New Version of the V5 App - Understanding the Differences from the UNISTELLAR V4 App – UNISTELLAR Help Center

Version 5 of the UNISTELLAR app introduces a completely redesigned interface to offer a more immersive, intuitive, and observation-focused experience.

This update was necessary to incorporate new features, such as the planetarium, while preparing the app for future compatibility and improvements.

Key new features:

New immersive interface for observation-focused navigation
Celestial planetarium to explore the sky and control your telescope intuitively
Terrestrial planetarium to visualize your surroundings and better understand your orientation
Catalog: creation of viewing lists (Favorites / Watch Later)
Observation page: addition of the PiP (Picture-in-Picture) feature, which displays a small floating video window that always remains in the foreground
Login: more robust login upon startup
Updates: simplified update process on our end

Home Screen and Planetarium

From the app’s home screen, you can directly access the Planetarium and the catalog of celestial and terrestrial objects. You can connect your UNISTELLAR instruments, use the Goto feature, manage the app’s settings, access your gallery and favorites lists, participate in scientific missions, and consult the help center.

The Planetarium offers you a more natural and immersive way to visualize the sky.

You can now connect what you see with the naked eye, its representation in the app, and what you observe through your telescope.

All objects in the UNISTELLAR catalog are displayed in the Planetarium.

Stars are represented by bright dots whose color matches their actual hue.

Deep-sky objects are represented by ellipses. Their size corresponds to that of the object, and their color varies by type: yellow for clusters, blue for galaxies, and purple for nebulae.

UNISTELLAR also offers the first planetarium that incorporates the surrounding terrain. The app also provides information on visible points of interest (locations of mountain peaks, city centers, waterfalls, beaches, etc.), and more will be added over time.

Object Catalog

With the new version of the app, the catalog is now accessible at the bottom of the home page via the Catalog button .

The catalog contains all the objects in our database, which you can automatically point to using the Go-to function if they are visible in your visible sky area.

New features are also available:

list or grid view
sorting objects that will appear soon or are about to disappear
adding objects to a favorites list
sorting objects by the instrument used—that is, one of our telescopes or the ENVISION binoculars. This allows you to choose to display celestial and/or terrestrial objects.

Connect your UNISTELLAR instrument

Connect your instrument by tapping the button in the lower-left corner of the home page or by tapping “Add an Instrument” in the settings menu in the upper-left corner .

Observation Page

The observation page lets you see what your telescope is observing. Once your instrument is connected, you can access the observation page by tapping the Observe button

Watch Later List

With the new version of the app, when you’re connected to your telescope and observing, you can create a list of objects to watch later.

This feature lets you easily prepare the next objects to observe and quickly switch between them during your session.

Picture-in-Picture (PiP)

The new version of the app also offers the Picture-in-Picture (PiP) feature—which allows you to display a small, floating video window that always remains in the foreground.

While you’re observing, a window displaying the telescope’s live feed remains visible and is superimposed over your screen, no matter where you are in the app.

Settings Menu

The Settings menu is now accessible via the button in the upper-left corner of your screen. The new version of the UNISTELLAR app features a redesigned settings hierarchy.

Additional Content

You can access other features by swiping up on the screen while holding down the search bar:

Observation Targets and Suggestions

The new version of the app also suggests a few objects to get you started. To access them, go to the home screen, swipe up while holding the search bar, swipe the panel to the left, and then tap “8 Targets to Get Started.”

By continuing to swipe this panel, you can also access other astronomy articles with observation suggestions.

Your Instrument's Settings

Tap the image of your instrument to access its settings, such as Wi-Fi settings, sensor calibration, or enabling the Direct Data Download feature.

Gallery

The gallery is where you'll find all the images you've saved during your observing sessions. From the gallery, you can view detailed information about your images, share them, delete them, and choose which images to include in your catalog.

Favorites List

With the new version of the app, you can create a list of your favorite objects to observe so you can easily find them during your next observations.

Citizen Science and Scientific Missions

Join our citizen science program to participate in scientific missions and find out about upcoming events. This feature has not been updated at this time.

UNISTELLAR Community on Facebook

The UNISTELLAR Telescope Community Facebook group is the official meeting place for UNISTELLAR users around the world. It is an active and friendly space where UNISTELLAR telescope owners, passionate observers, citizen scientists, and astronomers come together to share ideas, learn, and inspire one another.

Help Center

Find all user guides, tips, and answers to your questions about your instruments in the UNISTELLAR Help Center.