How to Use a Unistellar Telescope

Setting Up Your eVscope - Basics

Setting up the Tripod

It is safest and easiest to setup and test your tripod completely before mounting your eVscope.

• While the tripod is horizontal, release the leg extension clamps, extend the legs to the desired length, and close the clamps. Tip: The lower the telescope, the less susceptible it is to wind and vibration
• Set the tripod up on firm ground and pull the legs out fully to the widest stance. Wooden decks and other surfaces prone to vibration will interfere with Enhanced Vision. (Note you can increase the angle the legs make with the head, refer to the link below.)
• Watching the bubble level, adjust leg lengths to level the tripod head. (This is essential for good sky tracking.)
• Double check that the legs are firmly locked into place and will hold the weight of the telescope by firmly pushing down on the top of the tripod.

Once the tripod is level and stable you can mount the eVscope. The eVscope On/Off button may be rotated to any convenient orientation. Holding the base of the telescope down on the tripod head, alternately tighten the mounting screws until just firm. Check the mounting screw tightness occasionally while the scope is on the tripod, they can work loose. The page eVscope Tripod Operation and Maintenance will give you additional information and helpful advice.

Thermalization

Prior to beginning an observing session with a Unistellar telescope it is best to allow the telescope to acclimate to outdoor temperature.

A telescope that has not acclimated will deliver poor quality images for a variety of reasons. If the telescope is warmer or colder than than the ambient outdoor temperature the primary mirror slightly changes its size during the time that it is acclimating. This prevents the telescope from maintaining a good focus. Further a telescope that is warmer than the outside conditions will have currents of warm rising air that can create turbulence within the telescope's tube which will limit image sharpness.

Typically 15 - 30 minutes is enough time to allow the telescope to fully acclimate to outdoor conditions.

Linking to the eVscope

(Note: This is a summary. Refer to this page on the Unistellar site for details.)

When ready to observe, long press the eVscope power button. The light will be orange for a few seconds, and then will turn steady red. Configure your device to connect to the eVscope WiFi and open the Unistellar app. You will first see the Catalog screen. Tap the Settings icon and go to the My eVscope page. Once the WiFi link is established this page contains important status information.

Orientation

Once the eVscope is mounted and stars are appearing, you must trigger the Orientation process. This allows the scope to determine what direction it is pointing. Refer to the Orientation page for further details about this process.

Focusing

For best results it is essential to focus the Unistellar telescope every time the telescope is used. If the temperature changes significantly during an observing session it is optimal to perform an additional focus.

Live view of focusing showing an out of focus star in the Unistellar app.

To focus the telescope center the field of view on a star of moderate brightness. Most stars in the Unistellar database, especially those with common names, will be bright enough for this. The telescope's Bahtinov mask is used for focusing. It should be unscrewed from the dust cap and placed on the front end of the telescope. The best focus results are achieved by lowering the gain and/or exposure in the Live View until a small circle can be viewed near the intersecting bright lines. Additionally, it is best to zoom in during Live View to make the view as large as possible (x8).

A properly focused star.

Focus is achieved by turning the focusing wheel at the back of the telescope. Slowly move the focus wheel until the bright lines symmetrically cross the central bright spot. Atmospheric turbulence will make the bright lines appear move around, so look to make sure that on average the lines cross the central spot.