sensor signal amplification), exposure time, brightness, and background (dark background).

If you are looking as a group, Unistellar allows multiple people to easily connect to the same telescope on their own device, rather than having to hover around one phone or eyepiece. Also within the app are tools to calibrate the sensor, focus on the eyepiece, redirect the telescope, and ensure a quality viewing experience. You can also turn the LED light on the side scope to red to prevent excess light contamination and reduce the impact on night vision.

Astronomical photographs

The Odyssey Pro makes astrophotography extremely easy. They don’t offer the same quality as a dedicated high quality astrophotography setup, but offer quality results with much less fuss. Capturing images is as easy as selecting and tapping something to see the capture button in the app. You can use related information such as objects in a frame, stars, exposure time, location, and date to select a circular frame around your photo or move it to a frame-free image.

One of the outstanding features of Unistellar telescopes, including the Odyssey Pro, is its deep dark technology. This feature improves both viewing and astrophotography. This is a removal algorithm that reduces the effect of light pollution, revealing a true black background as expected from the universe. It also helps to amplify the details and colors, allowing you to see objects and stars even in bright contaminated areas.

I don’t live in places like New York City or Chicago, but there is quite a bit of light pollution near me. My attempts at astrophotography with cameras have resulted in poor results. But the Odyssey Pro cuts all of that and offers an incredible viewing experience regardless of light pollution. It takes time to filter it. The longer you wait, the better the image will be, but if you have the patience, you can see some unresolved results.

Conclusion

Unistellar did an amazing job simplifying the astronomical experience and made it extremely accessible. Everything from the setup process to the app navigation and viewing process is simple and intuitive, so you can get your scope out of the box and start within minutes. Deep dark technology and live image processing can really bring amazing results, especially if you have the patience to observe one thing for a few minutes. Additionally, the portability and ability to connect multiple apps makes it easier to turn Stargaze into a social event.

Of course, there are drawbacks. Wi-Fi range is not that broad, so you need to stick to it quite close. You can’t use the telescope if you don’t have a device with an app. This is a shame if the cell phone battery dies during a session when it is moved. However, the biggest drawback is the price. At $3,999, this is an expensive telescope. You can choose to save money Odysseyit’s the same in almost all respects, but there are no eyepieces. I have tested Odyssey before and did not like the experience of looking at eyepieces much. Still, there’s something special about it, so I used it Odyssey Pro A little more. That said, there is a $1,700 price difference between the two models, making it difficult to justify the price of just an eyepiece. This topic has caused quite a bit of discussion with our friends, so it really comes down to personal preferences.

specification

• Focal length: 320mm
• Mirror diameter: 85mm
• Focus ratio: f/3.9
• Image Resolution: 4.1 megapixel
• mount: Electric alt-az
• Database: Over 5,000 objects, 37 million stars
• Telescope Weight: 8.8 lbs
• Tripod Weight: 5.5 lbs
• Storage: 64GB
• Battery life: 5 hours

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