Review: Unistellar Odyssey smart telescope is out of this world
It's not perfect but the images it produces in double-quick time are tremendous
Bode's Galaxy taken by the Odyssey
There's never been a better time to get into astro photography for the enthusiastic amateur thanks to a new generation of smart telescopes that do away with all the painstacking preparation and assumed knowledge that can be a barrier for newbies.
One of these hi-tech scopes is the Unistellar Odyssey, which, while not cheap, couldn't make taking amazing images of celestial objects any easier, even from light-polluted urban areas.
The Odyssey is a fully automated smart digital reflector telescope equipped with an 85mm aperture and uses Unistellar's proprietary technologies for enhanced viewing.
It's not too bulky or heavy so can be used on the go, although you don't get a case included which, considering the price, I thought was a shame.
You do get a stand which is absolute top quality, though, even if the way it holds the telescope itself is rather lo-fi and made me slightly nervous. Indeed, a few times after a viewing session I found the scope had come loose and wobbly on top of the stand.
Usability couldn't be simpler. Once paired with a phone or tablet through the app, you are away. Simply choose the object (be that galaxy, planet, nebula or star cluster) you want to take an image of and the telescope does the rest.
And it's here where the Odyssey shines. I've tried a few smart telescopes over the years but the picture quality blew me away as it came through on my tablet. Not only do they look great, the snapshots only take a few minutes to come through. What would take over an hour using a cheaper telescope as image after image are stacked on top of each other to get a nice picture, the Odyssey delivers better in a fraction of the time.
Unistellar Odyssey
It's all the more impressive as light pollution is a problem where I live. Indeed, it'll be hard to go back to my other scopes once I return it! As an extra slice of fun, you can also choose to participate in collaborative and citizen science missions with institutions such as NASA and SETI Institute .
There is a minus to the fully automatic system for the more experienced astro photographer, which may limit appeal for users who prefer manual adjustments and customisation. However, for a beginner it's tremendous and you'll be sharing images with your friends and family, taking the plaudits for your skill!
Unistellar Odyssey
I did have a few niggles The telescope uses its own wifi to connect and you can't set it up, say, through your home network. This meant on my tablet I could not be connected to the Odyssey and the internet at the same time. Also, there is no way (as yet) of rebooting the device via the app. A few times when it did crash I had to go outside and switch it off and on again.
Sometimes if took a very long time to find the object I wanted to take an image of (although this might be down to the aforementioned light pollution) while the battery life wasn't super great. Charging is only through the wall rather than a charging brick. Another quibble is that you do not get a solar filter included. That will set you back another £200,
So the Osyssey is not perfect but for any budding astronomer I wouldn't hesitate in recommending it. Sure, the Odyssey is pricey but in this case you get what you pay for. The (dark) sky's the limit!
The Odyssey Smart Telescope is available for 15% off ahead of Father's Day (£1,699) via the Unistella website.
What users say
"Odyssey is an excellent telescope. It packs amazing technologies, bigger aperture in a portable format. It does very well in many different situations including my apartment balcony. It is the telescope that got me interested back in amateur astronomy."
"Ease of use is exemplary. Just plug and play. This telescope does allow deep space as well as plant viewing. I purchased without the eyepiece and have had no need for the added feature. I would recommend saving the added cost."
