With the current health crisis affecting most aspects of people’s lives, many have turned to new hobbies that fit social distance and staying at home.
Stargazing and amateur astronomy are two activities to take advantage of people’s enforced isolation, with lockdowns around the world leading to an increase in the number of people observing the night sky and an increase in the sale of astronomical instruments.
Yet despite the appeal of these activities, some people have found the use of traditional telescopes difficult, especially those new to amateur astronomy. It is a problem that a young French company is trying to address.
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Vaonis, a Montpellier start-up founded in 2016 and specialized in the production of astronomical instruments, recently launched its newest device, Vespera. It’s a cross between a smart telescope and a camera, and is expected to cost around $ 1,500.
In October, the company launched a 30-day pre-order campaign and managed to bring in $ 2.5 million in global billing, making Vespera the most funded project in the space exploration category and the most funded technology or hardware project in France.
Vespera’s app allows an astronomer to control the telescope from their smartphone to select and view the celestial object they want to observe. The telescope will then point to the object and track it.
Vaonis says the device uses intelligent and powerful image processing with autofocus in addition to the automatic pointing and tracking system. Vespera self-calibrates using the owner’s phone’s GPS and the company’s star recognition technology.
During the quarantine, the French company saw more than double the number of orders, uses, and shared photos taken with its devices. With the goal of shaking up the field, Vaonis is also partnering with former NASA astronauts Scott Kelly and Terry Virts, drawing on their experience and expertise.
According to Virts, smart telescopes like Vespera are there to bring astronomy closer to almost everyone.
“I’ve had multiple telescopes in my life, including reflectors and refractors. I’ve always loved them, and the thrill of seeing objects in the night sky,” Virts tells ZDNet.
“In all fairness, it’s too much work to drag out a typical six-inch or eight-inch or even 12-inch telescope at night, align it, and attach astrophotography equipment. Most telescopes are never used.”
Now, having this technology at hand allows observers to see deep sky objects in just minutes, Virts explains.
“It makes it possible to see amazing deep-sky objects that are thousands or sometimes millions of light years away. Observations such as those are simply not possible with conventional telescopes without a significant amount of expertise, time and heavy and expensive equipment.”
It took Vaonis nine months to complete the project, the company’s second product. The technology behind the device combines optics, electronics and high-precision mechanics.
For the new product, the company was able to leverage much of the work that went into the first project, an observation device called Stellina.
“Much of the work required to get Stellina out the door was uncharacteristic, but involved things like camera integration, communication and mobile app deployment, firmware management, user interface design and debugging,” the company said.
“With that foundation, we can spend more time optimizing performance and testing features.”
Now it thinks its products could also lead to a new generation of astronomical technology for observing deep space.
“It could inspire a whole new generation of tools to observe the universe. It’s not just to observe – it’s to capture, share and learn, all in one product.” Cyril Dupuy, founder and CEO of Vaonis, tells ZDNet.
“As for the rest of the industry, it’s too early to say, but it will certainly encourage other companies to create products with a better user experience than the traditional telescope.”
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In addition to being the smallest smart telescope in the world, the device is also the only instrument that offers celestial observers a shared and interactive experience around the stars, respecting the precautions imposed by COVID-19, thanks to the way it allows . remote observation on screen, the company adds.
According to James Sweitzer, a Kickstarter supporter of the project, using such devices will help more people understand the fascination of deep space.
“As a lifelong astronomer and planetarium developer, I am interested in using it for education,” he says.
“But I firmly believe that their main impact will be to lift the veil on the deep universe and bring joy and wonder to many people. They are like admission to the infinite planetarium.”
Using the app, you can select the object you want to observe, and Vespera will point and track it.
Image: Vaonis