Last Updated on 09/24/2018 by Mark Beckenbach
This project would have been an interesting telescope system for astrophotographers and astronomy fans alike.
If you’ve been wanting to take your astrophotography to the next level, looks like this telescope system would have been the contraption to take it to the stars and beyond. While Kickstarter funding for the project was unsuccessful, we can’t help but be curious enough about the iEXOS PMC-Eight 100™ 90 (IEQ-90) to tell aspiring astrophotographers about it.
Anyone who has ever peered through a budget telescope and wished they could take a snap of what they saw will most likely be in awe of what the iEXOS PMC-Eight 100™ 90 (IEQ-90) would have enabled them to do. It’s a versatile 90mm aperture refracting telescope that offers the benefits of a high-end astrophotography telescope minus the expensive price tag. These features include equatorial tracking, precision auto-guiding, multiple imaging set-ups, and high definition optics.
Here’s a summary of these key features:
German Equatorial Mount: Precisely tracks objects as they rise in the east and set in the west, avoiding usual astrophotography pitfalls like field rotation.
Wireless GOTO System with Precision Motor Drive: An astronomical tool that allows you to spot your target in the night sky so you can align the telescope to it. This tool utilizes 8 CPUs that operate independently from each other, each focusing on a specific function. It can be easily operated from a smart device using the ExploreStars app (for Windows, Android, and iOS).
Multiple Imaging Set-Ups: The telescope comes with a digital camera that can be mounted on the front of the setup for taking pictures of large sections of the sky, or attached in place of the eyepiece for photographing individual deep sky subjects or close-up views. There’s also a built-in camera mount for attaching DSLR cameras on top of the telescope.
Pixel Precision Guiding: To help ensure pinpoint accuracy in taking long exposure astrophotography, the telescope has the capability to take auto guided tracking down to the pixel level, making minute corrections to the mount’s position so the final image has round stars. This is particularly useful when taking photos using the attached DSLR.
Explore Scientific, the creators of this sophisticated telescope system, breaks down the rest of its features in the campaign video below:
Sadly, this project was unsuccessful, mainly due to lack of promotion for the Kickstarter campaign. In one of their comments, however, Explore Scientific mentioned that many of the components in this system will be made available separately later this year. This includes the equatorial mount mentioned above. They can also help astrophotography enthusiasts build a system if they wish.
Nowhere else to go then but the Explore Scientific website to see what else they have!
Images via the Kickstarter campaign by Explore Scientific