Alternatives
Article continues below
Celestron 11068 NexStar 6SE Computerised Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope
ZWO Seestar S50 Smart Digital Telescope
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
18 minutes ago
- BBC News
New Uranus moon discovered by James Webb space telescope
It's time to welcome the 29th moon orbiting Uranus - the catchily titled S/2025 U1!Scientists spotted the new member of the planet's moon family using Nasa's famous James Webb space telescope. Even though S/2025 U1 is pretty tiny, measuring only 10km wide, the team behind the moon spotting say that it's big scientist Maryame El Moutamid said: "It's a small moon but a significant discovery, which is something that even Nasa's Voyager 2 spacecraft didn't see during its flyby nearly 40 years ago." The moon was spotted thanks to the James Webb telescope being able to do 40 minute long exposures. This is when the camera's shutter stays open to let as much light in as possible, allowing scientists to see the undiscovered the smallest and faintest of Uranus' inner moons, so there's still a lot to learn and find out about S/2025 that name is only temporary - its official name will be approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), which gives names to objects found in other moons of Uranus are all named after characters from classic writers William Shakespeare and Alexander Pope, with names like Desdemona and Ophelia. Along with Neptune, Uranus is an ice giant that's extremely cold and appears blue because of the methane that makes up some of its far, Uranus has only been visited by the Voyager 2 spacecraft back in 1986, where it missed new moon S/2025 new finding will be peer-reviewed soon, which means it'll be double checked by other scientists working in the same area.
Daily Record
5 hours ago
- Daily Record
Nasa scientist believes mystery planet is home to alien life in stunning breakthrough
A NASA scientist has suggested there may be life in the seas of a dwarf planet saying astrobiologists are constantly "surprised" by the level of activity on the outer edges of our solar system. A NASA scientist has hinted at the possibility of life existing in the seas of a dwarf planet, stating that astrobiologists are continually "surprised" by the level of activity on the outer fringes of our solar system. Ceres, a dwarf planet which is technically an asteroid, is classified as a dwarf planet due to its sufficient mass to be shaped by gravity. NASA's Dr David Grinspoon believes there may still be liquid water inside this unusual planet that could support life. It comes as earlier this year NASA unveiled the first pictures of the Sun's eruptions, which cause the Northern Lights. Investigations of the planet have yielded more results than researchers initially anticipated. Speaking to WIRED, Grinspoon revealed: "Recently we sent a space craft there and we found some surprising things." A bright flash of white on the planet suggests there was once water there - as it is a salt deposit. This also implies that the water that existed there may have mirrored the salty composition of our own oceans here on earth. Dr Grinspoon explained: "The most interesting thing was a crater and what we found is that it is a salt deposit and that salt deposit indicates that there was water on the planet.", reports the Irish Star. "This suggests that this was a water world at one point and may still even have liquid water on the inside." He added: "This is very exciting to astrobiologists because it means that dwarf planets like Ceres are places where you could have in the past had habitable conditions on the inside." However, the thrilling news doesn't stop there. Grinspoon suggested that it's not beyond the realms of possibility that the life-supporting conditions observed on the planet may still exist. He said: "Who knows maybe at present some of these planets still have habitable oceans." Dr Grinspoon added scientists are consistently astounded by the findings of their space explorations, saying, "the more we explore the solar system the more we're surprised by the level of activity on some of these worlds that we thought were dead." He mentioned scientists have determined for life to exist, water is necessary, adding "we have experiments that show that the building blocks of life are very easy to create." Ceres, the largest object in the asteroid belt, floats between Mars and Jupiter. This small planetoid is known for its "alien mystery lights" - a term used to describe the strange illuminations emanating from its surface - which have now been identified as salt deposits.
Rhyl Journal
10 hours ago
- Rhyl Journal
Nasa's Webb telescope finds a new tiny moon around Uranus
The new member of the lunar gang, announced on Tuesday by Nasa, appears to be just six miles wide. It was spotted by the telescope's near-infrared camera during observations in February. We're not sitting on this one, Uranus has another Moon! Webb discovered an unknown moon orbiting the planet, expanding its known satellite family to 29. — NASA Webb Telescope (@NASAWebb) August 19, 2025 Scientists think it hid for so long — even eluding the Voyager 2 spacecraft during its flyby about 40 years ago — because of its faintness and small size. Uranus has 28 known moons that are named after characters from Shakespeare and Alexander Pope. About half are smaller and orbit the planet at closer range. This newest addition, still nameless, ups the planet's total moon count to 29.
