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Have you just unpacked your Unistellar eQuinox or eVscope and are ready to begin your first observations? This article will guide you through the basic steps required to set up your eVscope or eQuinox and enjoy the wonders of the Universe.
1 - Set up your telescope on the tripod
- Open the legs of the tripod and adjust the height.
- Adjust the legs so that the bubble level is centered
in the black circle.
- Make sure the tripod legs are properly secured.
Important: Tripod stability is essential. If one of the tripod clamps is not tightened enough, the telescope may slowly (and almost imperceptibly) move under its own weight. This can cause the bubble level to drift, which is difficult to notice unless the telescope is unmounted. Make sure the tripod clamps are tightened securely — but not excessively, as overtightening may block the tripod’s mechanism.
Note: Each time you move your eVscope/eQuinox, we recommend checking the bubble level again.
A - Loosen the tripod screws at the crown of the tripod.
B - Mount your eVscope/eQuinox vertically on the tripod. Tighten the screws at the
crown of the tripod to secure your eVscope/eQuinox. Be careful not to overtighten,
as this could damage the thread.
C - Power on the eVscope/eQuinox by pressing the Power button for two seconds. The LED will first turn purple and then red. Remove the caps from the telescope tube and eyepiece.
2 - Connect your eVscope or eQuinox to the Unistellar app
Where can I download the Unistellar app? – Minimum requirements for the Unistellar app
Enable Wi-Fi on your device. If the telescope is powered on and the LED is red, you should see the telescope appear as an available network on your smartphone or tablet.
Once the UNISTELLAR app is open, you can connect your telescope by tapping the + button at the bottom left of the home screen or by tapping Add Instrument in the Settings menu
at the top left.
The app will search for available UNISTELLAR instruments that are powered on and ready to connect. When your telescope appears, select it by tapping on it.
Once the connection is established, a message will appear saying All set! Tap Start Exploring.
When your telescope is connected and ready to observe, the + button becomes an Instrument button
and the Observation button
appears on your screen.
3 - Set the telescope's orientation
Once your telescope is connected to the app, you can access the observation page by tapping the Observe button .
Orientation allows your telescope to know where to look in the night sky and automatically target catalog objects within your visible sky area.
Our system instantly recognizes objects in its field of view by comparing them to an internal map of the coordinates of tens of millions of stars.
Orientation occurs automatically before each pointing. However, you can always initiate orientation manually, which may be necessary for scientific observation or if you are targeting an object using its RA/Dec coordinates.
4 - Start your first observation
The easiest way to observe celestial objects is to use the Goto feature.
From the planetarium, the catalog, or the search bar at the bottom of the home screen, tap an object or enter its name, then tap the Goto button.
The new version of the app also suggests a few objects to get you started. To access them, go to the home page, swipe up while holding the search bar, then tap 8 Targets to get started.
From the planetarium, tap an object, then tap Goto.
From the catalog, tap an object or enter its name, then tap Goto.
In the search bar, type the name of the object you want to observe, then tap Goto.
For each object listed in the catalog, an information sheet is available, providing a wealth of data about the object (Alt/Az position, constellation, description, RA/Dec coordinates, etc.).
If the selected object is visible within the visible sky area you have defined, you can tap the Goto button. The telescope will then automatically move to the targeted object.
Once the Goto has been validated, you can use Enhanced Vision (Dynamic Signal Amplification) to see more detail.
Learn more about using Enhanced Vision (Dynamic Signal Amplification): How to use Enhanced Vision (Dynamic Signal Amplification)?
5 - Save your capture
When you are satisfied with the result, press the capture button to save the image. This can be done in Live View mode or when the Dynamic Signal Amplification feature is enabled.
Your capture will be saved in the app's gallery as well as in your device's gallery. From the gallery, you can share it with your friends and family.
6 - Park and turn off your telescope
Once your observation session is over, you might want to park and turn off your telescope. This can be done in your telescope settings menu.
You can access your telescope's settings from the home page by tapping the Instrument button or the Settings button
. Then tap your telescope to access its settings.
Tap the Shutdown button once, then tap it a second time in the pop-up window that appears to put your telescope into storage mode and turn it off.
Good to know: About storage and maintenance